Fellow aging gen x’ers, ever try a standing desk at your office job?
Posted by Dittopotamus@reddit | GenX | View on Reddit | 80 comments
I’m thinking of trying one out. I probably sit 95% of the time I’m here. I’m wondering if getting one of those stand / sit office stations where you can raise and lower everything would be good for my health. I wanted to see if it was worthwhile for others before requesting the equipment from my company. Does standing help you feel at least a little less like a lifeless, out of shape, office blob?
snarpy@reddit
I have one and I really like the flexibility. If I do it for too long I get sore, so I only do it for an hour at a time.
wellpaidscientist@reddit
I'm in video meetings all day and I stand for about 90% of my day and take sit breaks when possible in between meetings.
starksfergie@reddit
I have a friend who works in a governmental job for the state of Texas and by 15-20 years, he was the first person to ask for a standing desk. He started a trend I'm sure. I've never had one, but do stand some times when I work, because I work at home (or had until I quit my last job)
this_kitty68@reddit
I have a standing desk and I love it. I stand on a pad that allows for changing the position of my feet and putting my toes up or flat. Highly recommend.
ieatsilicagel@reddit
Yes and it sucked.
dodgerecharger@reddit
My desk is for sitting and standing, i can change the height.
CDNGooner1@reddit
I would suggest a convertible one. I had a stand up desk, but found it was creating issues with my mouse wrist. I had to go back to seated. I'd welcome one that I could adjust up or down based on what I was doing.
Significant-Use-5136@reddit
Never had a job with a desk closest thing I had was what they call a print shack, which is a place to keep your blueprints. An isometric drawings out of the rain while you're out in the field or the refinery, or whatever kind of plant you're at. And I was typically only there for less than an hour A day worked pretty good for that hour.
ExtraAd7611@reddit
I haven't worked in an office in about 7 years, but I did have one at a few offices before that. I would sometimes stand but usually got tired of it after a few minutes. One place I had a permanent standing side desk area installed for me that I could use for reading which was kind of nice.
ChaosTheoryGirl@reddit
I used a standing desk the last 4-5 years I worked. I did have a chair I could pull up if I needed it, and I did sometimes. However, once I adjusted to standing I would forget I was doing it.
VH5150OU812@reddit
I have one now. I don’t use it often but I do when my butt can take no more. Then my heels start to hurt, so I put it back down.
I am definitely getting old.
Ceorl_Lounge@reddit
Oh I LOVE mine. Makes it easier to go in and out of the lab (I'm a chemist, so split between computer and bench work). I DO need to invest in better shoes for standing around though. Keens, which have been my go-to work shoe for ages, are great for walking and wintry mess, but my feet are definitely sore by the end of the day.
Kodiak01@reddit
My desk, I can either stand or use a stool. Depends on my mood.
USAFUSN@reddit
We have them in our office. I use it a few times a week. Mainly when I get bored of sitting, not for any health reasons really. If I need a true break from sitting I get up and go for a walk around the office.
IRaBN@reddit
So when I tried to bring one in to my work, they 1) said I couldn't because it was a perk they give to their management, and then I said I needed it for my health, so they then 2) made me get a doctors note. I was 45 years old at the time.
They did the same thing when I tried to bring in a "sun light" to help with winter light issues.
QueenRotidder@reddit
it’s a perk they only give to their management!?! that is crazy
Which-Inspection735@reddit
I have one and forget to use it all the time
LifeVegetable8963@reddit
Just bought one for home
sideways92@reddit
Love mine. Get a pad to stand on and it makes all the difference.
Ok_Key_4731@reddit
I WFH and I bought an adjustable desk. I don’t use it enough but it is nice to have the option.
grisandoles@reddit
Love mine!
No-Writer3733@reddit
Just got one in my new office, 55M, and I love the option! It keeps me limber and awake. I'm also lucky to have huge windows, next to me, looking west and the light is amazing, too.
Ancient_Bug9750@reddit
No. It’s a crazy idea.
thedwizz@reddit
Typing this reply from my standing desk. I didn't think I'd like it at first, but now i'm standing a majority of the afternoon.
Eisernes@reddit
I don’t like to work standing up, but I have a job that allows me to walk around whenever I want so that helps.
Bucks2174@reddit
My wife put on in her office. She now stands at least 3 hours a day. She loves it.
TripMaster478@reddit
It's for a change up and if you're sitting for too long. I often make it standing for conference calls so I can amble around but when I'm focused on my spreadsheets I generally prefer to sit.
HandaZuke@reddit
I’ve requested one for every job over the last 15 years
thinkshiftster@reddit
Yes and I love it. I alternate between sitting and standing.
huck500@reddit
I use one as a teacher, it’s in the high position pretty much all the time. I also have a rocking foot board that I stand on.
