For 9 days now I have set up my computer as a makeshift standing desk, using a pair of $10 Ikea coffee tables on top of my actual desk, and two $3 rubber mats and some cardboard to stand on. I have an appallingly sedentary lifestyle and often catch myself sitting at my desk with a terrible slumped posture, so I’m hoping to catch back problems before they occur, and also exert a bit more energy just day-to-day.
Each day my feet take a little longer to begin hurting, but they still hurt a lot by bed time. I have to take a few breaks to the couch to watch TV through the day to get by. I am planning to set up something more serious so I can put a stool at the desk and sit down from time to time without disrupting my usual activities (at the moment I don’t own a stool, and there’s nowhere for my legs to fit under the desk in any case).
Currently the only things preventing me from taking the desk down right now and just waiting until I have sorted a better solution are 1) my feet don’t start to hurt until the end of the day, when I usually can’t be bothered rearranging everything, and 2) I’m worried that without the driving force of aching feet every day I won’t feel compelled to go through with arranging a better solution.
If it’s specifically your muscles getting sore (rather than e.g. plantar fasciitis or bad circulation), you could take some creatine, which slows down you getting sore fairly dramatically.
Shifting about between positions is more important than having one best position. If I were to sit like I’m sitting now all day, I’d be in the hospital tomorrow.
Something that’s been working well for me for a few months: a computer on my desk at work, but a folding laptop stand next to it with my laptop on top. SSH/X11 on a fast network makes the two interfaces basically interchangeable, but multitasking between one project and another means that I spend about 4 or 5 hours a day standing and I switch between standing and sitting dozens of times over the course of the day. It turns out that “those tests displaying on the other computer are done running, I should look over the results” is a much better motivator for me to switch positions than “a window from one of those nag-myself apps popped up to warn me to take a break and stretch”.
Qualitative definition of “working well”: twice this spring/summer I’d developed moderate hip/lower back pain which would be most pronounced when sitting in my usual position and which would last for weeks; that hasn’t recurred since I stopped sitting in the same position for 10 hours a day.
I posted in the Nov 1-15 open thread about my initial experiences with a standing desk (initially improvised, then I bought a proper one) to replace my old crappy desk. I try to alternate between standing and sitting when I get tired, and I plan to get a stool for the same reasons you stated. Even at work where I sit all day, I get up and walk semi-regularly (I’d estimate every 60-90 minutes) if only to refill my water or use the bathroom.
I moved apartments last month and didn’t bring over a proper desk. I alternate between an armchair with a laptop on an Ikea Dave table and standing next to cheap standing shelf with the monitor on one shelf and the keyboard on another. I’ve been mostly sitting in the armchair since I tend to use my home setup when I’m tired after work.
I sometimes work in the armchair and then stand up to watch TV, since TV watching doesn’t take up mental energy like working does, and extra mental energy is useful for sticking with the standing pose.
For the past 14 months my desk has been a bookshelf and my chair has been a bed. Sometimes my bed is also a desk, and my bookshelf is also a bookshelf.
I would recommend this setup for people who want to get outside more.
For 9 days now I have set up my computer as a makeshift standing desk, using a pair of $10 Ikea coffee tables on top of my actual desk, and two $3 rubber mats and some cardboard to stand on. I have an appallingly sedentary lifestyle and often catch myself sitting at my desk with a terrible slumped posture, so I’m hoping to catch back problems before they occur, and also exert a bit more energy just day-to-day.
Each day my feet take a little longer to begin hurting, but they still hurt a lot by bed time. I have to take a few breaks to the couch to watch TV through the day to get by. I am planning to set up something more serious so I can put a stool at the desk and sit down from time to time without disrupting my usual activities (at the moment I don’t own a stool, and there’s nowhere for my legs to fit under the desk in any case).
Currently the only things preventing me from taking the desk down right now and just waiting until I have sorted a better solution are 1) my feet don’t start to hurt until the end of the day, when I usually can’t be bothered rearranging everything, and 2) I’m worried that without the driving force of aching feet every day I won’t feel compelled to go through with arranging a better solution.
If it’s specifically your muscles getting sore (rather than e.g. plantar fasciitis or bad circulation), you could take some creatine, which slows down you getting sore fairly dramatically.
Shifting about between positions is more important than having one best position. If I were to sit like I’m sitting now all day, I’d be in the hospital tomorrow.
Something that’s been working well for me for a few months: a computer on my desk at work, but a folding laptop stand next to it with my laptop on top. SSH/X11 on a fast network makes the two interfaces basically interchangeable, but multitasking between one project and another means that I spend about 4 or 5 hours a day standing and I switch between standing and sitting dozens of times over the course of the day. It turns out that “those tests displaying on the other computer are done running, I should look over the results” is a much better motivator for me to switch positions than “a window from one of those nag-myself apps popped up to warn me to take a break and stretch”.
Qualitative definition of “working well”: twice this spring/summer I’d developed moderate hip/lower back pain which would be most pronounced when sitting in my usual position and which would last for weeks; that hasn’t recurred since I stopped sitting in the same position for 10 hours a day.
I posted in the Nov 1-15 open thread about my initial experiences with a standing desk (initially improvised, then I bought a proper one) to replace my old crappy desk. I try to alternate between standing and sitting when I get tired, and I plan to get a stool for the same reasons you stated. Even at work where I sit all day, I get up and walk semi-regularly (I’d estimate every 60-90 minutes) if only to refill my water or use the bathroom.
I moved apartments last month and didn’t bring over a proper desk. I alternate between an armchair with a laptop on an Ikea Dave table and standing next to cheap standing shelf with the monitor on one shelf and the keyboard on another. I’ve been mostly sitting in the armchair since I tend to use my home setup when I’m tired after work.
I sometimes work in the armchair and then stand up to watch TV, since TV watching doesn’t take up mental energy like working does, and extra mental energy is useful for sticking with the standing pose.
For the past 14 months my desk has been a bookshelf and my chair has been a bed. Sometimes my bed is also a desk, and my bookshelf is also a bookshelf.
I would recommend this setup for people who want to get outside more.