Guru, how do I switch to a standing desk?
AReaders: Swami GaGu will now reach into the deepest recesses of your minds. “Hah!” you all think. “Hah! That is such a silly question. You get a tall desk and you stand in front of it!” But readers, as so often is the case, you are as wrong as you are lovely.
Buy a standing desk – IKEA’s button-operated BEKANT Sit/ stand (from $229), for instance – and raise it to the appropriate height. Stand in front of it for a while. Attempt to get through the day. Retire in agony. You are, most probably, a sitter. And sitting is okay. In fact, it’s far from being ‘the new smoking’, despite being called that in a now stubbed out 2016 study. A good chair could be all you need.
GaGu has nothing against the standing desk in principle, but it’s something you have to do right if you’re going to pull it off for any length of time. After all, your Guru doesn’t want you passing out like a
hungover soldier on his second hour of toe-numbing parade. You’ll also need more than a desk. In fact, IKEA’s example may not be the best you can get, since it’s a flat surface and you’ll likely want your keyboard lower than your monitor. A riser, like the FlexiSpot M2 ($482) or Varidesk ProPlus 36 ($550), converts a standard desk into a stander with a lowered keyboard portion, doing away with the need for a monitor arm. Then you’ll need something to stand on; most desks come with a mat of some kind, but a wobbler like the Steppie ($199) improves the situation further by ensuring you’re pulling off proper pronation.
Gradually ramp it up. Start standing for 30 minutes, then sit. And don’t be afraid to pick up a standing stool like the Muvman ($819) so you can take a break every now and then, even when you’ve eased yourself off the old spinny chair for good.