Standing Desk Hacks for the Standee Classic & XL

Our desktop series is comprised of two models, the Classic and Classic XL. Each comes in four different heights and two different colors of bamboo. They are fixed height desktop add-ons so you choose the right size for you based on your height. They assemble in no time and are designed to be foldable so you can easily store the desk under or on the side of your desk when you want to sit. A common misconception with our desktop models is that you have to disassemble them in order to sit. This is not true. There are a few hacks to make using the Standee Classic & XL very enjoyable.

1. Get a stool. If you get a stool then there is no need to disassemble your Classic. All you need to do is push the stool to the side when you want to stand and then place it back in front of the desk when you want to sit. Easy as that. You can get a nice, height adjustable stool with a footrest for only $35 on Amazon.

2. Put laptop under the desk. If you are a laptop user and you do not feel like getting a stool or disassembling your desk when you want to sit, then simply place the laptop underneath your Standee Classic or XL. As long as you have the space under your desk then this is an easy solution for someone with a regular office chair.

3. Maximize the space under your desk. Many people think that putting one of our desktop units on top of their desk takes up a lot of space. But, it actually increases the surface area of your desk. You are able to use the space on top of the Classic as well as the space underneath it. Maximize it. Put post-its, file holders, or whatever office supplies you need below it, and they will remain hidden from co-workers while remaining easily accessible. This will actually help to reduce the clutter on your work surface.

The Standee Classic and Standee Classic XL are awesome affordable options for people interested in taking a stand at work or at home.

Stand For Your Health

    Over the last several years we’ve heard a lot about the negative health effects of a sedentary lifestyle. Sitting, they say, is the new smoking. Among the most startling claims made by recent clinical studies is that sitting for more than 3 hours per day can reduce your life expectancy by up to 2 years. Even regular exercise cannot counteract the negative health effects of sitting. There is a compelling body of medical evidence that suggests that standing increases your metabolism, burns calories, reduces back pain, increases productivity, and improves overall health.

            My story might be similar to a some of yours. Athletics have been a huge part of my life since my childhood. I’ve always exercised regularly. I eat a plant-based, whole foods diet (i.e., vegan) and am conscientious about making good health choices. A few years ago, I developed a hip flexor injury after a ski trip. I went to physical therapy and learned what I thought was a running injury was actually a “sitting injury.” My physical therapist explained to me that when you sit for prolonged periods of time, your muscles, tendons, and ligaments in your legs and hips get short and tight. This is the opposite of what happens when you run, walk, or stand. I guess years of sitting at a desk grinding it out for 12-18 hours a day finally caught up with me.

            In addition to stretching and strengthening to solve my injury, I decided to start standing at work. I had the guys in our shop make a little podium that I could put on top of my desk. I put my laptop on top of the podium. It was a pretty basic set-up, but it worked. Standing enabled me to elongate my hip flexor muscles which really helped to reduce the tightness in my hips. I found myself doing calf stretches throughout the day as well. In general, I found myself moving around a lot more during the day and not having that compression in my lower back that starts to build up after hours of sitting. I got an anti-fatigue mat that was really cushy and made standing really easy. I found that all of the benefits of standing that I had read about were true. I felt more active, more productive, more alert, more empowered, and just generally healthier.

            After realizing how much standing helped me, we decided to start making stand-up desks for other people with the idea that maybe we could help them too. We came up with a simple but elegant design. Like the solution the guys in the shop made for me, our first product, The Standee Classic, was a desktop podium product that folded flat and easily assembled with no tools. We added the Standee Classic-XL to meet the needs of our customers who wanted a larger desk podium with a little more real estate to work. We also added a really great anti-fatigue mat to complement our standing desk product line which we ingeniously named “StandeeMat.”

