2014

Varidesk Review: Stop sitting and start standing while you work

Varidesk Review: Stop sitting and start standing while you work
Moment of truth? I spend too much time sitting, period! 

A few months ago I wrote a post entitled, " Sitting is the new smoking: The cure to sitting disease ".  In writing this post, my mind overflowing with info about the health issues associated with prolonged sitting, I knew I needed to make a change. I decided it was time to #sayNOtoSITTING and a standing desk was perfect to help me do just that. But, first things first...

5 things to ask yourself when shopping for a "standing desk"


[caption id="attachment_14346" align="alignright" width="305"]What height does my standing desk need to be?Ergonomics: "What height does my standing desk need to be?"[/caption]

  1. Footprint: What size of desk do I need? (working with a limited office space)

  2. Ergonomics: How high does the desk have to adjust to be right for "me"?

  3. Portability: Do I need to be able to move my standing desk? If yes, how easily can this be done? (multiple work-stations, shared office space, etc)

  4. Price: What's my budget?

  5. Awesomeness: What's the cool factor?


My responses to these questions?

Whatever standing desk I choose it needs to be compact for easy usage in my Yaletown home office, easy to adjust so my wife who is 6" inches shorter than me can use it, it has to be light enough that I can trek it between offices and hopefully hits a price point that I can live with - and don't forget it has to look AWESOME!

Why I chose Varidesk


My Varidesk is awesome - #saynotosittingWhile doing my research, I quickly realized there were a few options available in the " standing desk " marketplace and I became overwhelmed by all the choices. Was I going to buy a complete workstation with motorized adjustable, telescoping legs ? Or, maybe just a couple of Wal-Mart  milk-crates  cascading one another to hit the recommended height for my standing desk? Honestly, neither  appealed  to me until I came  across the Varidesk Pro. 


The Varidesk Pro was the first option that hit all my criteria: it was sleek and compact when folded down (AND, still functional in the event you still want to sit and work every once in a while); it is light enough that I can pack with me between offices; and HELLO! is only $300 - yes, that's right, super awesome!

Also, they have a pretty amazing app that will help with getting you up and out of your seat. (Major awesome points for that!)

Varidesk app is super awesome



And the verdict is?


It's been a few weeks now and I love it! The Varidesk has worked fantastically. I use it every day, and admittedly it took about a week of both sitting and standing to get conditioned for it. You heard me right, it just proves to me that our bodies are becoming more and more deconditioned based on our long bouts of sitting and limited movement. Inactivity is a pandemic and it isn't getting any better.

You ready to take a "stand" at work?

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And if my review wasn't enough to convince you, here's some other FACTS supporting getting out of your seat 


[caption id="attachment_14336" align="alignright" width="328"] Click to enlarge Graphic care of http://www.juststand.org [/caption]

I'm blown away by the scientific data supporting the need to get up and out of our seats more - as if living a longer, healthier life wasn't enough - it's also been shown that those that spend most of their days seated are riddled with a ton of health complications. Since writing the " sitting is killing me " post, I've been coming to more and more a realization that people are eating healthier today, but it's not making a difference... why? Simply put, not enough moving. 

Why MOVE? Sitting is the new smoking! The more you sit, the poorer your health can get


We love to sit – in cars, at the desk, on the couch, at the game. New research is showing that sitting and inactivity are linked to increased risks of heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and depression. Our bodies are designed to move; when we sit for extended periods it causes your body to shut down at the metabolic level.

  1. When your muscles (especially certain leg muscles) aren't moving, your circulation slows, using less of your blood sugar and burning less fat.

  2. Men who sit more than six hours a day have an 18% increased risk of dying from heart disease and a 7.8% increased chance of dying from diabetes compared with someone who sits for three hours or less a day. โŒƒ

  3. In 2013, more deaths will be attributed to physical inactivity (5.3 million) than smoking (5 million).*

  4. Today’s 10-year-olds are the first generation expected to have a shorter life expectancy than their parents.*


"According to a study by the American Cancer Society, men who sit for more than 6 hours have a 20% higher risk of dying than those who less than 3 hours, while the figure is 40% for women"


Lastly, I thought this was a pretty good piece from ABC News: Sitting on an Early Grave  ( Sitting more than 6 hours a day may boost risk of death from certain diseases )

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