Tag Archive - sit stand desk

Why Home Office Workers Will Benefit From A Height Adjustable Desk

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According to a new report The Incredible Disappearing Office from The Conference Board the number of people working mainly from home has doubled over the last ten years. And in some industries it’s tripled. Although teleworkers are traditionally the most likely people to work remotely, the report found less obvious occupations were growing even faster.

Clearly this trend looks set to continue as it makes economic sense for employers. And employees appreciate the convenience of not having to travel to work.

However, those who find themselves working from home need to be aware that there is a fundamental difference between a traditional office and a home office.

How working from home is different to a corporate office
On the face of it it might seem there is little difference between working from home or a company office. In reality there are some important differences and the argument for using something like a height adjustable desk in a home office is quite compelling.

If you work in a corporate office you are far more likely to be active during the working day. And this is important because movement is vital to keeping your body healthy. In a traditional office you have to get out of your chair and move to complete certain tasks.

Things like walking to the photocopier or getting up to grab a coffee. Then there are meetings with colleagues. Even a trip to the toilet often means a bit of a walk. And of course lunch breaks are often a good opportunity to get out and take some exercise.

When you work from home many of these breaks from sitting all day don’t apply and this is where a height adjustable desk can help.

Why sit stand working makes sense in a home office
A lot of home offices tend to be small, maybe an unused bedroom or a study. Unlike a company office there is no photocopier to walk to or colleagues to meet with. All your equipment tends to be in one room and so the need to get up out of your chair is greatly reduced. And even when you do get up for a tea break or to visit the toilet there isn’t a long way to walk.

Many people working from a home office find themselves welded to their chair for far too long. When you’re busy it’s all too easy to plough on with what you’re doing instead of taking a break.

This is where an adjustable height desk can really be beneficial. It gives you the opportunity to get more movement into your routine and keep your muscles and body active. So, when you feel you need a change a sit stand desk makes it quick and easy to alter your posture. It’s important to pay attention if your muscles start to ache because it’s your body’s way of telling it’s time to move.

With a quick press of a button or a few winds of a crank handle you can quickly be standing to work and getting that all important change of posture.

However, it isn’t all plain sailing, there are a couple of problems with height adjustable desks in the home office.

What are the drawbacks of a height adjustable desk in a home office?
Whilst using a sit stand desk in a home office is great there are a couple of potential problems. First there is the cost. Most adjustable height desks involve an investment of at least $500 so they aren’t cheap. Nonetheless in the long term it will prove to be a very good investment in your future health.

If you are working for an employer point out the advantages to them of setting you up with a height adjustable desk. See if they will pay for it or if not make a significant contribution towards the cost.

The other problem is space. If you have a very tight sized office you may struggle to fit in a moving top desk. A lot will depend on the shape and size of the desk. So don’t just rush out and buy one until you have carefully measured the available space to make sure it will fit. Remember to take into account the space you will need around the desk for access.

If you can overcome these two problems then working at a movable top desk in a home office makes a lot of sense.

Summary
Let’s quickly run through the key points we’ve covered here:

  • Working from home is different and involves less body activity
  • A height adjustable desk is a great way of keeping your muscles and body healthy
  • It’s very easy to become welded to your chair in a home office
  • Adjustable height desks involve a sizable investment often $500 or more
  • Check the available space carefully before buying a sit stand desk

Further reading
Here’s where you can find more about the The Conference Board report on the growth of home working. And here’s an article on the benefits of height adjustable desks.

     

Why A Standing Desk Isn’t The Same As A Height Adjustable Desk

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It’s pretty obvious that a standing desk is different to a height adjustable one. A standing desk is fixed at standing height and much like a static sitting desk you have to work within its limitations.

The point is there are a lot of DIY ideas appearing for ideas on making standing desks. It’s easy to think there as good as a height adjustable desk. There not, here’s why.

How can you be sure your standing desk is the right height?
Whether you buy a ready made standing desk or opt to create one from the many ideas floating around the net these days getting the height right can be tricky.

It’s often suggested that to work out the right height for a standing desk you place your arms at right angles with your shoulders relaxed.Then using a tape measure check the distance from the floor to the underside of your arms and set the work surface height to this dimension.

Another good rule of thumb is to set it at the same height as your belly button.

Both are good ideas for calculating the right standing height you need. However, they have limitations.

What if you found you weren’t standing in the right posture? Maybe you had your knees bent a little, or your shoulders were raised up and you didn’t realize it?

If your standing desk is either fixed to a wall or can’t be easily adjusted you could have a problem. What do you do then?

Spacers can help you fine tune
There is a partial solution to the problem assuming that your desk surface needs to be higher. What you can do is experiment by using an old shelf or board offcut placing it on your work surface. This effectively raises your desk height. Once you feel you have things right, you can look around for a better answer.