I did a lot of research when I bought the desk, and my original plan was as to get an expensive one, but I took a chance on this on Amazon and I really couldn’t be happier. It’s super stable and has held up perfectly to three years of daily use.
Foot board
yarnhooksbooks@reddit
Also a teacher. I have a wheeled one with some baskets and things attached so it’s basically a mobile office. I can work during hallway duty, take it with me when I go to other classes to sub, etc.
huck500@reddit
I also have a cheap wheeled one that I got just to try out the standing desk concept, but I use it all the time… putting up bulletin boards is so much easier with a mobile tall desk to put stuff on.
jfellrath@reddit
I have one. I love it. I should actually use it to stand more often than I do, actually.
Inkblots2000@reddit
I’ve got one and I love mine. Had it for years!
sebastianrileyt2@reddit
There were different reactions in my office, most like it. I like the option. Due to physical issues i cannot stand for long, but due to those same issues my back gets very bad sitting for a long time. So even if i do not stand for a long time it gives me a chance to relieve the pressure and keep working.
edgarecayce@reddit
I bought one but found that it made my feet hurt so I ended up just sitting at it (it would go up and down).
SamHandwich0@reddit
I stand most of the day- love it.
51m for reference
PhillyEagles0220@reddit
LOL, this post reminded me that I have one!! I'm going to use it more often. I haven't had it very long, so I forget that I have it.
hyst0rica1_29@reddit
Lol the irony of coming across this post. I have back issues and extended sitting just aggravates them. I make use of my desk’s ability to rise & let me stand to work at my desk.
The irony is that my desk broke & currently isn’t able to rise. So I’m reading your post as I’m dealing with an aching lower back.
Mulliganplummer@reddit
Mine is adjustable, so I stand for 15 minutes every hour
app_generated_name@reddit
Yes. I liked it a lot.
Kindly-Might-1879@reddit
I had a huge contraption on my desk (I WFH) that could be raised or lowered. I wound up setting it at a somewhat tall height that worked while seated and fit for short standing times.
And then I got rid of it. It was heavy, awkward, took up a lot of space, and I find it much easier to just get up frequently and piddle around the house. During some meetings where I don’t need to talk, I’ll stand up and even do yoga.
I do have a large yoga ball and used that as my chair for a while. I think I’ll go back to that option!
MostThingsSuck@reddit
It’s fine and sometimes nice. But I feel like I lost surface space for my “piles.” I feel less organized now.
Fritzo2162@reddit
They tried to force one of those desks on me but I wouldn't stand for it.
HodorNC@reddit
one that goes up and down is the best. I try to do all my conference calls standing up, as a way to break up the day
OliveBadger1037@reddit
I had a standing desk for many years and it was okay. Sometimes it just feels good to stand, but there is no real exercise value in doing so. The rationale for them was that sitting all day is bad for you, but standing still all day can be just as bad. What really matters is movement: getting up and moving around, not just standing. There was a woman in my office who insisted on standing at her desk all day long. She never sat down because that was "bad". She hurt her feet, legs, and back by doing that. If your company is going to provide it for you, then there is no harm in it I guess, but don't expect much. Just my 2-cents.
DancesWithPigs@reddit
There are no downsides.
Glad-Pen5593@reddit
Yes. My desk can be raised or lowered and I LOVE it.
JoshOfArc@reddit
I moved from a sitting to exclusively standing desk years ago. It took about 3 weeks to adapt. That was the only change I made in my life and lost 15 pounds in 3 months.
I also found energy level higher, aches and pains lower, etc. Then I started reading about sitting, and really it seems like the human body isn't designed to sit for hours at a time.
Definitely make the change!
unclefes@reddit
58 yo work from home. Got a standing desk couple years back, I like it a lot. I don't use it 100% of the time, but I feel like it has helped keep me from curling up in a fetal position at the end of the workday.
Primary_Company_3813@reddit
I'm retired now, but had one before when I was working. I worked 7 to 3, and tried to stay standing all morning until at least 11am... sometimes a bit longer. Once I sat down I really felt like I'd earned it! They're great.
JediOsborn@reddit
53yo software Dev. I like my adjustable desk... Stand or sit at the touch of a button.
DonnyDiddledIvanka@reddit
I've used and still use one. There are just times I'd rather stand than sit. It has come in very handy the times I've woken up with a pinched nerve or something that made sitting painful.
Has it done anything for my health? Most likely not. For my comfort, definitely. That said I may go weeks sometimes not using it and then go several weeks where I use it more than 50% of the time.
esker@reddit
Yes absolutely. Love my standing desk.
miniversal@reddit
Yes, I have one at the office and I stand at it quite frequently.
One added benefit has also been that I can put the desk at a height that encourages me to sit up straight without forcing my knees into my chin by lowering my chair.
Ok-Conversation-7292@reddit
Before going fully remote, a few fellow cubicles occupants got our desks raised and new stools, it was the cheapest option for our company to acomodate our need to stand. It worked great.
dirtybo0ts@reddit
Game changer for me.