            We wanted to make our stand up desks out of eco-friendly materials so we chose bamboo, which is not only beautiful, but it is one of the most eco-friendly materials on earth.  We also wanted to make our desks in the U.S., not just because we wanted superior craftsmanship, but because we wanted to do our small part in helping to create jobs and support the U.S. economy.

            It’s been interesting to watch the market for stand-up desks grow. A lot of companies offer full-desk solutions with “adjustable height” models that go up and down with the push of a button. I suppose there are people who are looking to replace their conventional desk with a fancy solution. But, for me, I think it is all about standing. I view it more as an issue of will than an issue of equipment. I don’t need a fancy motorized desk to stand. I just want to stand and feel better. It reminds me of those guys who get the fancy weight lifting and exercise equipment and get everything synced with their new iPhone exercise app. I like the approach where you just run hard for an hour or accomplish just as much with a simple set of dumb bells and a pull-up bar. You don’t need a lot of fancy equipment to stand at work. You just need to stand. There are plenty of opportunities throughout the day to sit—meetings, lunch, commuting, etc. My advice is to start standing and not worry about finding a solution that makes it easy to sit.

The Best Height For My Standing Desk

The Best Height For My Standing Desk

Legs going numb? back sore? lack of energy? overall fatigue after a day of sitting around at work?

Perhaps it's time to explore a standing desk option and try your luck spending most of your day standing to increase your productivity.

Many of our customers are thrilled with the Standee Standing Desk product and we contribute that satisfaction to a few factors.

1. Standee Standing Desks are easy on the eye

2. They require no tools to assemble

3. They are by far the best value in their price range since they are 100% bamboo (Very strong)

4. They come in a variety of heights to accommodate just about any height of person.

#4 is important! The correct height of the desk is critical to the overall comfort that the desk provides, sort of like really good running shoes or underwear! 

Check out the graphic below to get an idea of the proper sized standing desk for you. While this chart references the Standee Standing desks, the overall ergonomic positioning of the stick figure can be applied to any desk (given that there is some adjustability).

WorkWhileWalking.com reviews the Standee Standing Desk.

Not long ago, we sent a Standee Standing Desk to the popular niche site "WorkWhileWalking.com".

Their review of the Standee is favorable and we're excited to know that they love the product.

Read the review on their site here.

Do you work while walking, work while standing? We want to know!

Leave comments below.

Standing Desks in the Classroom

Education on Your Feet: Standing Desks in the Classroom

By J. A. Young

Every teacher knows them—the fidgety, can’t-sit-still kids, the kids with energy to spare.  As many parents would argue, all of them have energy to spare.  Is this energy being wasted while children are forced for hours throughout each school day to sit still?  Can this energy be rechanneled in a direction that enhances learning?  Enter the standing desk—a simple design whereby people stand up to work.  Many educators have discovered that it helps their most “energized” students remain focused on school work.  Yet the design of this novel desk appears to have many other benefits as well.

Standing Allows a Body to Breathe

One of the first benefits of standing desks is about giving the body something to do so the mind can concentrate on educational tasks.  Many students feel trapped in their desks and those with energy to spare wind up fidgeting and scrunched into their seats.  Often, they find it difficult to accomplish assignments in their seats when they’re preoccupied with “stretching out.”  The standing desks, for those students who are in need of them, allow the body to have that stretch and freedom to move, at least in place, so that the mental focus can do what it needs to do.

Stand at Attention

People often say that exercise makes them feel more alert and gives them more energy.  Could it be that sitting at a desk makes people feel more lethargic?  Standing at attention may actually be a great support for “paying attention.” While standing desks are still new to the classroom, the idea that they can promote better focus has many schools looking to offer them—at least as an option for interested students.

Burning Calories

Standing around burns more calories than sitting around.  Advocates for curbing the increase in childhood obesity have a new friend in the standing desk.  The Chicago Tribune recently reported on a pilot study involving first graders that “showed that using a standing desk significantly increased caloric expenditure in first graders” (articles.chicagotribune.com/2012-08-07/health/chi-standing-desks-the-classroom-of-the-future-20120807_1_desks-standings-classroom). 