IKEA is a great source for odd shelves and work tops. In fact a lot of the DIY standing desk solutions are based on IKEA products intended for other uses.

But what if the surface is already too high?

Anti fatigue mats to the rescue
When the desk surface is too high you still need a spacer. Only it now needs to be on the floor to correct the problem. A neat solution to this is to stand on an anti fatigue mat to adjust your position. Most mats aren’t very thick so you may need to use a shelf as well to raise your body sufficiently.

Whilst these tips will get you out of a problem they are a bit of a botch. You can end up with a real dog’s dinner of a desk. Long term you are better going for a more flexible solution.

Ultimately a height adjustable desk is the best answer
Whilst it is of course perfectly possible to work at a fixed standing desk, it does mean you miss out on a lot of the added flexibility that a height adjustable desk brings.

This is particularly true when you first start to alternate between standing and sitting. It can be quite tricky finding the standing height that works best for you. So instead of make shift spacer shelves and mats it’s simply a case of adjusting your working height.

An electric height adjustable desk is the ideal answer. At the press of a button you can alter the height up or down to get true comfort. Plus you get the added flexibility of using it to sit to work.

That’s all very well but I don’t have a $1000 to shell out an electric sit stand desk. It’s true they aren’t cheap, however things are improving. These days you can get a good quality one for $600. So if the idea of standing and sitting to work appeals to you and you have the budget it’s better to go with a proper answer.

And if funds are tight why not set aside money each month towards the cost? It may take some time but you will end up with a far better solution in the long term.

Summary
Let’s quickly summarize the key points we’ve covered here:

  • Working out the right height for a stand only desk can be tricky
  • Spacers will help to increase and fine tune the desk height
  • Anti fatigue mats can be used to reduce the desk height
  • Using an electric height adjustable desk provides true flexibility

In the end a standing or DIY standing desk has its limitations and isn’t really a lasting solution. The ideal answer to get the most benefits from standing to work is a true sit stand desk and electric models offer the most flexibility. You can find more about electric height adjustable desks in this article.

               

How Modern Office Furniture Causes Sittingcidal Behavior. And Why A Sit Stand Desk Will Keep You Working Healthily.

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At the end of the day all office furniture boils down at its core to a desk and chair. Sure some are better than others, but I still have to sit don’t I? So how is a desk or chair going to be different enough to change my behavior?

A Sit Stand desk and chair can do exactly that. How? Think about driving a car on a long trip.

Road trip syndrome
When you have a long road trip to make it’s important to take breaks. However with the convenience of modern motorways it’s easy to ignore this. Often we set off intending to stop for refreshments and a chance to stretch our legs.

Frequently though as we get nearer to our destination we decide to push on and forego the break. When we finally arrive we get out of the car feeling like our body has been glued at permanent right angles.

In the 21st century office workers frequently end up just pushing on with a task despite knowing they should be taking a break. With all the technology nowadays it’s all too easy to ignore our health and just keep working.

Why modern office work is dangerous
These days everything you need to carry out your work in the office is just so convenient. Your printer sits on your desk more likely than not and rattles stuff out with you barely having to move a muscle.

You need to let someone else in the organization know about something. That’s easy just punch out an email and your head is still down buried in your work.

When you have a document to copy, drop it in your scanner and hey presto there it is. All it took was the press of a couple of keys and virtually no physical body movement at all.

Little wonder by early afternoon our bodies are starting to ache and crave for some movement. Modern office working is just so convenient and whilst that’s great we pay a big price for our unhealthy lifestyle with all this lack of movement.

How can we improve things and keep our bodies healthier?
A sit stand desk is a great way to get the movement back into our working lives. It introduces a far healthier way of interacting with our tasks. All the convenient devices that cause our inactivity remain. The difference is we get to move our bodies far more and this helps to keep us healthy.

With a height adjustable desk you get to choose your working position. So you might start the day by sitting to work. Then after a while you feel like you need to move and so you raise your work surface and stand to work. And with an electric sit stand desk this is simply a matter of pressing a button to make the change as you gain that all important movement.

But how do you know when to move?
Easy, just let your body be your guide. As the aches and pains start to build up this is nature’s way of telling you it’s time for a change. Getting frequent changes of position during the working day is more important than ever. This is especially true when you consider how sitting is a significant part of your non-working time too.

How other sitting habits are compounding your problems
Have you ever considered how much sitting you do outside of work? It’s worth running a quick check and you might be surprised how long you spend sitting when not in the office. This is how many of us are adding to the sitticide problem.

  • Sitting during non-working hours
  • Eating breakfast – 30 minutes
  • Commuting to work – 45 minutes
  • Commuting from work – 45 minutes
  • Taking your evening meal – 30 minutes
  • Watching TV or time at your PC – 120 minutes

In an example like this that’s a total of 4.5 hours of sitting, add that to your sitting time at work and you could be spending anything up to 12 hours a day sitting. Of course this will vary depending on your lifestyle. However a huge number of people will be sitting at least 10 hours a day and that’s just not healthy. This makes the case for using a height adjustable desk to break up harmful working patterns more important than ever.

