Adjusting To A Standing Desk

Congratulations! You have made a simply splendid decision! You have done your homework and come to the conclusion that a Standing Desk is the way forward for you, your physical and mental health and your blossoming career.

You have decided to grab a standing desk converter, or an adjustable height standing desk, or built one yourself. Regardless of whichever way you chose to obtain your new desk, it now stands proudly waiting in anticipation for your utilization.

But just a minute! Are you actually ready to make such a sudden transition? You’ve been sitting down on your old swivel chair for the best part of a decade now and there are some pretty deep dents in it which goes to prove this point. Do you have the heart to cast aside the chair which has been supporting your ample frame for the past few years?

Of course you do! But listen, let’s walk before we start running OK?

First things first, grab your old chair by the proverbial scruff of the neck and launch her out of the proverbial window – don’t actually throw your chair out of the office building as you may be liable to end up in court for aggravated assault, but generally oust the seat from your life. Burn it if you have to, or give it to a friend or relative who lives in Alaska. In short totally remove it from your life. Once this has been done you can then go about buying a stool; a really uncomfortable stool which you basically won’t ever want to sit on. Only in times of absolute leg and foot fatigue will you want to grace your new purchase with your behind, but at the same time it is there, and will help you overcome the initial stages of discomfort while standing up.

Take Time To Adjust

Ease yourself slowly into your Standing Desk. There is absolutely no written rule regarding how much time you have to use it upon the initial stages of utilization. Start by standing up for maybe just a couple of hours a day, maybe an hour before lunch and an hour after lunch. You can gradually, in your own time, increase the increments in which you are standing and eventually after a minimal amount of time and effort you could see yourself standing up at your Standing Desk for up to 80 percent of the working day. Consider purchasing a standing desk chair for those times when your feet need a break.  This would make for an extremely healthy and productive working day and your commute home would be made with a decided spring in your stride compared to the grey staleness which would so often mar your return journey after having spent all day slumped at a conventional workstation.

To make a swift adjustment to your new Standing Desk you should also concentrate on your posture. Don’t stand with a tense gait, rather relax yourself, although be sure to keep a straight back at all times. Focus on the position of your computer monitor and your peripheral line of vision. You shouldn’t need to angle your head in any way for your eyes to meet the screen – it should be naturally resting directly ahead of you.  Finally think about getting an anti-fatigue mat to help you during the transition.  I have a write-up on 4 of the top standing desk mats if you are interested.

All things considered the changing from a sitting to a Standing Desk is never going to be easy and it is something that certainly won’t happen overnight. You should pace yourself but push yourself at the same time.

Let’s bear in mind here that you’ve probably been using a conventional sitting workstation for a good many years now and the change can initially come across as rather daunting. But stick with it and you will find that standing up at work will quickly become second nature and that sitting is for the unproductive numb bum set.