More Health Benefits

While standing up at desks burns more calories than sitting at them, it may also be good for children’s health in other ways.  For decades now, healthcare providers have warned about the dangers of sedentary lifestyles.  Workers who sit all day long at desks have increased health risks for conditions like heart disease and diabetes.  According to a recent report in Forbes, excess sitting has also been linked to increased risk for colon cancer and breast cancer (forbes.com/sites/robertglatter/2013/02/09/why-sitting-increases-your-risk-of-dying-sooner/).  Standing all day, therefore, can help diminish these increased risks.

Switching it Up Makes Students Feel Comfortable

Many standing desks come with stools as well as swinging foot rests.  Students then have a choice when it comes to posturing their body as they do schoolwork.  This kind of freedom, while unusual, supports what a Mayo Clinic physician refers to as the “activity-permissive” classroom, according to a New York Times article (nytimes.com/2009/02/25/us/25desks.html).  Having the freedom to choose what feels right for their bodies is certainly different, but as educational practices evolve, this scenario is standing to gain support among innovative educators.

Many educators support the standing desk idea as do many employers. Standing desks are still in their infancy when it comes to education, but more research will certainly be forthcoming as this exciting trend spreads. 

Are you using a standing desk? we want to hear your story! Please comment below.

The Amazing Benefits Of Bamboo

Why Bamboo Is A Great Building Material

By J. A. Young

Versatile, durable, and easily renewable

—bamboo is a tremendous building material that has a long history of use in many parts of the world.  While bamboo is grown throughout the globe today including East Asia, Northern Australia, the Southern United States, and various regions of Central and South America, it is often associated with China where the earliest use of bamboo was recorded. While it has been used as a highly effective construction material for thousands of years in Asia, it has become the darling of the sustainable movement in the west due to its strength and ability to replace hard woods—which are not easy to renew.

History of the Toughest Grass on the Block

People who aren’t familiar with bamboo are apt to associate it with panda bears as their cuisine of choice.  Yet there are natural bamboo bridges in China that have stood for centuries; one of Qian-Xian’s bamboo bridges is believed to date to the third century B.C.  The fact is there are more than 1,400 species of bamboo on the earth and myriads of bamboo farms today that harvest bamboo specifically for construction purposes.  While bamboo, being a grass, does not have bark, it contains lignified fiber cells that give it its woody characteristics. 

Benefits of Constructing with Bamboo

When harvested bamboo is used as a natural composite material for building, it demonstrates a strength-to-weight ratio comparable to wood.  Moreover, engineers have discovered that bamboo has more strength than various steel alloys and has more compressive strength than several mixtures of concrete.  As a wood substitute, bamboo has no knots so it is not vulnerable to similar stresses that affect knotty wood.  This may be one reason why so many bamboo structures have been able to withstand high-magnitude earthquakes.  The bamboo fibers allow for incredible flexibility without snapping and because bamboo is rich in silica, it’s not on the termites’ menu!  Additionally, bamboo is incredibly moisture resistant which is just one reason it has become so popular as a flooring alternative to hard wood. 

Renewable and Reliable

Bamboo is simply one of the greenest material options people have today.  While trees that are harvested for similar purpose can take as long as fifty years to regenerate after being harvested, a single bamboo pole can shoot back up in six months!  Continuous re-harvesting, however, is best done over a period of three years to optimally protect the plant’s system and the regional environment.  Various species are known to grow a few feet within a single day.  This fast rate of regeneration makes bamboo one of the earth’s most sustainable materials.  Moreover, bamboo groves can produce 30% more oxygen than a comparable stand of trees.  So not only is bamboo a reliable building material, it’s the world’s fastest growing grass and is a major component of the earth’s sustainable future.

Environmentally Friendly and Beautiful Too!

