How often should I stand at my desk?

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I stand some, I sit some. In my office setup, I like to stand at my desk for a while, then sit for a bit, then stand again. At times, I’ve used an underneath desk treadmill even. But how often should I stand at my desk? What’s recommended? Let’s take a look.

Of course, that’s a different and maybe easier question from how often should you get up from your desk? I remember when I worked in a cubicle farm newsroom and at times it was indeed hard to sit there. People would get up and take breaks – some more than others. With a standing desk, getting up is just another version of standing up. And if you like to walk, consider an office treadmill.

But, back to how should I stand at my desk…

Here are just some of the tips out there (and there are plenty of opinions – imagine that):

• 1 hour of standing for every 1-2 hours of sitting
• Alternate every 30-60 minutes
• 1 hour of standing for every 3 hours of sitting
• 2-4 hours per day

So there are plenty of opinions. Clearly, but which one is the way to go? From my perspective, it’s a personal decision. And even that can change. Some days, I want to stand more and can stand more. On other days, I just need to take a load off and stay in my gaming chair most of the day. So, even that can depend on how I feel that day or what’s on the docket. For example, I do not like to live stream my podcast while standing. I just don’t like the angle. So sitting is the way to go for me.

Try this electric standing desk

My routine – standing and sitting at my desk

I’m a big fan of doing anything in batches. Meetings, tasks (writing, analysis, etc.) and even standing or sitting. So I usually do this:

• Start the day standing for anywhere from 1-3 hours. It all depends on when I actually start to when my first meeting is. Or my first live stream. 
• Then I sit for a while. Maybe 3-4 hours or so.
• Often, to wrap up the day, I stand for another hour.

Sometimes, I go up and down more, but in general, that’s how I roll through the day. It feels good and I actually am shocked how I ever sat all day long in prior years.

Standup desk with risers for monitors

 

 

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