Shortly after JumpSport, a trampoline company, purchased standing desks for its employees, the complaints started rolling in: Backs hurt, it was uncomfortable on the legs, chairs were preferable.
While the stand-up desk—including the treadmill desk—has been embraced (and praised) by more and more companies, it’s clearly not without some issues. Because in order for it to actually be effective and get rid of all those “sitting” issues, there are factors that must be met, and a certain degree of action required.
For starters, the computer monitor must be at eye level and directly in front of you, ideally 20-28 inches from your line of sight. Knees aren’t to be locked but rather slightly bent and relaxed. Heels are considered a no-no, and if you’re not shifting your weight from leg to leg every now and then, well then, you’ll probably be reaching for the relative comfort of your desk chair before long. Standing still never sounded like so much work.
Mark Publicover, the CEO of JumpSport, responded to staff complaints with the creation of Wurf Board, a product out of—where else?—Santa Cruz, CA that claims to “make standing fun.” Indeed, Publicover has found that most people who have gotten on board with the innovative spring pad (literally!) are standing up twice as long as they used to. Unlike standing on the floor like a regular person, Wurf Board’s reactive surface physically reminds you to move. It basically discourages slumping, which is an issues that arises both from too much sitting and standing.
Although the board doesn’t come cheap (prices range from $190 to $280), it could revolutionize the way you work. It’s currently being crowdfunded on Kickstarter, where it’s approximately $11,000 and 18 days shy of hitting its target goal of $100K. So it may be coming to an office near you.
But before you convince your boss to ditch the standard desks and chairs, you might want to first try getting up out of your desk every 30 or 60 minutes and walking around for a minute or two. You’ll increase the circulation in your legs, stimulate stiff muscles, and potentially increase your life span.