Ways To Quit Sitting: 8 Unique Desk Options - InformationWeek

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11/2/2015
07:06 AM
David Wagner
David Wagner
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Ways To Quit Sitting: 8 Unique Desk Options

Sitting at your desk all day can be boring, unproductive, and hazardous to your health. We have some alternatives that might help you "stand" out at work.
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(Image: levelord via Pixabay)

(Image: levelord via Pixabay)

The nature of work is always changing and in the 21st century, few people need to be active while they work -- which has extreme health consequences. Luckily there are several alternatives to slouching over a desk for more than eight hours a day. The latest ergonomic offering making news is Altwork's reclining workstation.

The Altwork Station looks like it's part Barcalounger, part dentist chair. It's designed for people who want a desk that adapts to multiple positions, so they can collaborate, be active while they work, and basically sit any way that feels most comfortable for them. But most people have focused on the reclined positions the workstation offers because, let's face it, the idea of laying down on the job is irresistible.

However, the idea of a reclining desk isn't only about laziness. It is about your health. Hunching over a computer has been proven in studies to affect your productivity and creativity, as well as being an overall health hazard. 

[ Stop! Don't take that new job until you get these questions answered. ]

If the $5,900 ($3,900, if you pre-order) reclining workstation is not for you, we've gathered several other options for you to consider. They range from the sublime to the ridiculous. Take a look and tell us which one you are going to demand from your boss. If you're an IT leader, tell us which one seems most practical to deploy to your workforce. We look forward to hearing from you in the comments section below.

David has been writing on business and technology for over 10 years and was most recently Managing Editor at Enterpriseefficiency.com. Before that he was an Assistant Editor at MIT Sloan Management Review, where he covered a wide range of business topics including IT, ... View Full Bio

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Michelle
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Michelle,
 User Rank: Ninja
11/30/2015 | 10:09:41 PM
Re: Hamster wheel of madness
@Li that's the solution! I'll take two, please.
Michelle
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Michelle,
 User Rank: Ninja
11/30/2015 | 10:07:48 PM
Re: Hamster wheel of madness
@Dave stopping to think would be a problem for me on the treadmill for sure. I might be stopped longer than actual walking.
YvesHanoulle
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YvesHanoulle,
 User Rank: Apprentice
11/22/2015 | 2:54:56 PM
working form a treadmill
I bought a treadmill desk, and now almost 3 years latter, I have done more then 14,500,000 steps.

I usually step at 2.4 km an hour while working, I sometimes (like now) at 4 km an hour and when I want to only read, I can go uptill 6 km an hour. 

The biggest advantage for me, is it's much easier to concentrate for a longer periode of time. 

F ex I hated doing my accountancy, and I could only do it for 30 minutes before I got bored. Now I can work for +3 hours doing accountancy. 



Yves
Li Tan
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Li Tan,
 User Rank: Ninja
11/7/2015 | 1:47:04 AM
Re: Hamster wheel of madness
Maybe it's even better to have an USB interface somewhere on our body so that we can easily upload/download information/program to the micro-computer in our brain. In other words, the human being becomes the dock station for extension.:-)
KVASUDEV951
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KVASUDEV951,
 User Rank: Apprentice
11/6/2015 | 12:11:18 PM
Treadmill and the dark ages
With the 'tread wheel' we now know where the term 'daily grind' comes from. I think having options throughout the day is the best solution. If you have a high desk chair you can either stand or sit at your standing desk--I found this a good solution for my back issues. Also it's important to not be staring at your your screen without some breaks so whichever solution works best make sure to take some breaks and stretches as well.
jkwalker111
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jkwalker111,
 User Rank: Strategist
11/5/2015 | 2:55:38 PM
Stand/Sit design
I've got an Ergotron arm attached to my desk.  It holds two monitors and keyboard (desktop box sits on the floor).  Sitting all day will kill you but standing too much is also not healthy - you can google articals about both.  With the Ergotron I sit, stand, sit, stand through the day.  This has super helped my back and gotten me out of PT.  Strongly suggested.  It was $500 so not cheap.  My company wouldn't out-right buy it for me but I was able to get a letter from a Dr and could expense part of it.  People w back probs should check it out but other's not so into dying prematurely might also be interested.

Also - thinking about getting an under the desk bike soon, too.
ianlee74
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ianlee74,
 User Rank: Apprentice
11/5/2015 | 2:26:10 PM
Re: Hamster wheel of madness
@David Wagner - considering the amount of mass and inertial forces in that hamster wheel, I doubt that stopping is as sudden as you are imagining.  Many of the treadmills made for this also have sensors that cause them to stop moving when you stop or get too far away.
Kelly22
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Kelly22,
 User Rank: Strategist
11/4/2015 | 12:14:01 PM
Re: Ways To Quit Sitting: 8 Unique Desk Options
Standing desks do seem expensive for how simple they are. I've been wanting to try one out... might have to make a trip to Home Depot for some planks :)

I love the idea of a treadmill desk but also feel like writing and walking would be a challenge. For long calls or reading, though, I'd be all for it.
zerox203
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zerox203,
 User Rank: Ninja
11/4/2015 | 11:35:22 AM
Re: Ways To Quit Sitting: 8 Unique Desk Options
The idea of the non-sitting desk gets at a lot of awkward questions we have to answer about our lifestyle as we redefine what 'working' means. I have found the relative expense and flashiness of purpose-built standing desks somewhat awakward, though; it is, by definition, one of the simplest and most utalitarian things ever to exist. Three pieces of wood the right size would suffice, and I've found some of the DIY ones I've seen most ingenious. I find the idea of a treadmill desk tempting, but, like you said, the noise, etc. would make it hard to type/work. For gaming, though? That's another story. Add in an Oculus Rift and motion controls, and you may have just found the way to save the human race from our own laziness.
TerryB
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TerryB,
 User Rank: Ninja
11/3/2015 | 1:21:26 PM
Standing Desk
That got pretty popular around here. I have one in my office, along with my existing sitting desk. I even got creative and figured out I could use a Win 7 embedded thin client to RDP to my desktop computer. But now I need 4 monitors, 2 at each desk. And RDP from Win 7 doesn't do dual monitors the same as having 2 monitors on the computer. But it was workable.

But I found I really didn't like writing code while standing. I must be too one dimensional, never could pat my head and rub my stomach at same time either. I did master walking and chewing gum when I was younger. :-)

So now my $1000 standup desk is pretty much a workarea for times I have to work on equipment. Standing is much better for that, works great. But I don't get bonus points for cost effectiveness. :-)
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