How does your low back feel right now? Do you have a kink behind either shoulder blade? Or tightness in your neck? Other odd, nagging aches? 

 

The times have shown us that we need a solid home office setup to work comfortably, whenever the need arises. “WFH” or flexible, remote working is no longer a perk or a nice-to-have.

 

The problem is, many of us have jacked up, jerry-rigged setups fraught with multiple textbook ergonomic “hazards” and “risks.” Hazards like poor posture, extended periods of sitting (the back pain bad guy), and desk, keyboard, and mouse dimensions that are plain not ergonomic. Maybe you’re stationed in the corner of shared living space? Hunched over the kitchen bar counter? Slouched into the couch? Over time, seemingly small “hazards” — like working at a table that’s too tall for comfortable typing — put our bodies at risk of developing nasty MSDs (Musculoskeletal Disorders) and RSIs (Repetitive Stress/Strain Injuries) like carpal tunnel syndrome, computer eye fatigue, and chronic back pain.

 

The time is riper than ever to level up your setup.

Your home office is a buffer against stress and distraction

 

“Sitting for a living is hard on you as it is, but when you’re at the office, you’ve got your fancy work chair and your adjustable desk and all the things that your employers provided you to keep you safe,” Pattison said. “But now, with the pandemic, you’re working at your kitchen table… or sitting on the couch, and it’s putting the body into awkward prolonged positions.”-Doug Pattison, DC, Employers need to get serious about preventing workplace injuries in the home during pandemic, expert says, from CBC

 

The build of our home office setup helps us mentally switch gears into work mode, achieving the focus needed to really produce. This buffer is invaluable at home, where many of us have pets, spouses, or children instead of colleagues. A great home office setup (walls or not) helps establish a boundary between “work” and “life.” 

 

A recent article from Curbed puts it beautifully, “Home offices take many forms, but what they almost universally offer is a threshold, a dividing line that tells the brain when it’s time to focus—and, just as importantly, when it’s time to stop working.” That second part is noteworthy: unplugging at the end of each day is critical to prevent burnout when you’re home all day.

 

Some of us also fly high working from home, just by nature. While others struggle to find a healthy rhythm and sink into bad habits instead. Bad habits that set us on that surefire track to burnout. Psychiatrist Alex Dimitriu M.D. coins the struggle “Home Office Syndrome” writing, “The syndrome creates significant stress and uneasiness due to a blurring of boundaries between work and home life. An at-home “employee” is oftentimes never really working, never really relaxing—always constantly dividing time between the work assignment that absolutely has to get completed, frequent interruptions from spouse and children, a dog that needs walking, and the house-repair issue that suddenly arises.” 

 

Does this sound a little like you? 

Alright… where do I start? Why a standing desk is the best first investment 

For one, the desk is the centerpiece of your office — the cornerstone of an ergonomic home office setup, if you will. Upgrading your desk will give you the biggest bang for your buck. If you’ve succumbed to working on the couch and are already suffering the consequences — like tight, glued up wrists from an awkward typing posture (one of many ergonomic canaries in the coal mine) — your new desk will help you nip the couch-working habit in the bud and kick-start a healthier one. A standing desk brings movement to your setup, and to otherwise sedentary computer work. And what you’ll see, when we get into the benefits of a sit stand desk specifically, is that a standing desk doesn’t have to be exhausting. On the contrary, it can be comfortable and energizing if you’ve got the right kind of desk. 

 

“The bottom line is that by staying active, moving, and connected, you gain the reward of having energy all day, sleeping well at night, and feeling healthy, happy, and fulfilled. Just remember—your body is designed to move.”-Dr. Joan Vernikos, NASA Scientist and author of Sitting Kills, Moving Heals: How Everyday Movement Will Prevent Pain, Illness, and Early Death — and Exercise Alone Won’t

 

People sometimes feel awkward taking on the standing desk in the office because they don’t want to be the “lone stander” or distract their colleagues. At home, this problem no longer exists. Why not take full advantage of the opportunity to experiment? 

Pro tip #1 on standing desks: go for a sit stand (height adjustable) standing desk rather than a fixed height one

One of the most common hurdles preventing one from biting the bullet on a standing desk is a single valid concern: What if I don’t use the thing? What if I’m too tired to stand? What if I return to the chair in fatigued defeat after a few days of gung-ho effort? What if it winds up being a waste of money?

 

This is where the sit-to-stand height-adjustable function comes into play. A sit stand desk makes switching to a standing desk easy. It allows you to stand when you’re energized and sit when you’re tired, switching between postures, in tune with how your body feels. You can gradually make the change, rather than locking yourself into standing 8 hours a day and, most likely, exhausting your body. The ability to switch between sitting and standing is awesome if you’re someone who meets distinct types of tasks with distinct types of focus. Most people find they need to sit for detail-heavy work, while standing lends itself to writing. What’s your experience with different postures? “Sit-to-stand freedom” opens up a world of possibilities for the way you work.

 

You’ll find that movement is the key to finding comfort and energy at a standing desk ( height-adjustable, specifically). But it’s hard for anyone to get into motion accustomed to sitting all day. A sit stand desk makes it easier because it doesn’t restrict you to either posture, making it not only a viable way to work but an enjoyable one.

