I did! And while it may not sound like the most fun or romantic present, I was excited to try it out.
You may recall that the standing desk craze followed news stories proclaiming that sitting was the new smoking, and those of us who sat most of the day were shaving precious years off our lives.
This was followed by the inevitable backlash, which proclaimed standing for any length of time is not so great for our health either.
Eventually, as it did for Goldilocks, 
a happy medium emerged. The key to better health is essentially mixing it up. Moving is preferable to not moving, so even while standing at a desk, shifting your weight from time to time – resting one foot and then the other on a step stool, for example – is preferable to standing still. Alternating between sitting and standing prevents fatigue in either position. Plus, simply the act of getting from sitting to standing and vice versa is beneficial.
A quick search on Amazon.com reveals a plethora of standing desk options. Most sit atop a traditional desk, some stand on the floor. Some switch from standing to sitting. Others, like mine, adjust for height but are essentially always for standing; when you want to sit, you have to move it from your desk or work area. They vary in size, style, material, mechanics and, of course, price. (If you’re really ambitious, you might like a treadmill desk!)
Mine is pretty basic. It has a hydraulic height adjustment mechanism (the kind on many office chairs), a roomy work surface that accommodates my laptop with space for my phone, a notepad and my eyeglass case. And, most important of all, it has a cup holder. I find that I can keep the standing desk on one side of my regular desk so that I can sit facing one way, and stand facing the opposite way, without having to move the standing desk.
After taking it out of the box and giving it a whirl, so to speak, I did a little research and discovered that a few accessories are required: some type of step stool (as mentioned above) and an anti-fatigue mat. I happened to have a wooden step stool that works fine for resting my feet and shifting my weight. Rather than invest in a fancy mat right away, I’ve been standing on a folded up yoga mat. So far so good. My husband ordered a balance contraption for me to try, and I imagine I will alternate between that and simply standing on the mat.
When I’m standing, I find I stretch more, occasionally doing squats or reverse lunges as well as arm stretches – all of which I believe are effective.
If you’re new to standing, start gradually. Some experts suggest standing no more than 20 minutes per hour. Others recommend alternating every hour. Either way, work up to it and change positions before fatigue sets in.
The takeaways, in a nutshell, seem to be that sitting and standing both have their benefits and drawbacks, and moving from time to time throughout the day is better than not moving at all.
If you regularly sit for long periods, but a standing desk is not in your future, there are exercises you can do that will help your posture and prevent fatigue in your neck, shoulders and lower back. Getting up to stretch and walk around is helpful too.
Anybody Get a Standing Desk for Christmas?
Re: Anybody Get a Standing Desk for Christmas?
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