Confirmed: He Who Sits the Most Dies the Soonest

A great article on the benefits of standing and the deadly effects of too much sitting.

Its most striking finding was that people who sat more than 11 hours a day had a 40% higher risk of dying in the next three years than people who sat less than four hours a day. This was after adjusting for factors such as age, weight, physical activity and general health status, all of which affect the death risk. It also found a clear dose-response effect: the more people sat, the higher their risk of death.

The results are part of the Sax Institute’s 45 and Up Study, the largest ongoing study of healthy aging in the Southern Hemisphere. It compared the self-reported daily sitting time of 222,497 Australian adults 45 years or older with their likelihood of death in the next three years.

Read the full article at the Atlantic. 

How to Ask Your Boss for a Standing Desk

I recently started a new job at the corporate headquarters for a major retailer which brought up some new challenges. Here’s my experience:

When you’re employed and go to a 40 hour a week job – making changes to your workspace can be intimidating. How do you ask your boss for a standing desk? How will your coworkers react? Will you feel like a prairie dog with your head high above the other cubicles?

I put in my request for a standing desk early on. In my case, it meant that the company had to raise a couple pieces of my cubicle – sounds easy, right? Well, it was a bit more complicated than I expected but overall the company was very accommodating and understanding.

My initial request had to go through several departments, which is to be expected. I was given an initial timeline of ‘a few weeks’ until I’d have the desk raised. Unable to sit for 8 hours a day, I began measuring items around the office to find a way to create a makeshift work station. After a couple weeks of sitting, I came up with this:

So, as you can see, it wasn’t ideal but it worked. This setup garnered more than a few inquiries and raised eyebrows. I felt so much more productive being able to work while standing that it was absolutely worth it.

When coworkers stopped by my cubicle to ask why I had my recycling bin on top of my desk, I explained the benefits and that was that. In fact, I think that the unsightly nature of my desk helped to expedite the whole process.

Which isn’t to say that getting my desk raised happened quickly – it didn’t. It took 2.5 months for all the appropriate departments to approve the request, order the parts, and hire a company who specializes in cubicle adjustments.

I didn’t expect it to take that long. So – lesson learned, in corporate environments, it may take a while to have your desk adjusted and in the meantime, there are ways to make your desk a standing workstation without spending a dime.

A couple weeks ago, I had my desk officially raised (much to everyone’s delight!) and here’s what it looks like now:

I’m still working on making it a really comfortable workspace but its getting there! I’m the only person in my general area who has a standing desk… although, in another part of the office there are a couple of designers who have a standing desk, too – so I wasn’t a complete anomaly.

People stop and talk to me about the desk practically every day. They want to know if I ever sit (I do) and how I put in the request, who I talked to, how long it took etc.

Just today I learned of a couple associates in another part of the company who had their own desks raised after chatting with me – and they love it!

So – in conclusion – it’s intimidating to request cubicle adjustments but ultimately its completely worth it and you might inspire your coworkers to get up, too.

The Secret Service Uses Standing Desks

It sounds like a fad, but it’s more than that, as recent research shows just how bad it is for our bodies to sit for hours a day. It not only slows metabolism but increases the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes, as insulin effectiveness drops with lack of movement. The enzymes responsible for breaking down lipids and triglycerides also plunge, and that causes HDL, the good cholesterol, to fall.

Standing has become a way of working at a number of firms around the country. At the AOL campus in Dulles, Va., a number of accountants, programmers and other workers stand up on the job. Federal workplaces that have purchased standing desks include the U.S. Secret Service and the U.S. Geological Survey in Washington, D.C.

 

Read more from the Cleveland.com article here. 

Standing Desks in the News

One of the great evangelists for standing desks is Donald Rumsfeld. He had this to say in a recent Seattle Post Intelligencer article:

Rumsfeld was asked whether he still uses his famous “standing desk,” which looks like an elevated, massive artist’s easel and has no chair.

“I use the stand-up desk … which is not to say I’m not getting soft also,” he teased. “I’ve done it since 1969, when I went into the Cabinet [and] resigned from Congress. And I feel better standing up much of the day. One advantage is if people come to see you and you’re standing up, they tend to stand up, and the meetings are shorter and shorter.”

Read the full Donald Rumsfeld article here

Standing Desks in the News

Scientists at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Louisiana analyzed the lifestyles of more than 17,000 men and women over about 13 years, and found that people who sit for most of the day are 54 percent more likely to die of heart attacks.

