Sitting Kills
This is overkill, though.
I’m taking a stand, but not in the way you might think. In a few hours, a man is coming over to collect my desk, a gorgeous, glass-topped contemporary thing with geometric wooden shapes holding it together (cylinder stand, triangular shelves). This desk is way too big to fit into our new space, which is exactly half the size of our current space. But that’s not the only reason I’m letting it go – I could make it work if I wanted to. It’s not the size so much as the height.
After I move, I’m getting a standing desk. That’s right, a desk with no chair. I’m sure you’ve seen all the recent news stories about all of the studies with scary headlines like “Sitting Will Kill You.” Studies that show how, even with regular exercise, hours spent on your butt add up and slowly sap your life away.
I figured this was the case before I read the science articles. My editor has had a standing desk ever since I’ve known him. At first I thought he was merely eccentric. But recently, after I started taking up jogging, I’m noticing more how all of my sitting has been taking its toll. I work an average of 10 hours a day – that’s writing, researching, editing video, corresponding, and more. That’s ten hours of sitting.
I get up to stretch often, but rather than get up to stretch, I’d rather stand all day and sit down to rest. Out of curiosity, I put my computer on a box atop my desk and stood to work for a few days. I found I had more energy, and would even dance a bit as I typed, when music was on. It felt better. So I’m going for it. I’m choosing an adjustable desk, one that rises and falls, not only so I can adjust it to my height, but for those days that for all of standing’s benefits, I just want to sit.
Here’s an example of what I’m talking about, an inspiring little video encouraging desk-workers like me to take a stand and “join the uprising.” Though this is probably not the brand I’m going with.
