A standing desk can keep your heart healthy
If you work in an office, you may unwittingly be setting yourself up for health problems. According to a recent story by NPR, people who spend too much time sitting during the week face a greater probability of heart related illnesses compared to those people who are more physically active. The NPR report quoted a researcher from South Carolina University who discovered that men who sat more than 23 hours each week were 64 percent more likely to die from heart disease than were those that sat fewer than 11 hours in the average week.
The Good News
But there is good news, too: It is possible to dramatically reduce the number of hours each week that you sit by creating your own standing desk, a desk at which you stand as opposed to sit. Best of all? You can build that standing desk even if you are not handy or you haven't got many dollars to shell out. Website Lifehacker recently gave a unique recipe for a standing desk, one which uses reasonably priced parts that you can find at any Ikea furniture store.
The Easy Way
Need an easy desk for yourself? Lifehacker suggests creating a standing desk with Utby legs. This is a smaller desk, but it will provide you with enough room for a monitor, keyboard and laptop. For this desk, you'll need a Vika Amon Top, Utby underframe, Ekby Jarpen shelf and one set of Capita legs, all of which you can find at Ikea for a total of approximately $140. According to Lifehacker, you can put this desk together by just assembling the main desk and platform using a screwdriver.
A Bit More Complicated
Do you want a desk with a wider top, one which will provide you with more room for your speakers, keyboard and monitor? Why not construct a wide standing desk completely from Ikea parts? Lifehacker recommends that you invest about $250 in five Vika Byske legs, one Lack shelf, two packages of Capita brackets and one Vida Amon tabletop. Then, with just the help of a power drill, you'll be able to come up with a standing desk that includes more room.