Switching to a Standing Desk, pt.1

Photo courtesy of LIFE Magazine

I'm revamping my office... Again! I know, I just did a little office makeover which you can read about here, but my son is now reaching up on to my small desk, pulling things off and making messes and I start to feel sluggish when I am sitting and working on projects for extended periods of time. I have been hearing great things about standing workstations and have decided to give it a try! Did you know that some of history's most famous authors, inventors and political figures, such as Hemmingway and Thomas Jefferson, used standing desks to get their creative juices flowing?

Accoriding to a study in the journal of Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, Scientists at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Louisiana analyzed the lifestyles of more than 17,000 men and women over about 13 years, and found that people who sit for most of the day are 54 percent more likely to die of heart attacks. Yikes! "Similar research actually dates back to 1953, when British researchers found that (sitting) bus drivers were twice as likely to die of heart attacks as (standing) trolley operators (Men's Health)."

If that's not persuasive enough, here is a list of some of the many benefits to switching:

- Prevents slouching

- Increases blood flow

- Burns more calories

- Increases productivity

- Increases focus, alertness and activity level

- Keeps baby hands away from your files/mouse/keyboard/pens/calculator/drink... ;)

Read more on the history of standing workstations here and let me know your thoughts.

We'll be tackling this project over the long weekend and will put pictures and a tutorial up on the blog shortly thereafter. I will give you two teasers now- Ikea hack and door. 

Stay tuned!