Read More at Men’s Health.

Keep Moving at Work

Have you ever been to a concert where you had to stand for a good two hours or so? It hurt your legs, didn’t it? Now – think about a time you went to a concert where you were inclined to move, dance, walk around to visit with friends. Did you have much less leg pain?

One way to keep the standing desk scenario from tuckering you out on a daily basis is to move at your desk. I do it by listening to danceable music.

Currently I’m listening to Girl Talk’s All Day. Download the full Girl Talk All Day Album right here. You’ll have over an hour of danceable music to get yourself started.

I’m making a “Music to Stand to” playlist – what music do you work to? I’d love suggestions for the playlist.

Don’t You Get Tired Standing All Day?

A question I get a lot is “Don’t you get tired standing all day?”

I usually respond with “I’m not standing all day.” And I think that’s a key concept in using a standing desk – it’s the option to stand that makes the difference. Do I dogmatically stand for 8 hours a day at least? No! I take breaks and sit down – usually for no more than 15 minutes at a time now. With a tall stool you have the flexibility to just take a load off and then when you’re ready to stand again, it’s an easy switch.

I take a 1 hour lunch break, too. During this time, I walk the half mile back to my place, cook lunch and sit to eat for about 30 minutes. This break is one of my favorite times of the day. When lunch is over, I walk back to work and I’m ready to stand again! Take the standing and sitting in moderation – listen to what your body is telling you to do.

Additionally, moving around while standing is important. I put on music that makes me want to dance (even a little) and I move around a bit instead of standing stick straight. Bending the knees and resting one leg at a time by propping it up is a great way to minimize leg fatigue. I’ll have a full post on this topic soon.

Got a question? I’d love to answer it. Leave a comment.

Standing Desk: In the Office

When I was purely a freelancer and working from my home office, it was easy to use my standing desk. Upon taking a job at an office with cubicles – the issue of a standing desk became a bit trickier.

My first request with my new job? That I be able to use a standing desk.

My employer supported my request despite the cubicle set-up of the office. In fact, my employer helped me modify my workspace to create the standing desk I wanted.

Here’s how we made it work:

The company that makes the office furniture is Haworth. They have a Lego-like series of office furniture that is flexible and converts into a standing desk cubicle when you apply a bit of creativity.

Example of Haworth Office Furniture:

Photo Credit: Haworth

And if you’re wondering what it would be like to have the only standing desk in an office filled with other cubicles. The trick is making sure your wall still offers privacy for you and doesn’t give anyone else the idea that you’re looking over their shoulder. Here’s what my desk looks like in relation to the rest of the team:

Any questions? Leave a comment.

Standing Desk: Ikea

One of my standing desks is from IKEA. Below is the picture of the actual desk. After that is all the info you’ll need to create this exact standing desk for yourself.

The standing desk part is actually an IKEA Leksvik bar table
$129.00

Image Credit: IKEA

And I combine this with a IKEA Franklin bar stool.
$25.00

Photo Credit: IKEA

For added height, these 99 cent vases make great standing desk risers

Why it works
This desk combination provides the best of both worlds. You can rest when you’d like – either by sitting or by putting your feet up on the middle desk bar. When you’re sitting, you can rest your feet on the stool’s bar. And if you decide a standing desk isn’t for you – you’ve got versatile furniture you can use during your next barbecue or game night.

Introduction

You feel it in your butt first – that numbing sensation (you called it itchy-butt in grade school), almost like pins and needles . It’s nearly paralyzing- the way your cheeks just seem to have lost all blood flow during the last few hours. And now it’s time to pack up and head out and your back’s aching – especially that area right beneath your right shoulder blade, and your lower back is as tense as your neck – which is to say, you do not have a pleasant feeling as you uncrinkle yourself out of your chair. Your legs barely obey your brain’s demands to move one in front of the other and you arch your back upward, bringing your shoulders as close as you can to touching and hear the satisfying crackle of your bones snapping back into place.

And (don’t shoot the messenger) but that’s not even the worst part. The worst part is what it’s doing to your brain.

Cubicles are where brains go to die and every day you’re marching yours to its electric chair and willingly sitting down.

Here’s the kicker: You’re going to do it to yourself again tomorrow. And you’ll be repeating it ad infinitum for the foreseeable future.

Melodramatic? Hardly.

Is it a problem you can solve? Absolutely- if you find the courage to rise up.