Hardware + Software 4 - Standing Desks

Intro

Since I’ve turned 30, I’ve had at least 1 instance of bad to terrible back pain a year. In fact, the whole reason why I started to work out and focus on my fitness is to avoid back pain. Sometimes it happens so suddenly, and can be so debilitating, it will completely throw you off. I’d prefer not to live that way if possible. Since working out, the pain, in general has decreased. Unfortunately due to my set. up, I opened myself up for more pain and potential injuries.

In April, right before my birthday, I had perhaps the worst instance of back pain of my life. I’m not exactly sure what it was, but my guess was sciatica. It was awful and it took me completely out of commission for about 4 days. On top of that, I’m not even exactly sure what triggered it. In hindsight there might have been a few potential signs that I was going down this path, that I didn’t notice. Perhaps it was how I was getting up, or it could have been prolonged bouts of sitting, or even poor form with lifting. I don’t know, and it’s possible all three could have played a part.

All that said, after that event, I was forced to acknowledge that I needed to do something different. I needed to find whatever ways and methods I could find so that I didn’t have to go through this again.

Product photo of Uplift Desk

Back It Up

If your goal is to have good physical health, being an artist is probably the worst way to achieve that. It takes a very proactive mindset to be able to intentionally offset the hours of sedentary work you put yourself through. Mobile technology makes it a bit easier to be more active, but functionally most art forms that involve drafting will require you to be sitting for long periods of time. Needless to say, there’s a lot of research on the dangers (yes, seriously) of prolonged sitting. It’s bad for your back and posture. It’s also been noted that long periods of sitting can be carcinogenic (something that can cause or contribute to cancer development). I’m also at the age where lifestyle choices begin to have drastic effects in your day to day life. Perhaps the worst habit, if you could call it that is I’m sitting dow for about 6-8 hours a day.

Spiritually me

That said, I do live a decently active life style, and I do take my health and physical fitness seriously. Even before I actively decided to work out, I still was mindful of moving around and not eating garbage. However, just like it’s impossible to outrun a bad diet, I also believe it’s impossible to out work a sedentary lifestyle. I mean in the sense that, even if I work out for an hour, intensely and eat, if I’m sitting for 6+ hours, that will nullify a lot of the health benefits. So the goal is not to intermittently be active, but to have a more ‘active’ lifestyle.

This brings us to the topic of this blog: standing desks. They truly are a modern marvel. I have been considering upgrading to a standing desk for years. There’s a few reasons why I haven’t: they can be prohibitively expensive. I also lived in a tiny apartment at the time, and if I was going to invest in a desk, I’d like for it to be a big one. Lastly, I had other priorities at the time, so investing in a new desk was something I could brush off.

A lot has changed, though.

These days, while things are generally more expensive, there are also a lot more ways to pay for an item. Instead of spending hundreds of dollars upfront, you can offload your payments over the course of a few months (I have decent credit, so not worried about getting messed up). A lot of these desks are also upgradable now. So if you buy a small desk, you can actually keep the legs, and expand them when you want to buy a large desk top.

These things put the idea of getting a standing desk at the forefront of my upgrade plan for this year, however once your back goes out, and you can’t stand straight the idea of buying a standing desk sounds like the perfect idea.

About halfway through the first week of my recovery, I decided to pull the plug.

Stand Up

Before I continue, I will say that this blog is not sponsored. These are my genuine thoughts on the products I recommend.

Since I’ve wanted a standing desk for so long, I had done research of some of the brands a few years ago. So I went with the brand I knew the most about, which was “Uplift”. There seemingly are way more brands that do standing desks now, and they even have great low cost alternatives on Amazon.

The Uplift desk cost me around $750, after I used a promo to get an extra $100 off. Included in that price were some customizations I ordered. Since initially buying the desk, I also ordered a few other items to help clean and maintain the appearance of the desk. The desk itself is very sturdy, and heavy. The desktop I bought was the walnut laminate (it’s not what I wanted, but at the time I guess I glazed over the other option). It has a nice, sleek look to it. The cool thing about Uplift, is that all of their desks are compatible with the legs, so whenever I upgrade to another desk top, I can keep the motor legs for it, instead of buying a whole new set. I also upgraded the keypad to one where I can save the height settings. If you’re thinking of buying a standing desk, I encourage you to invest in a keypad that does this, because manually adjusting the desk can be a bit annoying sometimes. The desk also came with some freebies, namely a swivel pad, a cup holder, and a mug. The overall package is nice, and while I was terrified that the product would be damaged upon delivery, they really seal the box so that’s not a problem.

Now the use of the desk is a separate topic, but to keep it short: I love it. Once I’ve set up the desk to how I want it to be, I can safely say I can’t go back to just sitting. Now, doing work is a far more pleasant and joyful process than ever before. I’m building up a tolerance to standing so I can work upright for longer periods, but so far I can go about 30-45 minutes if I’m really motivated to work. The standing also makes a difference, because there’s a higher alert level, so I find myself more focused while I work, and because of that I’m more productive. The desk itself can raise up to 5+ feet, and can even go low enough to squat while working. It makes little noise when adjusting the height, and also comes with sensors in case it bumps into anything.

As far as the issues, there are a few adjustments I’ve had to make in order to really enjoy using the desk. The first is that, wire management on this thing is a necessity, and you really have to figure it out so things don’t get ripped out of the sockets while you’re adjusting the height. This was part of the additional purchases I made once I received the desk because I had a few instances where my computer was almost ripped away from its power supply. So bear that in mind. Next, if you do decide to get this, while I recommend the power grommet, I would advise to only get 1, instead of 2 like I did. The reason is because the grommets need to be plugged into a main outlet that’s grounded, but I don’t recall them saying that when I made that purchase. Unless you have a bunch of outlets where you’re stationing the desk, it’s best to keep it to 1 power grommet. Lastly, I would say if you do buy this, it might be worth the investment to get casters. I’ve had to adjust the desk several times, and it’s big, heavy and hard to move. Eventually I’ll probably get casters to make moving the desk around much easier.

Outro

Overall I’m really happy with the purchase. Even with the price in mind, I don’t think I would have went with any alternatives. The desk is solid, well built and I believe it’ll last a long time. It’s reinvigorated my work time at home. It’s also the biggest personal workspace I’ve had, and that makes a big difference. I don’t have to work in a tightly confined corner anymore, and the desk is sturdy enough to hold everything I want onto it without any bowing in the middle.

I’ll have to see how it all works out for my back, but I’m optimistic. Ultimately you never know what health problems you could have, but I am confident in saying this desk has helped my activity level be a lot. I’ve been using it for about a month at the time of this writing, and I already feel different.

Whether it’s for a high price or a low price, I definitely recommend investing in a standing desk. It might not sound necessary to get at first, but after using mine, I don’t think I’ll buy a traditional desk again. It really is that good.

-Until next time-