Last updated on August 1st, 2018 at 06:33 pm
Blogging can be tough on the body, especially, if you find yourself sitting all the time. If you’re like me, then you spend a lot of hours in front of your computer. That’s why I wanted to write this sit stand desks review to help you get rid of pain and improve your posture.
Comfort Is Important
If you ask any blogger, they will tell you that they spend around 10-40 hours in front of their computer on a weekly basis. It all depends on whether you are blogging full-time or still working a job.
Either way, sitting in front of the computer can be a huge killer on the back, neck and shoulders.
When I first started my blog, I was sitting for at least 8 hours a day. After a couple of months of dealing with lower back pain, I decided to invest in a sit stand desk that I purchased from Ikea.
Now I have the ability to sit or stand while working on my blog. At that time, my blog wasn’t making a lot of money, so it was important for me to find a price point that made sense.
I know that I’m NOT the only blogger that struggles with aches and pains from working on the computer. So I thought that I would research and review some adjustable standing desks just in case you’ve been considering purchasing one.
I Love Mine
I’ve had mine for around a year now and I can definitely say that I love it. If I get tired of sitting, all I have to do is crank it up to stand. If I want it lowered, then I just lower it and sit for a while.
It’s definitely helped make blogging a lot more comfortable, although, I do still think that it’s important to take breaks on a regular basis. That’s why I always make it a point to break away from my computer every day around noon to go for a walk or head to gym.
I know that you want to make money with your blog, heck we all do. But it’s extremely important to make sure that you’re taking care of your health and making sure that you have the right equipment.
Most of us are willing to spend money on blogging courses, social media scheduling tools and keyword research tools. We never think about spending money on the right office equipment that will help us take care of our health.
But first…
What Is A Standing Desk?
A standing desk is just that, it’s a desk that allows you to stand instead of sitting. These desks are usually adjustable and will allow you to raise it to your height. I’ve found that I am most comfortable when my desk is raised to my chest. These types of desks are used by people who need to sit in a chair for prolonged periods.
While this review is meant to help bloggers overcome their aches and pains. If you know someone who works a career or works from home as a freelance writer, office worker or etc.. This type of furniture is no different than the wooden desks you are used to seeing.
The real difference between a standing desk and regular desk is the size of the legs.
Who Are Standing Desks For?
Anyone can benefit from them, especially, if you find yourself sitting in front of a computer for long periods of time. We already know that bloggers spend countless hours in front of the computer, but we’re not the only ones who do this. For example, web designers, freelance workers, graphic designers and home office workers can benefit from these desks.
Basically, anyone who has an office type of job would love one of these for their work environment.
Measure For the Right Size
Before I purchased mine, I did a lot of research online. I didn’t want to spend the money on something only to realize that it wasn’t the right size.
Plus, it was the first one that I had ever owned. The last thing I wanted to do was waste my money on the wrong desk only to be unhappy with it.
That’s one of the reasons that I decided to get an adjustable height desk. I’m not very tall and I wanted to make sure that I could adjust it to suit me.
Here’s a standing height calculator that will show you what size you should get. Of course there are several other things to take into consideration when measuring the proper height.
Here’s What I’ve Learned
Type of Desk
The type of shoes that you work in will change the comfort level of your desk. If you’re like me, then maybe you work from home and sometimes you work barefooted. Yes, I know that I shouldn’t work barefooted, but I have a fatigue mat that makes it comfortable.
So if you work in shoes one day and barefooted the next day, you’ll need to make sure that your desk is adjustable. You might even want to consider checking out some electric standing desks.
From my experience it’s best to get one that is adjustable because you don’t want to trap yourself into having to stand in the same position day in and day out.
Position
People who work on their computers spend most of their time looking at the top-left section of their monitor. This means that you want your eye height to be at the top of the screen.
I know that a lot of people work from a laptop instead of a desktop computer. If so then you can check out the monitor arms on Amazon to help you adjust the height of your laptop setup.
Ergonomic Setup
One of the main reasons to invest in a standing desk is to improve your posture and avoid the aches and pains from sitting for prolonged periods, not to mention sitting for prolonged periods can shorten our life span
The 90-degree ergonomic setup is the one that you should aim for when setting up your workstation. This means that your desk should be set up to where your elbows are bent at a 90 degree level.
