Have You Tried a Standing Desk?

This year I’ve been trying to do more things to remain healthy. One of those things has been to use a standing desk… Why? Well, I have a job where I sit most of the day. The same is true for most of my clients, who work in the IT industry. But sitting all day is not really good for you. Standing, at least part of the day, can lower the risk of weight gain and obesity, as well as helping to lower blood sugar levels and lower the risk of heart disease.

You burn more calories standing than you do sitting in your chair. Standing quietly, a 150-pound person burns about 114 calories per hour, or 912 calories in eight hours. Of course, you probably are not going to want to stand for 8 hours; that can be uncomfortable, too.

Varying between sitting and standing at various points throughout the day can be a beneficial antidote to the discomfort and pain of sitting in the same position all day… or, for that matter, standing in the same position all day! And alternating between sitting and standing can help to reduce back pain.

That is where a product like the FlexiSpot Stand Up Desk Computer Riser can be helpful. I have been using the 47” wide version of this product for over a month now and I find that it helps me to easily change between sitting and standing without a lot of hassle. There is a handle on the side that, when pressed, easily adjusts the height of the desk up or down. The desk smoothly transitions without undue effort between sitting and standing positions… and back again. And the riser is adjustable, allowing you to shift from sitting to standing with 12 different height levels.

The thing about a standing desk like the FlexiSpot is that everything you need goes up and down as you adjust from sitting to standing: the monitors, your mouse, your keyboard, and whatever else you may need. The 47” version provides an expansive desktop and keyboard tray that I found to be able to hold everything I need. And I, like many IT folks use multiple monitors, as well as other gadgets hooked up to my PC. The FlexiSpot standing desk accommodated them all with no problem at all.

The keyboard tray was a little bit problematic for me, though. It is a nice, full size and it is adjustable, but only so much. The tray can be lowered and raised by removing it from the slots that it fits into and putting it into one of the other sets of slots. This is a pretty good design as you probably won’t want to adjust the keyboard tray much… and it allows you to completely remove the tray if you want to (say when using a laptop or tablet). The problem I have with it though is that I am used to my keyboard tray being lower than my desktop (I use a pull out tray). So I had to get used to the keyboard being a bit higher than usual – at least when sitting down. When I moved the desk riser to standing position the keyboard tray was fine. After a little bit I was able to adjust, but it would still be nice to have an extension that allows the keyboard tray to be lower than the desktop it sits on.

I found it helpful to use the FlexiSpot desk riser with an app for my iPhone (I used Stand Up! The Work Break Timer, but there are others for both the iPhone and Android). The app helps me to determine when I need to switch from sitting to standing and back again. Sometimes I can get so engrossed in my work that I would forget to adjust, so an app that reminds you to take regular breaks can help you to remember to switch from sitting to standing, or vice versa.

Overall, I found the FlexiSpot Stand Up Desk Computer Riser to be a worthwhile, easy-to-use, and nicely constructed product. If you work at a desk and are looking to get healthier you should look into an adjustable standing desk and FlexiSpot makes a good one!

Note: This article was published July 16, 2018 which is Amazon Prime Day where this standing desk converter is offered at special pricing with free shipping.