Here is how my life has changed in the last month.

Photo by Ella Jardim on Unsplash

I finally gave in to the trend, and last month I bought a standing desk.

I did very little research, beyond some friends speaking quite highly of their standing desks, and so I went ahead and splurged.

I chose to do the research after the fact, which can be found here:

The Science of the Standing Desk

In summary:

Researchers are saying that sitting all day at our desks is the biggest health concern for those in the workforce, next to smoking.

That’s a statement which is very hard to ignore.

But beyond the science of the long-term health effects, I’ve noticed some real differences in my own life which have taken place in the month since getting a standing desk.

I have more energy.

Research told me this would happen — I just didn’t realize how much of a reality it would be.

I feel more energetic by the end of my workday.

Far less sluggish, that’s for sure. It’s astounding to me that standing can actually leave me feeling far chipper than sitting all day.

And with all that extra energy, I’m able to accomplish more in terms of hobbies with my spare time in the evenings.

I’m getting more done at any given day — simply because I’m spending 50% of it standing rather than sitting.

I have less back pain.

I ‘ve been dealing with mild lower back pain ever since I started my business 3 years ago.

Of course, the culprit for most of it back in the day was working from my parent's couch for 8+ hours per day when I was first getting my company off the ground.

But even now, with an ergonomic chair and work set up, I would still find myself with some mild back pain.

Since using my standing desk for 3–4 hours of each workday, that back pain has all but disappeared.

Science says that we are doing our lower backs a massive favour by standing at our desks for a portion of the day.

Sitting for extended periods can inflame our lower back muscles, causing discomfort.

Changing things up gives our muscles a much-needed break and stretch, plus standing challenges us to be more conscious of our posture.

Working is more fun.

If I’m doing something peppy or kind of fun, like writing this article, I turn on some tunes and happily dance away as I write.

I also enjoy the easy sway which gives my knees some movement so that they don’t lock up.

Let’s just be honest — if we’re able to have a mini-dance party during the day, as we’re not restricted to having our butts in a chair, working is just a lot more enjoyable!

Anything to make working more fun I’m all game for!

I have less tension in my shoulders.

At 26, repetitive strain in my wrists and shoulders are real concerns.

I’m already an old lady heading straight for arthritis when my writing career has only just begun!

That said, having an ergonomic setup for my desk has been very important in recent years. The adjustable desk height makes that far easier.

My posture is just infinitely better. When I would sit all day, I’d find myself slinking further and further into my chair, and my shoulder would creep higher and higher towards my ears.

That always resulted in hunching myself into shoulder tension and pain, making turning my head uncomfortable, at best.

That tension is all but gone now that gravity allows for my shoulders to rest comfortably in their sockets, which I can encourage with adjusting the height of my desk, as well.

Final word.

I stand for half of my day, and sit for the other half.

By the end of the day, I’m at about 4 hours of standing up while working.

I have to use both hands to count the benefits I’ve been experiencing — it’s easy to say that using a standing desk has positively impacted my life in powerful ways.

It’s changed the nature of my working environment and increased my efficiency. Plus, my health is improving with its use.

Have you ever considered using a standing desk? If so, what’s holding you back?