You’ll also want to make sure that your eyes are looking across at the top third of the monitor while you are standing in an upright position.
Should You Build Your Own?
I’m NOT a handy individual but if I was, I would probably consider building my own. We all know that when you choose to build your own products, you get the final say over which types of materials to use.
That’s why so many people prefer to build their own homes as opposed to buying a pre-made home. The quality of a building your own home tends to be much better than that of a pre-built home, not to mention you can save so much money.
There are pros and cons to both sides of the aspects. When you buy a pre-built desk, you won’t have to worry about anything. You shop on Amazon or your favorite store and order it.
They ship the desk and all you have to do is set it up and start using it. If I remember right, it took us about an hour to set up mine.
Building Your Own Desk
You’re going to have to take time away from your blogging duties or whatever you do online to go shopping for all the materials. You’ll also need to make sure that you have all the necessary tools.
You have a 50/50 chance of having a workstation that looks amazing. Worst case scenario your workstation will only look ugly. What if you made the wrong measurements and it doesn’t fit the adjustable framework?
Then you’re left with spending even more money on getting the right desk or going out and replacing all the materials to make a new one.
So before you head head to Lowes Home Improvement to buy all your supplies. Make sure you really think about how you want to go about doing it.
Cable Management is a Must
Don’t you hate it when you have cables everywhere? Most of us don’t think about all the cables that we use in our surge protectors that power our office equipment. That is until we need to use an outlet for something else, that we realize we have a bunch of unidentifiable cables and we have no clue what belongs to what.
A standing desk environment can be hazardous for those loose cables. If you’re standing working and you decide to adjust your footing or move your foot because it’s falling asleep. There’s a very good chance that your foot can easily get caught in a cable and bring down your keyboard tray or even pull a monitor onto the floor.
Most cable management systems are inexpensive and are easy to use. Most of them even come with clips of varying sizes that will accommodate any size cable.
Must Have Accessories
There is one accessory that every standing desk owner should invest in and that is a standing desk mat also known as a fatigue mat. The mat will help relieve the pressure from the soles, ankles and legs so you don’t feel aches and pains from standing for long periods of times.
When I upgraded from sitting to standing, it took me a while to invest in a fatigue mat. I didn’t start looking for one until after I started getting aches and pains for long periods of standing.
It took me a while to find the right mat, but this is what I recommend you look for:
- A non-slip surface
- You want a mat that doesn’t bevel or curl up that can cause tripping
- 3/4 of an inch in thickness
- Made from a non-toxic substance that doesn’t produce any foul odors
- A durable and weighty mat that won’t slip or move whenever you adjust your position
7 Sit Stand Desks That Will Improve The Life of Bloggers
Susan’s Best Choice
Mobile Ergonomic Stand Up Desk Computer Workstation
Whether your purchasing your first stand up desk or your fifth one, you can’t go wrong with the Mobile Ergonomic Stand Up Desk Computer Workstation. This desk packs a ton of features that you’ll love without the hefty price tag.
One of the things that I love about it is the two tier shelf design and the fact that it comes with wheels and locking brakes that prevent it from moving while working on your blog.
I love the one that I purchased from Ikea, but it doesn’t have a shelf or wheels. So I’ve had to invest in some accessories for it. This only adds to the overall cost when I could’ve invested in one that has everything I need from the get go.
You’ll love the slider gray pain that makes it a beautiful finish and will last for several years without chipping or scratching.
Best Standing Desks Under $1000
Just because you want to update your office or get rid of your shoulder and back pain doesn’t mean that you need to pay thousands to upgrade your office. Here’s some great desks you shouldn’t overlook.
Crank Adjustable Height Standing Desk
This desk kind of reminds me of mine. The difference is that this desk is beautiful with it’s natural walnut finish. You’ll have plenty of workspace which means that you can use it for both your desktop and your laptop if you need to. You can expect to get several years of use out of it because the quality of the desk is amazing.
Jarvis Standing Desk Frame – Electric Adjustable Height Sit Stand Desk
Thinking about creating your own standing desk? If so then you may want to check out this Jarvis standing desk frame that comes with a memory preset hand controller.