 

>>>Why not just get a desktop converter? Here’s why: The 3 things you’ll wish you knew about standing desk converters before you bought yours

Pro Tip #2 on standing desks: Pick a pneumatic standing (sit-stand) desk, not an electric one

 

Smooth, quick, quiet adjustment; pneumatic beauty Pneumatic desks adjust 8X faster than electric desks. They’re also practically silent while adjusting, unlike electric desks, which produce a low motor “whir.” Their quick, smooth, quiet “up” and “down” motion is incomparable. They contribute to your flow rather than interrupting it. 

 

Power free, totally mobile Pneumatic desks are powered by air rather than electricity. So if you go pneumatic rather than electric, your new desk won’t run up your electric bill, add to power cord cable clutter, or hinder your mobility.

 

Tend to be more dependable than electric desks While electric desks are more likely to break down due to their complicated design, pneumatic desks are reliable and maintenance-free. They have no electric motor or wiring at risk of motor burnout, electronic wiring failure, or requirement to reset due to power spikes or losses. You can expect a quality pneumatic desk to last a quarter of a century. 

 

Minimal, natural nesters Are you working in a shared space? Or a tiny side office? A room that needs to be flexible for the needs of an entire household? The pneumatic desk shines for its versatility because it’s a minimal, mobile, natural nester. Just check out this video of a fleet of pneumatic desks “nesting.”

 

>>> Read more: 8 reasons pneumatic desks are better than electric ones

Pro Tip #3 on standing desks: Don’t take a chance buying from a faceless eCommerce site — connect with an actual person from The Standing Desk Team team

Hold up… who is The Standing Desk team? We are a small team and subsidiary of Kessebohmer Ergonomics, a 50+ year proven partner in height-adjustable solutions for commercial spaces. In 2017 we decided to bring our German-designed, Michigan-made pneumatic desks directly to people like you through an eCommerce site, which became TheStandingDesk.com. 

 

>>> Drop us a line!

 

BIFMA X5.5 Certified (unlike most eCommerce competitors) BIFMA X5.5 is the industry’s leading safety, durability, and structural integrity test. Watch Tyler from our team demonstrate some of the performance tests our desks underwent. Most pneumatic sit stand desks on big-name eCommerce sites are made with substandard low-quality steel shipped directly from Asia. 

 

>>> Learn more: Your new height adjustable standing desk should be ANSI/BIFMA compliant

 

Made using Commercial-grade materials like Swiss steel legs Why Swiss steel? It’s the steel with a high tolerance required for commercial use — a tolerance that gives Ändern and Lüften 30+ year lifespans. Note that “commercial-grade” still matters in non-commercial spaces because commercial-grade is built to last.

 

Michigan-manufactured, Made in USA The time is always nigh to buy American-made. Our manufacturing plant meets higher standards than any plant in China.

Meet the Ändern and Lüften — our signature pneumatic standing desks 

“Ändern” pronounced “En-Dun” — German for “to change”

“Lüften” pronounced “Loof-Dun” — German for “air”

 

The beauty of a pneumatic desk is its smooth, virtually effortless adjustment from sit to stand to every height in between. True ergonomic, sit-stand flow, is how we think of it. Hence the names “Ändern” and “Lüften” are fitting.

 

The Ändern is our sit-stand pneumatic desk with a 30″ x 48″ work surface ideal for a desk weight of 25-40 lbs. It’s great for laptop workers. The Lüften has a 30″ x 60″ work surface ideal for desk weights of 40-50 lbs — the best pneumatic desk if you use a larger monitor. If you’re unsure which desk fits your desk load, check out our blog post: Weight & Pneumatic Desks — it breaks down everything you need to know regarding weight.

Like your current work surface? Keep it and save 30-35%. And just order the base (our pneumatic commercial-grade Swiss steel legs) to install onto it. You won’t have to replace your surface, and you’ll enjoy 30-35% savings. Check it out: Install Your Own Work Surface on a Standing Desk Base

 

Get set up in 10 minute or less; quick, easy, desk installation. Both Ändern and Lüften install easily in 10 minutes or less. With no power cord or electric motor, installation is a breeze. While many electric desks have complex control boxes and presets, adjusting a pneumatic desk is also super simple: you just hold down the handle as you lift or lower the desk. Checkout The Ändern Desk Install Video or The Lüften Desk Install Video for proof. 

 

>>> Confused about weight and pneumatic desks? Check out our blog post: Weight Capacity & Pneumatic Desks — it tells you everything you need to know about weight

 

Fancy a 30-day risk-free trial? Regardless of which base you choose, and how you customize it, we’re positive you’d love an  Ändern or Lüften. So positive, we’re running a 30-day risk-free trial with quick, free shipping for anyone still on the fence. We’ll let you test drive either desk. If you’re not completely satisfied within 30 days, you can return it, no hassle — we’ll even pay to ship it back: https://thestandingdesk.com/try-it-30-days-risk-free/ 

 

So what questions do you have? Concerns? Are you still on the fence? What’s your number one concern about switching to a standing desk? Drop us a line: TheStandingDesk.com/contact — we’re sitting ready to answer all of your questions!