Standing desks are becoming more popular with every passing year, and for those who are interested in getting one, the question of how long you should stand at a standing desk each day is starting to pop up more frequently. This issue may seem easy enough to address, but there is a lot that goes into it. This includes the arguments for and against standing desks, which we will go into before answering the question at hand.
Are Standing Desks a Good Thing?
In general, standing desks are a good thing. In a world where sitting for activities like watching TV, driving, and working at an office are all a part of our daily routine, we don’t spend nearly as much time standing as we should. Therefore, standing desks are becoming more prevalent. Spending eight hours a day standing instead of sitting is a win in many people’s books.
However, this is where the arguments against it come into play. If you spend your whole day standing, you will get more fatigued than you usually would, impacting your work output. Also, if you buy a standing desk only to find out that it doesn’t work for you, then you’ve wasted your money and will get rid of a perfectly good one. Luckily, wooden standing desk converters like the ones we offer exist to save people money and allow them to use their current desk. However, that still doesn’t address the fatigue issue.
How Often Should You Utilize Them?
This is why so many people are left asking, “How long should you stand at a standing desk each day?” Fortunately, you don’t have to choose one or the other. You can easily move most standing desks up or down and remove converters when not in use. For this reason, some people say that you should split your workday 50/50 in terms of your standing to sitting ratio. That way, you get the benefits of both positions with fewer downsides.
Some people who recommend this ratio say that you should switch every half hour, but we believe that’s a bit extreme since that will force you to spend a decent chunk of your day moving the desk up or down. Instead, we think you should only switch when you’re getting tired of your current position.
That’s also why we think there isn’t a straightforward answer to this question: it depends on the person. Standing all day might not pose an issue for you if you’re currently in great shape, but it might for others. This might make your ratio more like 90/10, and there’s nothing wrong with that. The bottom line is there is no correct answer to this question. The beauty of standing desks and converters is the freedom of choice. You can sit or stand as often you choose.