If you’re a handy individual, you could definitely create your own workstation and make it exactly the way you want it. You’ll still need a framework to make your desk adjustable.
This framework adjusts from 23.25″ to 49.25″ and supports table tops from 44″ – 82″ wide. You’ll need to visit the Amazon site to get the weight capacity limit, but it has a ton of reviews on the durability of the frame.
Flexispot Electric Adjustable Sit Stand Desk
The Flexispot E2B-B adjustable desk is perfect for anyone who works long hours at the computer and needs a large work space. This desk will accommodates a four-monitor setup. It also has a weight capability of 220lbs, which should support any of your workstation needs.
It comes with a programmable site stand alarm. Which is amazing for anyone who is terrible at taking those much needed breaks from the computer.
Best Standing Desks Under $500
Flexispot Platform Height Adjustable Stand Up Desk
The Flexispot M2B standing desk comes with a adjustable height platform with a removable keyword tray. This is perfect for anyone who is looking for a space-saving workstation.
It adjusts easily without having to use a ton of force. You’ll love the extra-deep desktop that offers plenty of space without feeling overcrowded. The keyword tray has a quick-release feature and you can won’t have to worry about yours fitting. It accommodates the larger keyboards.
The ergonomic features of this workstation will benefit any person. It provides you 12 different height levels which makes it the perfect stand sit desk situation.
Mount-It Standing Desk Ergonomic Height Adjustable Sit Stand Desk
The Mount-It adjustable desk is perfect for anyone who just has a monitor, keyboard and a mouse. This ergonomic workstation will ease your pain in your eyes, necks and shoulders without taking up a ton of office space.
You can easily switch from a sitting to standing position in a matter of seconds. It’s a versatile piece of office equipment that can be used for other non-work related things like, reading, drawing and even eating or doing your homework.
It is built with quality materials that will get you years of use without having to worry about replacing it anytime soon.
Luxor Stand Up Desk Crank Adjustable
The LUXOR Standup-CF48-DW Stand Up Desk is perfect for anyone who wants to boost their productivity and improve their posture. This standup desk makes it so easy to change your working position from standing to sitting. You can use the crank under the desk to position the height of the desk up to four feet.
The rolling wheels makes it portable to move it from one space to another. Yes, it does have a locking mechanism so it won’t move while you’re trying to work. The polished finish gives it the professional look that you’ll absolutely love.
Wide Range to Choose From
As you can see, I’ve barely scratched the surface on helping you find the right desk for your home office. I didn’t even cover the treadmill desks or the standing desk converters.
There’s absolutely no shortage when it comes to upgrading your home office.
Are You Ready to Upgrade?
Upgrading your office environment is never an easy decision. Just like remodeling your home, there’s certain things that you need to take into consideration. Your monthly budget and your home office space.
When I made the decision to buy, it was based solely on the fact that I was tired of dealing with back and neck pain.
Maybe you’re just looking to upgrade because you’ve heard that standing desks can help you become more productive. Based from my personal experience, I can definitely say that mine has helped improve my productivity
How It’s Helped Me
As you know, I am on the journey to becoming a full-time blogger. One of the things that I have been focused on is growing my blog by writing more high quality content.
I’ve been writing three posts per week for the past year. Since purchasing my standing desk, I no longer suffer from aches and pains on a regular basis.
Yes, if I work for prolonged periods then I will find myself experiencing some aches and pains. But honestly it doesn’t matter if you’re standing or sitting, you shouldn’t work for long periods of time.
It’s important to take breaks on a regular basis. Not only will this help alleviate the aches and pains that come from working on the computer. It’s also good for giving your eyes a break from staring at the computer for long periods of time.
Final Take Away
Whether you’re a blogger or just work from home on your computer, you need to take a serious look at improving your work station.
All of the standing desks that I reviewed got raving reviews on Amazon. If you take the time to do your own research, you’ll find something that will not only fit your budget but you’ll love.
Imagine how much more work you can accomplish on your daily blogging tasks when you have the proper equipment that will help you run your business more smoothly.
Whether your looking for a Jarvis desk or the Seville Classics Mobile Laptop Desk Cart, I have no doubt you’ll find one that fits your needs.
