Standing desk hacks
March 24, 2016 10:48 AM   Subscribe

As much as I hate "hacks" (I don't care if that's the way monkeys peel a banana), I've recently converted to a standing desk and am in need of tips to keep comfortable, productive, and potentially avoid health risks from standing for long periods.

I have a pretty ergonomic setup vis a vis elbows/wrists/neck strain, so that's not an issue, although I'll be happy to hear less commonly known recommendations for desk ergonomics. I know standing for long periods of time is just as bad as sitting, so I'm looking more for things in the vein of stretches that I should be doing periodically, things you've learned from your own experience with a standing desk, anything like that.

I've done the standing desk thing before and worked on a foam mat because the floors were uncomfortable to stand on for long periods of time (who knew this could be a thing?). However now I find sneakers do the job just fine. Other than that my legs get tired every now and again and I take a short sit and chill break periodically. A lot of the time I get fidgety and sort of dance around from the toes to heels of my feet.

I might consider switching off between sitting and standing a few times throughout the day, but standing is just so much more comfortable. I am never comfortable in a chair even when I'm not working (dining, etc). But I'll consider doing this if it's the recommended thing when standing for long periods. After all, I've sat at a desk for my of my career.

I have parts of my work where I'm actively working on the computer and other parts where I'm essentially reviewing what's on my screen. (think 4-1 ratio.) I use the more passive reviewing times to stretch my arms and and neck roll my feet around a bit. This is a good habit, right? What else should I be doing during this time? This is also when I get the most fidgety because I only need half my attention to work.

Should I be worried about varicose veins? Shallow I know, but I am worried. What can I do to avoid this if it's really a risk from standing all day? I mean, I know people have been standing since the dawn of time, but this is one of the things that seems to get brought up a lot for a standing desk situation.

I've also worked places where I stood on my feet all day, but I moved around. Standing in one place all day is proving to be harder than working on my feet but moving around! Please give me your (not weirde or olde) tips and tricks for working at a standing desk.
posted by atinna to Work & Money (13 answers total) 9 users marked this as a favorite
 
I've found that having slightly smooshy shoes (i.e. Crocs) works for me at my standing desk. You might also want to Google "fatigue mats" if you want to stand on something. Standing is just part of it, you also want to watch wrist/hand/neck positions as well (as you know). Be mindful of your shoulders creeping up your back and make an effort to drop them every 5-10 minutes. There are a lot of good timers that you can set up that will just do little pings "Hey remember to drop your shoulders" and not otherwise be too invasive. I found it very useful to switch from a standalone mouse to using my laptop's touchpad, to keep those micro-mouse movements from aggravating my trapezius. This set of stretches helps me not get into gargoyle pose after a long day of typing.

The most important thing to me was working on balance, just generally. I take yoga and it's my worst area so I practice a little. I've found that helps me standing in a relaxed-but-upright position which means I get less tired out after standing for a few hours
posted by jessamyn at 10:55 AM on March 24, 2016 [1 favorite]


I work at a standing desk for about 80% of the day. I've found that introducing a funk or go-go soundtrack for at least an hour or two during the day helps a whole lot as far as keeping me moving. Just the gentle bounce that's almost unavoidable when listening is enough to do the trick, and keep me loose and not fidgety.

Shoes with good arch support are essential, especially if you're on a gel mat.
posted by toxic at 10:56 AM on March 24, 2016


I strongly recommend alternating sitting and standing. Standing all day can encourage poor posture, and is rough on your body. I'm in enough meetings most days that I can keep desk time as standing time, but on quiet days I make a point of having stuff to print out and read on paper while sitting for 30 minutes here and there.

I also tend to walk over to talk to people instead of always emailing, but this doesn't work for everyone.

One of my colleagues brought in yoga blocks to wedge under one foot at different heights while standing. This helps you get out of being in the same position all day. I will sometimes stand in a modified tree pose, which does the same thing.
posted by chocotaco at 11:01 AM on March 24, 2016 [4 favorites]


I've worked standing on and off for different periods over the last 3 or so years. I have a bar stool to sit on to take a break. I also have a laptop support, which helps put the keyboard in a position that is easier to deal with when standing. Finally, I've been using a trackball for years, even before using a standing desk, but find it also works really well when standing.