And it’s never too late to make the switch. In fact the longer you have been working sitting all day the more important it is to look at making a fundamental change to the way you work.

Summary

  • Modern office working is dangerous as it encourages inactivity
  • A sit stand desk will help restore the balance and keep your body moving healthily
  • Work out how much time overall you spend sitting, you will be surprised
  • The longer you’ve worked sitting all day the more important it is to change

Sitting too long is just like those long motorway trips where you ignore stopping for a break. You end up feeling as stiff as a board and do your body no favors as a result.

Instead, take a look at how a modern electric sit stand desk can help transform the way you work and start to get your body moving healthily again.

               

How A Fixed Desk Can Become A Sit Stand Desk: Is It Time For A Toy Story Moment?

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“To infinity and beyond!”

Shrieked Buzz Lightyear in Toy Story as he quickly morphed and soared into action with those folding wings on his back.

OK, that boring old desk isn’t going anywhere in a hurry. But what if it could be adapted and made flexible enough To become a sit stand desk? It’s not as far fetched as it sounds.

Why you don’t always need to replace your existing desk
Most people who decide they need the flexibility of a height adjustable desk will naturally assume that they need to buy a completely new desk and so get rid of their existing fixed desk.

Whilst this is normally the case, there is actually another way of looking at the situation. You could retain your existing desk and still gain the benefit of sit stand working.

What we’re talking of is adding to your desk to convert it from a static fixture to a moving top desk. And no you won’t need Buzz’s help, all that is involved is a bolt on goodie.

How adapting your desk can transform it into a sit stand desk
Instead of starting over, what you can actually do is to keep your existing desk.

Kangaroo Double Screen Height Adjustable Workstation Setup


It now becomes the bottom part of your moving desk set up and there are two ways of making the change.

First, you can add on a freestanding unit which you place on your existing desk top.

This usually has 2 movable work surfaces. The lower one is a reduced size worktop typically around 24 inches by 18 inches which would take your keyboard and mouse. The upper one is a lot smaller and is intended to take your monitor or maybe a laptop.

Second, there is a clamp on type of convertor. This consists of a vertical riser and doesn’t have any worktop as standard. Instead the riser has a keyboard and mouse tray at the bottom and a standard VESA 4 point flat panel monitor fixing at the top to hold your screen. Both can be separately adjusted in height allowing sit to stand working.

So don’t these types of add on units make proper height adjustable desks redundant?
On the face of it, it all looks great and seems to rule out the need to ever go to the expense of a completely new desk. In the right circumstances these add on units make perfect sense as long as you recognize their limitations.

With the freestanding unit you need to realize that the top size is a lot smaller than your overall desktop. Consequently you need to carefully consider whether you can get all the stuff you want on this smaller footprint of the adjustable section of this hybrid desk.

With the clamp on convertor you effectively only have your keyboard, mouse and screen that are adjustable. Although there is an optional small add on worktop, it’s very limited in size. Also bear in mind that once fitted this adaptor becomes a part of your desk and isn’t intended to be removed. It does however let you both sit and stand at your work.

If you feel your working methods could integrate with these types of add ons, what is available?

Here are examples of each type of adaptor to take your fixed desk to another level.
First, Ergodesktop’s Kangaroo workstation.
This unit simply sits on top of your existing desk on a stand with a stabilizer leg. It has a shaped lower worktop which is 28” wide by 17” deep for your keyboard, mouse and maybe other small items. Side shelves can be added for extra space and the top shelf is intended for your monitor.

Ergotron’s Workfit-S workstation adaptor is based on a vertical arm idea. It simply clamps to the front edge of your desk. It has a keyboard mouse tray which is suspended on a vertically adjustable arm.

The top of the arm can take an optional small tray for lighter items like notepad and pen. The top end of the vertical riser is where you fix your monitor screen. There are various options for adding single and twin monitor arrangements and or laptop.

Are there any other limitations?
With both of these options you need to pay close attention to the weight of the equipment you plan to use with them, as there are restrictions to what each can physically support. So be careful before just jumping in.

Here’s a quick summary of how converting your desk might be possible:

  • You can retain your fixed desk and adapt it
  • Option 1 is adding a freestanding adjustable desk to the top of it
  • Option 2 is fitting a vertical adjuster with keyboard/mouse tray and monitor fixing
  • Carefully consider the way you work to see if it’s suited to these adaptors
  • Recognize there are weight limits on what these units will support

Once you’ve considered all your options you may well be able to experience the flexibility of that Toy Story moment and adapt your existing desk for sit stand use.

Here’s where you can find out more information on the Kangaroo workstation and the Workfit-S workstation adaptor.

               
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