How to Build a Standing Desk

A few weeks ago, I enlightened you all to my standing desk:

Looking down at my monitor was getting old fast...and you can only stack your computer on so many books before it becomes unsafe. 

Luckily, we just got a new test machine at my office, which came in a big wooden box made of 2x4's and OSB (oriented strand board - I didn't know what it was either). 

Liiiiiight bulb!


Naturally, I took some measurements and built a m.a.s.t.e.r.p.i.e.c.e. of a standing desk:

See, there are perks to being an engineer! It was actually pretty easy once I had all the materials.

materials...

• a sheet of OSB
• about 108 inches of 2x4
• 16 screws
• a drill
• a rotary saw
• a tape measure
• a pencil
• safety goggles (!!)

method...

1. cut the OSB into one 30"x16" rectangle and one 24"x16" rectangle (these are your table tops) with the rotary saw. don't forget to wear safety goggles when cutting!!!
2. cut the 2x4's into four 17" segments and four 10" segments (these are your legs)
3. at the four corners of each table top piece, drill pilot holes through the OSB and into the legs. you might want to do this one at a time to make sure they match up
4. attach the legs to the tops using screws. 
5. place mini-tables on top of your desk and decorate with you computer, monitor, keyboard, etc.

Keep in mind that those height measurements are for someone my size (a towering 5'0" tall) so if you want to do this, you should definitely measure something that will work for your height. Also, the length and depth measurements might need to be tailored to your desk.

It definitely helped that I had all the tools and materials at my disposal. Also, my lovely colleague, Aaron, who did all the cutting while I stood by and supervised!

I've been standing at my new and improved standing desk for several days now and it's much easier on my neck not having to look down all day. Since I've been standing for a while now, it's been much easier on my lower back too! I had a few really good suggestions on my last standing desk post about what to do about pain or discomfort while getting used to standing all day:

• for lower back pain, rest on foot on top of something (a box, footrest, etc.) to help curve your tailbone forward and allow the lumbar spine to curve forward
• alternate sitting and standing (I can do this pretty easily because I can just un-dock my laptop and put it on the real desk)

In general, if you're switching to a standing desk, just take it slowly. Listen to what your body is telling you. Be kind, rewind :)

My Standing Desk Experiment

Once upon a time, I wrote a post about how alarmed I was to hear just how bad it is for you to sit all day. Then, those sentiments were compounded with an email from my colleague with this link in it. Finally, the breaking point for me was when I read Erin's post about how she stopped sitting all day.

So, I finally stopped complaining and did something about it - I created a makeshift standing desk:

I'm a whopping 5'0" tall, so I don't need many inches to be able to stand comfortably at my desk. All I did was stack a bunch of textbooks up under my laptop and face the other monitor up towards me. Eventually, I plan on making a trip to Home Depot and making a stand (I even measured and know exactly what I need) but for now, stacked books works swimmingly. 

Some things I like about a standing desk:

• I'm using muscles I wouldn't be using if I was sitting all day
• It makes me want to walk to the printer that is farther away from my desk (well, that and it's just a better printer in general) because I'm don't feel as lazy
• I'm more energized in the afternoons
• It's way more convenient for me to stretch when I'm already standing
• I can dance at my desk (!!)

Some things I don't like about a standing desk:

• I find that my lower back gets a bit tense/sore by the end of the day
• I go to the bathroom way more often, so I can have a break from standing (haha okay, okay - that's actually not a bad thing...it just means more time with Angry Birds!)
• With my current setup, I think my neck gets overworked from looking down at my monitor

So, my overall thoughts on the standing desk sitch? 

Everything in moderation - it's probably just as bad for someone to stand all day as it is to sit all day. Doing anything in the extreme isn't always the answer. 

I love that I'm being intentional and proactive with my health.

I hope that I am raising health awareness in my office - because I can bet that at least two out of the eleven people in my immediate vicinity will end up with diabetes or heart disease of some kind.

What are your thoughts on the standing desk??