How long should you stand at a standing desk?
One of the mistakes people make when they buy a standing desk is to stand up for a long period of time when their bodies are not used to it.
I know people who have been standing at least 8 hours straight!
Don’t do this.
The most important thing to do after you set up your standing desk is to move into the standing gradually.
You can experience all kinds of pains and discomforts from jumping into this 100% with no resting or sitting times.
If you are not used to standing for long periods of time, getting a standing desk is not going to transform you into a super stander:).
The first day you will want to stand for about 30 minutes, slowly, move into standing and working at the same time.
Some people have found that they don’t like to lower and raise their desk over and over again throughout the day, but that is going to be the best solution.
One of the things I do is – I stand for about an hour and then I sit down on one of my sofas for about 30 to 40 minutes with my laptop. This way I can keep working but don’t have to lower and raise my desk all the time.
Why Choose An Adjustable Standing Desk
It is very important to buy an adjustable standing desk. You need to be able to lower it and raise it for standing and sitting. You also need to position it for your height and what you are using your desk for. Read more here about the right height adjustments for your desk.
I am not a doctor and I don’t play one on TV. Please check with your doctor before doing any of this in this article especially if you have any health issues.
The science now confirms that sitting all day every day for as long as we do at work and at home is not healthy and not good for our bodies.
We sit more than we think we sit. It is like the default position in this modern century. We sit to eat, we sit to commute to work, we sit to watch our kids’ baseball games, we walk to find a place to sit, we sit in the movie theatre, we sit to watch T.V. And this is NOT good for us!
“It is now time to find ways to get us back onto our legs” Dr. James Levine, The Mayo Clinic
But this does not make the polar opposite of this any truer either.
Listen To Your Body
Balance your standing and sitting and alternate between the two. Don’t try to marathon your standing. Sit at your desk or on the sofa for an hour and then stand for about 30 minutes. Keep doing this until you are sure you feel good enough to stand a bit longer.
Slowly increase those times until you can get up to one hour of standing to each hour of sitting. Don’t overdo it.
Listen to your body. Go from there.
Pay attention to your feet too. Sometimes when I am standing in one position I forget to move my feet around and they start to tingle and fall asleep. I have never liked that feeling.
I try to remember to move around a little while standing. Don’t put too much pressure on one foot over the other.
I have this strange habit of actually placing one foot over the other which puts a lot of pressure on my right foot. I have no idea how I developed this habit and I am usually not aware I am doing it until someone tells me.
Adjustable Standing Desk – Manual Or Electric?
Most experts recommend buying an adjustable stand up desk with an electric adjuster. It takes a lot less effort and energy to move your desk up and down from standing to sitting positions if you use an electric adjuster.
If you opt to buy a less expensive manual operated stand up desk you may use it for about a month and then stop using it. Some of my friends wanted to save money and got the hand-cranking stand up desks and those desks seem to always stay in the standing position.
Think about how you behave when you are tired when you are busy, and when you are in a hurry. This will tend to spill over into how committed you are in switching back and forth from standing to sitting at your desk during your working hours.
The Mayo Clinic says:
“Research has linked sitting for long periods with health problems, including obesity and metabolic syndrome — a cluster of conditions that includes increased blood pressure, high blood sugar, excess body fat around the waist and abnormal cholesterol levels.”
So naturally we think, then standing must be better.
And it is, but your body has to get used to standing if you have been sitting so much of your life.
What Shoes Is Best For Standing
I don’t like shoes. In our home, we take off our shoes at the front door. I don’t like slippers because I live in Florida and it is way too hot to wear slippers. I spend most of my time in flip flops.
However, for my standing desk, I am thinking about getting a pair of sneakers which will support my feet while I am standing for long periods of time.
At least I will start with the anti-fatigue mat which I will place under my feet while standing at my desk.
So it is not just about standing and sitting, but also about moving. Our bodies were made to move.
Look at little children. They are always moving. You can’t stop a toddler from constantly moving about. In fact, as moms, we get tired of chasing our moving children around each day.
When you take a phone call and you don’t need to take notes for that call, stand up and walk around during the call.
Listening to a podcast? Take a walk.
Think about other tasks you do during the day in which you can choose movement over sitting. I started to eat my snacks standing up and sometimes when I have small meals such as juices, oranges, tomatoes, I started to eat those standing up.
Be proactive in sitting, standing, and moving.
Another option is to get a treadmill with your stand up desk. Some of my associates love doing the treadmill while working. Some people I know also have a stationary bicycle under their stand up desk positioned at the correct level to get their exercise in while working.
Not all work activities are conducive to treadmills and exercising equipment. Most of your talking on the phone would work, so would watching webinars, listening to podcasts, participating in conference calls where you are not being videoed, checking email, chatting, using your calendar, setting up appointments, shortlist tasks like checking a website, and also things like editing photos.
Any activity you can do while exercising that doesn’t take your full concentration is worth trying.
Journaling, writing, typing a lot like writing a book, and things like that- are better doing while sitting. Sometimes when you really have to concentrate you may do better in the sitting position. I also find that when I am writing with a pen or crafting, for some reason, I want to sit down.
Looking for the best stand up desk for you in your working environment?
Download my free stand up desk comparison chart of the leading stand up desks.
Related Questions
What happens if you stand for too long?
Standing too long can cause blood pooling in your legs, increased pressure in your veins, and increased oxidative stress. All of these contribute to the increased risk of cardiovascular diseases.
According to a study conducted in 2015, prolonged standing is linked to chronic back pain and musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) in the lower limbs.
How many hours a day should you stand?
In my own experience, I stand for an hour or more and sit for about 15 to 30 minutes.
However, I recommend that you pay attention to what your body is telling you.
If you feel a tingling sensation on your leg or your back starts to hurt, move your body. Walk a few steps away from your desk and do some simple stretching.
Sit for 10 to 15 minutes and get back to standing. You can bring your laptop with you while sitting so your work is not interrupted.