Asking for ideas to convert a sitting desk to a stand up desk

[directionseeker]

Hi all,

I read a few articles about the benefit of stand up desk over sitting desk. Being a MMM reader, I just want to ask anyone of you guys have any idea how to convert a sitting desk to a stand up desk?

[gooki]

Longer legs.

[TomTX]

They sell little stands to raise beds - that might work.

Example:

http://www.planetbed.com/4-tall-steel-bed-risers.html

Google up "Bed raisers" or "bed lifters"

Cheap answer is cinderblocks.

[Welmoed]

I recently changed to a standing desk. It was very easy and inexpensive; I used an IKEA table on top of my regular desk.

Pictures of before and after are on my blog:
http://thereshesews.blogspot.com/2012/10/a-change-in-my-office.html

I'm still trying to figure out how to prevent locking my knees when I'm at my desk. But so far the main benefit has been that I spend less time idly surfing the web.

--Welmoed

[directionseeker]

I recently changed to a standing desk. It was very easy and inexpensive; I used an IKEA table on top of my regular desk.

Pictures of before and after are on my blog:
http://thereshesews.blogspot.com/2012/10/a-change-in-my-office.html

I'm still trying to figure out how to prevent locking my knees when I'm at my desk. But so far the main benefit has been that I spend less time idly surfing the web.

--Welmoed

Your monitor looks very close to the eyes, or is it because the angle?

[lauren_knows]

Other than the actual setup, let me give you a few words of advice on the standing desk idea...

• Get an "anti-fatigue" mat for your feet. You'll thank me later.
• Consider having a stool or something that will allow you to take some of the pressure off your legs for periods of time
• Be advised, if you have some typical muscle imbalances from sitting too damn much (weak abs, weak glutes, tight hips, forward shoulders), then standing all day is going to make things much more painful.

If that last point hits home, please please please do the standing thing only a couple hours a day for the forseeable future, and work on your other muscle imbalances.  Or else, the whole experience is going to be pretty shitty.

[directionseeker]

I have a pretty comfortable seat in the office, so I think I am covered.

It is interesting to note that how our life style changed. Our ancestor used to walk,run and stand when they are "working", sit when they are resting.

We are the the other way round.

[Welmoed]

Your monitor looks very close to the eyes, or is it because the angle?

It must be the picture. The monitors are 26" away from my eyes (I measured). It's a few inches closer than when I was seated. I keep the brightness turned down on them, too.
--Welmoed

[galaxie]

Lots of folks I know put a box or podium of some kind on top of their desks when trying a stand-up desk.  I did that for a bit, decided I liked it, and then got an IKEA table with extra-long, height adjustable legs (it's intended to be a "bar-height" table).  Now I have a standing desk and a sitting desk, facing each other in a U shape with me in the middle.

My PT guy (unrelated sports injury) suggested having a chair or stool that you could alternately put one leg up on while standing at your desk. He says it's being stationary in one position that'll do you in, not standing or sitting in particular.

[chucklesmcgee]

I ended up just buying a cheap standing desk from Ikea (Frederik $120?). It really takes two people to setup, but it's a decent desk for the price. It cannot be reassembled very well if you decide to move. Definitely adjustable to almost any height. I'm 6'2" and it's got a good ways to go from there.

It can get a bit painful to stand barefoot on hardwood floors while in one place for long, so I would suggest either wearing shoes with decent cushioning or putting the desk on carpeting.

[prettymuchfi]

I can second the Ikea adjustable leg desk solution for ~$125, and also the cardboard box solution. I've done both (the first at work, the 2nd at home).

However, I find after doing this for a few months, that I like to have the option of sitting sometimes during the day. Ideally I'd have a desk that can easily adjust from one to the other, but they're quite expensive. I'd also rather not have 2 horizontal surfaces attracting clutter (high desk + low desk) , so I tend to go back and forth with boxes. Its not ideal, as changing is tedious and the boxes clutter the room when not in use, but its good enough for now. There's probably a clever DIY replacement for the cardboard boxes but I haven't explored that yet.

[GuitarStv]

You might want to be cautious about using this type of desk.  Standing in one place for a long period of time can lead to painful varicose veins, so make sure that you move around and shift your standing position often.

[lauren_knows]

You might want to be cautious about using this type of desk.  Standing in one place for a long period of time can lead to painful varicose veins, so make sure that you move around and shift your standing position often.

The obvious answer here is: Treadmill desk.  :)

[sol]

You might want to be cautious about using this type of desk.  Standing in one place for a long period of time can lead to painful varicose veins, so make sure that you move around and shift your standing position often.

The obvious answer here is: Treadmill desk.  :)

The obvious answer here is: retire from your desk job.

[lauren_knows]

You might want to be cautious about using this type of desk.  Standing in one place for a long period of time can lead to painful varicose veins, so make sure that you move around and shift your standing position often.

The obvious answer here is: Treadmill desk.  :)

The obvious answer here is: retire from your desk job.

That's why we're here ;)   Workin' on it.  Only another 8 or 9 years of wrecking my body and I'll be set to repair my body!