There’s no arguing that bamboo is extraordinarily eco-friendly, yet many people simply favor it because it’s visually attractive.  While beautiful in its natural state, bamboo is frequently produced to mimic the look of hard wood.  This versatility makes it a great option for designers who want the look of wood but the sustainability and durability of bamboo.  For these reasons and more, it’s no wonder bamboo use is increasing around the globe. 

These are a few of the reasons that we build our Standee Standing Desks from Bamboo.. Ohh plus it's great to work with! :)

The Benefits Of A Standing Desk At Your Office Job

It’s nice to have all of the conveniences of modern society - the ability to make a living in a climate-controlled office rather than brave the elements to hunt for food or farm like your ancestors did. There’s only one problem. Humans were meant to move. The reality is sitting too much isn’t good for you – and if you work an office job, you probably do lots of that. With the availability of technology that lets you work a job, pay bills and socialize with your pals without leaving your chair, it’s easy to get too comfy for your health – and that’s not a good thing.

Why Is Sitting So Bad?

Recent research published in reputable journals shows that people who sit for hours working a desk job have a greater risk for a number of health problems including obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart disease and some types of cancer. Even scarier, sitting too long increases the risk for dying prematurely. Here’s the real kicker. Sitting too long is harmful even if you work out at the gym an hour a day. Seems that a daily workout of any length doesn’t make up for the long hours you spend glued to a chair.

Health problems and premature death aren’t the only drawbacks to too much sitting. Prolonged sitting can trigger back pain or worsen existing back pain and lead to calf tightness and other orthopedic issues. It’s not good for your spine or your posture either. Plus, when you sit, your metabolism takes a dive and you burn fewer calories. Stay glued to your chair long enough and you’ll be shopping for a new wardrobe after you can’t button your pants due to the weight you’ve gained.

Is There a Solution?

Who says you have to sit at the office? Some people are replacing their chair with a standing desk so they can work from a standing position. Why is standing better? You burn 30 to 40 calories per hour when you move from a sitting to a standing position. Work an eight hour day? That’s an extra 240 calories to 320 calories daily. This adds up to a pound of weight loss every 10 days to 2 weeks if you change nothing else!

More calories burned and a reduced risk of dying prematurely aren’t the only benefits of trading in your chair for a standing desk. Sitting all day zaps your energy too. How many times have you gone home from work feeling “fried” even though you never got up from your chair? Standing instead of sitting can also increase your productivity since your energy levels won’t plummet from sitting too long. Plus, it’s a better choice ergonomically as long as you choose a desk that’s the right height. This translates into less back and neck pain – and better posture.

The Bottom Line?

There are lots of reasons to switch to a standing desk but the most important one is to preserve your health. You weren’t made to sit all day – and you don’t have too when you equip your office with a standing desk. Once you do, expect to feel better and be more productive. Isn’t it time to make the switch?

Is Your Desk Job Killing You?

Many people nowadays do their jobs sitting down.  In fact, more than at any other time in the past, we are finding ourselves in the sitting position for longer periods of time.  It’s a well-known fact that excessive sitting is associated with a greater risk of obesity, but do you know that it has also been linked to a higher incidence of heart disease, as well?  Researchers have found that people who sit for extended periods of time during the day - even those who exercise regularly - have higher levels of bad cholesterol, larger waist circumferences, higher triglyceride levels, and more over-all inflammation than their counterparts who took regular standing or walking breaks throughout the workday.

Experts now believe that when people sit for too long, detrimental changes take place in the enzymes that are responsible for the metabolism of fat.  Studies are focusing on one in particular, called lipoprotein lipase.  

Exercise May Not Help

Most people think that engaging in an exercise regimen helps safeguard them from problems associated with heart disease and it does, to an extent.  Research, however, confirms that one of the major factors shown to exponentially increase the risk of having a heart attack is the extended periods of time that people spend sitting down.  Since our bodies are designed to move and be active, sitting for long periods of time goes against the natural grain of a healthy lifestyle, even when we exercise regularly.

