From increasing life expectancy to preventing back pain, standing desks have been praised over traditional desks for the past few years.
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Standing Desk Benefits
An Australian study published in August 2018 surveying 230 desk workers found that spending more time standing and moving around rather than sitting could potentially help prevent obesity-related diseases such as heart disease and type 2 diabetes. Ultimately, this could also increase life expectancy. A sedentary lifestyle has been linked with poorer health; however, other studies (NHS study, Exeter University study, University College London study and Curtin University study) have warned against over-hyping standing up as an alternative to sitting down, as there are some downsides. After a couple of hours of standing still, workers often complain of muscle aches and swelling in the lower legs. The ideal scenario is to change often from sitting to standing and, preferably, to moving around, with frequent walking breaks.
While some standing desk models can be extremely expensive, there are many affordable solutions that shouldn’t put employers off investing in them. If you work from home on a freelance/self-employed basis, a height adjustable desk may help your productivity with a small capital outlay.
Best Standing Desk: Twitter Recommendations
Twitter is a great source for recommendations for products; when it comes to standing desks, users including teachers and freelancers recommend:
Also: CozyDesk, an ergonomic laptop stand.
These brands were identified as high quality by people who have purchased them and used them.
Standing Desk: Amazon Recommendations
Among the best selling desks, highly rated standing desks include:
These brands have all high ratings on Amazon. However, they all come with a fairly high pay point, too.
For a more affordable solution, CHANGEdesk has received many positive reviews but it’s much cheaper than the brands mentioned above. It’s compact and doesn’t require assembling.
Another mention goes to Updesk, one of the pioneers in height adjustable sit stand workstations.
Please note that the links featured in this article are affiliate links.
Standing Desk Ikea Hack
A quick (and honourable) mention goes to the so-called “Ikea hack”, where you can DIY your own adjustable desk with a few pieces from Ikea.
A standing ovation for the standing workstation!