ImMxWorld@reddit
Yup. Got a sit/stand desk at work when I moved cubicle post-lockdown. I liked it enough that I got one for my home office as well (hybrid work, because they won't allocate my department space 🤨). I probably only stand about an hour a day combined, but it's done wonders for my back & my concentration. But also I don't just stand there, I usually have my headphones on and I'm bopping around or I'm rolling a tennis ball with my feet or something dumb. Gotta move.
Confident-Echo-5996@reddit
Helped during covid but since RTO rarely use it.
bluealien78@reddit
I’ve worked from home since we were all sent home in March of 2020. I decided to invest in a really good sit/stand desk a couple of years ago, and I’m so glad I did. I have zero regrets. Being able to stretch my legs and stand up from time to time without breaking my work “flow” is great.
limited_instincts@reddit
I had one and hated it. Standing still is no better for you than sitting still. You have to move. Under-desk treadmill, yes. Standing there like a bump on the log? No.
yarnhooksbooks@reddit
This is not true. Standing engages your core and other muscles that you aren’t using when sitting. Sure, it’s not going to make as much difference as walking, but it can still make a difference. And many people, myself included, find they focus better standing.
cruisereg@reddit
I’ve had an adjustable desk for about 10 years and while I do typically sit, I love the option of standing. When I do stand, it’s usually about 30-60 mins at a time. Side note, I think I present to others better when I’m standing.
mary_wren11@reddit
I have one, I only use it 10-20 percent of the time unless my back is really bothering me, but it's great to have.
mldyfox@reddit
My company put those in standard when they renovated to the open office spaces. You can move the desktop down as low as you need, too.
I very rarely use the standing option. Mostly because I have trouble typing while standing, but also because there's someone across the glass partition from me and I want to be sure they're getting the modicum of privacy my staying seated affords them.
gorkt@reddit
Yes, many of my coworkers have them, and I used to think they were stupid, but my neck and back started hurting so I got one. It definitely helps. If
PepsiOfWrath@reddit
I'm sitting in front of one right now that I bought earlier this year. There's a button on the right that raises it up, really cool. I just checked and it still works.
greg9x@reddit
Yeah, people at our work who get them never use the standing function.
Manager is offering them to us from another site that's closing, we all said 'nah', to much trouble swapping out current desk for something won't use .
Diasies_inMyHair@reddit
husband had an adjustable-height desk for wfh days at his last job. He kept a barstool and a small step stool under the desk so that he could stand or sit with the step stool to prop a foot on when needed. It worked for him well enough.
BluesGraveller@reddit
What is this "office job" you speak of?
Komaisnotsalty@reddit
I did 911 dispatch for over a decade after I retired from paramedic life.
It wasn't an easy transition to go from active to sedentary in 12 hour shifts.
After the 3rd year or so I was there, they installed a 2-tier standing desk. You could have it even as a typical flat desk, the front higher than the back, back higher than the front, and also made all 9 monitors/screens I used to be adjustable.
It was glorious. I'm a 5'11 woman and the ability to stand now and then but still able to do my job was way easier on my back and sanity.
lotsalotsacoffee@reddit
I got one at the start of the year. I paired it with a step machine so I could get a bit of movement throughout the day. I find it does help, but I pair it with post work cardio and a bit of weights.
bradatlarge@reddit
I stood fully time in 2020 & 2021 because I had a manual crank standing desk (IKEA). I bought a Fully Jarvis power-lift and sit waaaay more often now.
Werewoof_of_London@reddit
I have one and use it maybe 20% of my desk time. TBH, I really started using mostly because it cut out indigestion & occasional heartburn I would sometimes get after a larger lunch. Sitting seemed to exacerbate it.
Commander-of-ducks@reddit
Yes. Make sure you don't hunch over. Helps you pay attention to your posture.
IndigoBlues116@reddit
Used one for years - both at office and at home. Helps with stiffness, and I feel better moving around a bit rather than just sitting still. I tend to pace a bit on calls at home.
And it’s particularly helpful when tall people come over to my desk and I need to show them my screen ;)
maddog2271@reddit
Yes our office has them and honestly I just can’t get into them. I feel like just getting up and walking around is better but I also do a fair bit of walking (usually around 4-5 miles a day) so I think that’s enough.
Kestrel_Iolani@reddit
Our new office has 100% adjustable desks. I was dubious at first, but i like it occasionally. It really only works for me for certain projects (nothing involving precision mouse work).
earnestholm@reddit
I’ve used one, and I like it. When I work from home, I sit at our basement bar so I have the option of just standing instead of sitting on a stool. It’s nice to have the option.
ONROSREPUS@reddit
Every desk in our office has one. I think they are worth it. I only use mine when I am getting tired. Standing up helps some. Make sure you get a good pad to stand on as well.