(And replying to this makes me think I need to move to my stand-up desk from the couch in my home office...like right this second.)
posted by chiefthe at 11:08 AM on March 24, 2016


Like chocotaco, I'll sometimes stand in tree pose or tree-like pose.

I write fiction, so when I'm thinking of what to write next (or anything where I'm not actively typing), I often pace back and forth, which breaks up the standing-in-one-position feeling. If I were working in an office and wanted to be less obtrusive than pacing, I might try marking time, which is essentially lifting your heels rhythmically like you were walking while keeping your toes on the ground (here's a marching band demo in case my description isn't clear). I like pacing and marking time not only as a fidget outlet but also because I feel like I'm getting a tiny bit of exercise while I work if I keep moving (yay multitasking!).

I use the Pomodoro method when I'm being good, and I use the 5 minute breaks to stretch - calf stretch, quad stretch, neck stretches, shoulder stretches. I'm guessing forward fold from yoga would feel great too.

One thing to avoid - at a previous office job with a standing desk, I got into the habit of leaning my hips forward against my keyboard tray, either while standing on both feet or while standing on one, like in semi-tree pose. It felt lovely in the moment, but ended up pulling things strangely in my back and leading to more (temporary, but annoying) pain later on.
posted by bananacabana at 11:20 AM on March 24, 2016


At the end of the day, elevate your feet. If you can sleep with your feet and calves on a pillow, that helps.
posted by blnkfrnk at 11:32 AM on March 24, 2016


You could try getting a Bosu or similar half-ball exercise apparatus. Standing on either the rounded side (easier) or the flat side (more difficult) requires a small amount of dynamic weight-shifting, which I think would be beneficial to your leg muscles, overall balance, and avoid the feeling of stagnant legs that can come from standing for a long time.
posted by pseudostrabismus at 11:47 AM on March 24, 2016 [1 favorite]


I tried it but couldn't do standing full time. I ended up buying an inexpensive cushioned garage shop stool. It was high enough that I could alternate resting one cheek on it for most of the day and not actually be sitting. It helped.
posted by bonobothegreat at 11:51 AM on March 24, 2016 [1 favorite]


there's a very fancy (and pricey) balance board that i imagine would be more comfortable than a bosu, which i think would be pretty tiring (also, if by "standing on the rounded side" we mean having the rounded side upper-most, then at least for me that is more tiring than standing on the flat side - i do both, every day, in the gym, which i go to partly because i stood too much at my standing desk, and am now sitting again...).
posted by andrewcooke at 12:17 PM on March 24, 2016 [1 favorite]


I wear Crocs (which I prefer to the squishy gel mat, YMMV). I have a Trigger Point ball on my floor and roll my feet on that every once in awhile, but that's more for preventing PF from running than the use of the standing desk. No need to drop 20 bucks, a tennis ball would work just as well.

I also have a big exercise ball and I do this stretch if my back feels tight. When I need to sit to read a report or edit, I sit on the ball.

My other thing is that I print on a printer that's on a different floor. Walking up and down the steps seems to help to keep blood moving.
posted by 26.2 at 2:05 PM on March 24, 2016


The also fancy Stir Kinetic Desk has a built in device which you program to define for how long you want to stand and sit, and then it moves up and down appropriately. It doesn't look like there's any science on the site which recommends for how long you should stand vs sit, but my general sense is that variation is important - so maybe a Pomodoro timer app on your phone or browser plug-in/ extension to alert you to take a break?
posted by 7 Minutes of Madness at 2:10 PM on March 24, 2016


I have a too-short stool that I sit on from time-to-time. It has a nice foot rest, which allows me to stretch my legs, and the low position makes me shift my body around and encourages stretching. Not ideal, but it works.

Also, I have a small foam standing mat that works well, plus I can slide it in and elevate my toes a bit, causing more stretching while I sit.
posted by filthy light thief at 2:37 PM on March 24, 2016


Response by poster: Thanks for the advice. I think I'm going to get myself a pair of extra comfortable shoes ("work shoes," ha) and look into a getting a stool. I'm at a DIYish setup so lowering everything to sit would require some rearranging each time, and a stool would be perfect to switch from standing to sitting without rearranging.

Bananacabana, I must admit I do enjoy the idea that I'm burning slightly more calories every day just by standing and fidgeting when I would otherwise be sitting on my bum. :)
posted by atinna at 9:24 PM on March 24, 2016 [1 favorite]


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