When I wrote a week ago that I was starting to work at a standing desk, several people said they’d be interested in hearing how I got on. As it’s also been an instructive experience for me, I figured it was time for a quick update.
First up, my neck and shoulders feel vastly better. My habitual slouching or hunching forward is impossible with this setup, which means I’m treating those muscles much more kindly. Less neck and shoulder strain means less tension being passed on into my head, which means no tension headaches and better concentration. It also means that, at the end of my working day, I’m more likely to be able to do something productive and enjoyable, and less likely to be reduced to slumping in front of the TV. It’s been well worth the effort.
That said, there was one significant bump along the way. It’s entirely my own fault, and a useful lesson for anyone thinking about using a standing desk – build up your use gradually, like I didn’t do.
The day I set up the ‘desk’ (actually a cunningly adapted set of shelves) I was very excited. This looked like the perfect way to improve my health. I worked standing for about nine hours, with just an hour’s break in the middle. And by the end I was exhausted. I felt like I’d spent three whole days on my feet while wearing a solid mass of chainmail (a comparison I make based on personal experience and curious hobbies). My feet were sore. My calves ached. My thighs and lower back were stiff and awkward. I had totally over-done it.
The day after my new desk, I was completely exhausted and spent most of the day resting.
Since then, I’ve brought a tall kitchen stool up into the study, letting me alternate between standing and sitting at the desk. I’ll work standing for an hour or so, then sitting for between ten and thirty minutes. I can feel the difference in my neck and shoulders when I switch to sitting, muscles shifting awkwardly like they did when I sat and typed all the time. But I also feel the sweet relief in my legs and give a happy little sigh.
Even over the course of a week, I can feel my endurance improving, meaning I can work standing for longer without wiping myself out.
So on the basis of a week, the standing desk has been a huge boon to my health and my writing, but one that I shouldn’t over use without practice.
I’ll try to remember to provide another update after a month, but if I forget, and if you’re still interested, then remind me. And in the meantime, take care of your posture. Because unlike a nest of angry hornets, good health doesn’t grow on trees.
No, wait, fruit grows on trees, and fruit is healthy. Good health does grow on trees. Curse you poorly thought out cliché!
And now back to work.
