Standing Workplace. Working in Standing Position. Standing desk for work from home or in office. Young woman programmer working while standing in office.

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Standing desks are an increasing trend and for good reason: sitting and general sedentary time is known to be a prominent risk factor for many health conditions diseases. Outcomes from excess sitting and sedentary time are almost similar to those of smoking cigarettes. The purchase (or creation!) of a standing desk at work or at home is a simple way to decrease sedentary behavior, and also increase productivity!

More than just being active?

Many just purchase standing desks as a preventative measure to developing chronic disease, but do they know that they’re increasing their productivity as well? Studies has shown that not only has the use of standing desks decreased sedentary behavior, but increased overall work performance over time.

One study showed two different groups of individuals, one of which received a sit-stand desk and coaching sessions. The other group of individuals received nothing, and remained in their sitting desks. By the end of the study, the group with the sit-stand desks not only lowered their risks of disease, but also increased overall worker performance and outcomes than those without the desks.

Yes, standing desks have more to them than just simply lowering your risk of disease. This isn’t going to happen just in one day. Standing uses more muscles than most movement, so it will be difficult to stand for long periods of time right away. Starting with just 10-15 minute intervals throughout the eight hour work day makes a huge difference!

To Buy or to DIY:

For some, spending money on a standing desk might be the motivation they need to actually use it. However, if purchasing a standing desk is not in your budget right now (it’s definitely not in mine!), it’s actually pretty easy to craft your own standing work situation for very little money or completely free! Here’s what I did: I already had a wooden crate in my closet (but you can buy one for $20 or less if you find one at a thrift shop!) – I simply turned it on it’s side so that the open part of the crate faced out, and put it on top of my sitting desk. Voila! I now have a desk I can stand at AND extra shelving for a printer or books. If you don’t have a crate, a cardboard box will do the trick as well. It doesn’t matter how you do it, but making the change to a standing desk, even for portions of the day, can have huge implications on your waistline, your energy levels, and your general health!

Article was written by GUADS member Breanna and adapted by GUADS member Kate with contribution from time.com