[meadow lark]

I have been thinking about buying a balance ball to sit on at work.  I don't sit for long periods, but I do sit for short periods through out the day.  We have both sitting and standing computer stations at work, and I use them both.

[Welmoed]

I tried a balance ball and hated it. The sitting part was okay, but it was a PITA to get it positioned right. I know you can get little wheeled bases for them to make them easier to move, but I wasn't going to spend money on it. Since I got the ball at a yard sale it wasn't an expensive learning experience, fortunately.

[rjack]

I use 3 milk crates to convert my regular desk into a standing desk. I put one crate near the back for the monitor and two crates in the front for the keyboard and mouse. I can manually convert my desk by myself in less than one minute.

[yomimono]

I put my keyboard and trackpad on an ironing board, prop my monitor up on a pile of old textbooks, and stand to my heart's content.  The ironing board was $4 at the thrift store (and work reimbursed me!) and has the excellent virtue of folding up, so it can be stowed away when not in use.  I guess if you had an iron and wanted to iron your clothes, you could also use it for that, but for me it's a unitasker.  The textbooks were from the free pile.  Conversion time for the whole shebang is on the order of 2 minutes.  The only real downside is that it's not easy to make fine adjustments to.

[amyable]

My husband has a standing desk at work--he used this tutorial:  http://theimaginaryzebra.blogspot.com/2012/10/my-diy-standing-deskthe-2231-ikea-hack.html.    He had to have something fairly professional looking, because his company just renovated the office and is trying to keep everything looking streamlined. 

Hahah...I get to sit for maybe 2 hours max at work, if I'm lucky.  I definitely second the advice to get a stool or something you can momentarily lean on to relieve pressure.  I teach and have a stool to sit / lean on in the front of my classroom for this purpose.  Even if you're in good shape, if you're not used to standing for hours at a time, it can be painful.

[uspsfanalan]

I put my keyboard and trackpad on an ironing board, prop my monitor up on a pile of old textbooks, and stand to my heart's content.  The ironing board was $4 at the thrift store (and work reimbursed me!) and has the excellent virtue of folding up, so it can be stowed away when not in use.  I guess if you had an iron and wanted to iron your clothes, you could also use it for that, but for me it's a unitasker.  The textbooks were from the free pile.  Conversion time for the whole shebang is on the order of 2 minutes.  The only real downside is that it's not easy to make fine adjustments to.

Great idea. I'm going to try this when I get home from work. It would be cool if you could set up some sort of stand for your monitor to be able to raise and lower it. My wife just started being able to work from home and I'd like to help her set up something that made her more comfortable.

[JanMN]

You might want to be cautious about using this type of desk.  Standing in one place for a long period of time can lead to painful varicose veins, so make sure that you move around and shift your standing position often.

The obvious answer here is: Treadmill desk.  :)

The obvious answer here is: retire from your desk job.

This cracked me up -

I used a stand-up desk for several years - converted an old drafting table with adjustable legs and a stack of books to raise the monitor.  I used a separate chair and table for longer calls/meetings and to switch it up. 

Another idea is to place your workstation in an area of the house where you are required to take stairs every time you break - ie the basement or the upper level (if you have them).  I also like using a small glass/cup for my drink, so that I have to get up and refill a lot - gets me moving.

[yomimono]

It would be cool if you could set up some sort of stand for your monitor to be able to raise and lower it.

There are cool adjustable arms that you can mount an LCD to (e.g. http://www.humanscale.com/products/category_detail.cfm?category=monitor_arms), instead of the static stand, but they're fairly pricey at retail.  If someone else is shelling out, it might be worth a shot to put in a request for one.  (If you're feeling SUPER cool, there are patterns for adjustable monitor stands on Thingiverse, an archive for 3D-printing models: http://www.thingiverse.com/search?q=monitor&sa=)

[starfruit]

I just used some plastic storage bins, put my monitor on top of one and a bookshelf on top of the other. Looks ugly, but it works.

I've been standing at work for about 3 months.  It took about 2 weeks to gain the strength I needed and forced me to use better posture. I realized how much I was slouching and sinking into my hips. I'm stronger now, and the shoulder pain I had from using the mouse so much has gone away. Standing helps me use a much wider variety of postures and I move around a lot more. But any variety will be helpful:

http://www.alignedandwell.com/katysays/your-position-in-life/

Sitting on the floor for me forces the widest variety of postures, but standing is a close second and more acceptable at work.

[Crabricorn]

I bought wooden bed risers at bed, bath, and beyond - using coupons. I read that the plastic ones break quickly/easily. I just put them under the legs of my desk and walla, standing desk height for less than $40. Maybe not the cheapest, but it looks good and is the right height for me to stand at, and it was a lot less expensive than buying a desk.

[directionseeker]

I bought wooden bed risers at bed, bath, and beyond - using coupons. I read that the plastic ones break quickly/easily. I just put them under the legs of my desk and walla, standing desk height for less than $40. Maybe not the cheapest, but it looks good and is the right height for me to stand at, and it was a lot less expensive than buying a desk.

I just wonder is there way to build one for free?

[Purple]

I have a standing desk which is an old desktop with a 3 drawer filing cabinet at each end.