What Does Help?

Because sitting for a long time has been shown to be an independent factor that affects heart health, there are a number of things that desk-bound workers and others that are required to be sedentary for long periods of time are encouraged to do:

·      First and foremost, get up and walk around at least two times every hour.  Some suggestions include taking phone calls standing up, walking to the printer to retrieve documents or delivering a message down the hall in person instead of e-mailing. 

·      Sit on an exercise ball.  This may be impractical for full-time implementation, but it would be very beneficial to practice for a few minutes several times a day.

·      If you must sit in a chair, invest in an inexpensive portable pedal exerciser or portable stair stepper. Readily available at most large retail stores, this small-scale exercise equipment can be easily placed under a desk and is a great way to increase circulation and incorporate lower body movement. In addition, the pedal exerciser can be used on top of the desk to exercise the arms.

·      Two products that are becoming more popular are the stand-up desk and the treadmill desk.  Standing at a stand-up desk will burn twice the calories that sitting burns and walking at a slow pace at a treadmill desk will burn, on average, an extra 100 calories an hour.  Additionally, being in an upright position increases blood flow and brain activity.  Although, you may have to buy them yourself, these are healthy alternatives to traditional desks.   

There have been numerous studies over the past several decades confirming the fact that sitting for too long has adverse effects on our health.  Prolonged periods of being in a seated position have been shown to increase the risk factors for heart disease, obesity and diabetes.  If you have a desk job that requires you to sit in front of a computer all day, take some extra precautions by making sure that you are taking at least two standing or walking breaks every hour.  Better yet, do some of your work in an upright standing position if you can.  Your health will thank you.

A Standing Desk For Back Pain?

Standing desks and back pain?

This is an interesting subject that I have been getting feedback on since the launch of the first Standee Classic standing desk. It's an unexpected benefit of standing when you could be sitting for extended periods of time.

Customers have been telling us that since they started using our standing desks, mild ailments such as shoulder and lower back pain have been reduced. That's not to say that it is a direct result of the standing desk, but who knows, perhaps the standing position takes a lot of pressure off of areas of the body that have been exposed to the sedentary lifestyle for far too long.

So with all of that being said, we want to know more.. what do you do to help with your back pain? What has worked and what has not? Have you tried a standing desk solution and what are / or were the results?

Standee The World's Strongest Standing Desk

We're not sure if we now make the world's strongest / toughest standing desk, but it could be possible.

While working on sizing the desks for our own use here at Standee HQ, we began to notice that the BamTuff Bamboo that we were building the desks out of was unusually durable and strong.

This lead us to the idea of putting our standing desks to the test with heavy stuff. First we stacked books on the desks until we could fit no more books on them. Then we had our shop foreman (not a small guy) jump up on down on a Standee Classic, the Classic took the abuse and remained intact.

Frustrated because we couldn't figure out how to test the load durability to the breaking point, we scratched our heads and then came up with an idea.

Why not park a vehicle on the desk?

We used a 3600-4200lbs? (Estimated) Toyota Tacoma 4 x 4 V6 and placed four Standee Classics under it. One under each tire.

While it's still unknown what the truck actually weighs, it's certainly a bit more than what we expect the average customer may place on the desk.... by about a few thousand pounds. So it's safe to say that your Standee Classic standing desk should hold up to years of use.

Now for a quick slide show.  ( By the way - Don't try this at home.. we're pretty sure there are safer ways to test the weight baring ability.. but none with such a Wow factor)

We built four Standee Classics from left over parts that we had in the shop.

Using a forklift, we raised the rear of the vehicle first and placed the desks under the rear tires, then repositioned the forklift and placed the Standee Classic standing desks under the front.

Now for the true test.

So that's that.. The Standee Classic Standee Desk is the little desk that could. :)