21 May 10 Standing At Work

Time for another little experiment. This time, I am trying out a new office arrangement that will allow me to stand up while I am doing my computer work all day.

Work had a stand of sorts I could put on top of my desk that was shy of the right height for me. According to OSH, the height for precision standing work should be about 5cm above elbow height. The monitors also did not get to eye level height either. A booster was needed.

Enter some monitor stands and the right height was achieved. The keyboard is about at elbow height and my monitors are at the right height. Well, almost at the right height. One of them does not extend high enough so one of my training companions from a certification class has been called into duty as a monitor stand.

The only missing piece is a foot rest. Both the OSH recommendations and the 43Folders wiki entry on Working while standing recommend a footrest to help keep your back and hips strait. I’ll be hunting this weekend for something about 20cm – 30cm tall to use.

Why am I doing this? I got this idea when I saw co-worker have a standing setup at his cube. It looked interesting and could be an option to get more active. After the surgery, I have been somewhat of a lump and need to combat the inactivity. There is a lot of documentation out there on how standing while working can be a benefit. It convinced me to give it a try if I had the chance.

So far the experiment has been a success.I have been feeling more productive, I have more energy during the day, and I think it’s been making me sleep better as it tires me out more during the day so I am not up to 1-2am.

The downside is I am still getting used to standing for long periods.  I am confident the discomfort will go away eventually. When I was a trainer and when I worked at Boy Scout camp, I was on my feet all day and it was not bad. I can handle it when my body gets used to it. The pain now will be worth it later. Meetings are a nice break where I can rest my legs and back if I am having a bad discomfort day.

Check back in about a month and I’ll post some updates on how the experiment is progressing.

Further reading:

• The Benefits of a Stand Up Desk at Work
• Wikipedia – Standing Desk
• NTY: Can’t Stand to Sit Too Long? There’s a Desk for That
• 43 Folders Wiki – Working while standing
• Lifehacker – Create a Simple Standing Desk for $20
• Lifehacker – Save Your Back and Some Cash with a DIY Standing Desk
• OSH Answers – Working in a Standing Position

Tags: exercise, experiment, standing, work