7 Amazing Benefits of a Standing Desk

A little over a year ago I built a standing desk at my office. It was a bizarre mixture of spare pieces of wood, used textbooks, and a cheap floor mat to stand on. Today – I am still using it.

Photo Credit: eduardo_m

I really thought my little experiment would only last a day or two. In fact, after less than an hour of standing I was ready to throw in the towel.

But, I stuck with it and got through the first week, which was the hardest part.

Standing For Good

Now, I’m a standing desk man. I have my unique standing desk at work (where I am the only guy standing) and I custom-built a standing desk for myself at home.

Yes, that means I only sit down in the car and during lunch. Otherwise, if I am awake, I am on my feet.

I gave away my expensive desk chair and bought two cheap standing mats off Amazon.

By the way, if you decide to build or buy a standing desk, don’t neglect a mat to stand on. Your feet and back need more support than you think.

At this point I have no intention of ever going back to sitting down. I am even considering a treadmill desk sometime in the future, but I’m not there, yet.

Sitting Will Kill You

Don’t forget to check out this infographic on How Sitting is Killing You. This was my inspiration to get off my butt for good.

It truly is amazing how much time the average person spends sitting down each day.

From commuting, to eating meals, to working at a desk – you are likely to be sitting for more hours than you sleep.

This means the average person is only on their feet for a tiny portion of any given day. Scary stuff.

Here are a few benefits that I have personally experienced from my standing desks over the last 15 months.

7 Benefits of a Standing Desk

1. More Energy

This is the first benefit I noticed and it happened rather fast. Within the first week I was coming home with more zest and having fewer low-energy dips during my work day.

I would attribute this boost to the fact that I no longer allowed myself to slouch in a chair, take naps behind my desk, or make the excuse that getting up out of my chair would be hard work.

2. More Productivity

Along with more vigor, I also have been able to get more stuff done. It makes sense.

When I stand up I have increased blood flow and oxygen all over my body, which jacks up my energy and, therefore, allows me to continue to work when I otherwise would have let myself be lazy.

3.More Space

I think of the space behind my desk as my kitchen. Would you like to cook with an arm-chair in front of the stove? Probably not.

Now that I have experienced life without a desk chair, I am not going back.

4. Better Posture

My lower back was sore in the first few days. Why? Because my posture was terrible and my muscles were too weak.

The most obvious solution was to continue standing and increase back exercises when I lifted weights.

It worked. My posture is strong, but maybe not army strong.

5. Easy to Maneuver

I also noticed this benefit on the first day. Instead of wheeling my chair all over the office to get files out of cabinets or answer the phone, I just walked over and took care of my task.

It is quite easy and logical to simply act as though a chair never existed and accomplish the same stuff.

There were a few modifications and reorganizations that had to be done to ensure I wasn’t bending over too often.

However, it didn’t take long to reconfigure my office to optimize a desk with no chair.

6. Better Digestion

If you have ever experienced intestinal or digestive issues, and I’m sure you have, then you will also notice this soothing treat.

When you stand, you open up your internal organs, which allows everything to move. Sitting cramps your gut and slows things down.

Along with a raw vegan diet, kombucha, sleep, and consistent exercise, standing all day is easily in my top 10 requirements for healthy living.

7. Inspire Other People

If you want to get noticed at the office, sell your desk chair.

When you’re the crazy guy or gal who refuses to sit, people will notice.

Some will compliment you. Some will complain. Some will follow your lead and then you’ll make a few new friends.

There’s nothing wrong with starting a standing revolution. I’ll join you. 🙂