By now, most people have heard all about how terrible sitting all day is for our bodies. We’ve heard that “sitting is the new smoking”, that “he who sits the most dies the soonest”, and we’ve seen endless infographics depicting sitting’s negative toll on the body. According to the Mayo Clinic, “researchers have linked sitting for long periods of time with a number of health concerns, 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. Too much sitting also seems to increase the risk of death from cardiovascular disease and cancer.”*
The more we read, the more we felt the need to make a change, and fast!
The Standing Desk Concept
The ergonomics behind standing desks are extremely simple. However, if you look to buy a standing desk you can easily spend a couple hundred dollars on a well made option. This didn’t sit well with the DIY-er in me, so I found an affordable, easy concept online that can be customized perfectly for your height and needs. We love them! Check out our new work stations, the parts required, and assembly instructions here.
Jessica, our marketing extraordinaire:
Jessica’s standing desk!
A look at the underside of the shelf. Simple brackets (adjusted to your height) support your keyboard & mouse.
Elise, our fabulous sales director:
Elise’s standing desk, complete with a laptop-raiser to get the height just right.
My favorite part of Elise’s office- her namesake vintage Ridgway tea tins!
Katie, customer service, aka… me!
I like to spread out, so my standing desk is a bit longer. It uses an IKEA coffee table instead of their side table and a longer shelf.
Front view of my desk. Note the use of a vintage tea tin for a pencil holder, and upturned tin lids to hold nick-knacks like paper clips. Reuse baby!
What You Need:
- A table. Jessica and Elise used the LACK side table in turquoise and red, while I went with the LACK coffee table for extra length and a shelf option.
- A shelf. There are almost endless shelf options, just make sure you pick out something long enough to comfortably fit your keyboard, mouse, and anything else you like having easily accessible.
- Two brackets. We picked up the Ekby Valter bracket.
- Screws.
- (Optional!) Anti-fatigue mat, to keep you on your feet all day!
I found this concept on Colin Nederkoorn’s Blog here and his great (simple!) assembly instructions here.
Do you have a standing desk at work? If you try this design, or any others, we’d love to see your results!
Remember, a body in motion, stays in motion!
*Mayo Clinic. What are the risks of sitting too much? By James A. Levine, M.D., Ph.D. Web. 16 Jun. 2012.
