Sitting for hours on end behind a desk? You may be putting yourself at risk of fatal heart problems. A recently available article by NPR included comments from a researcher at South Carolina University who found that men that sit more than 23 hours a week are 64 percent more likely to die from heart disease than are their equivalents who only sit for 11 hours or less a week. That’s stunning news.
The Good News
The message is obvious: Get off your rear. Thankfully, you can decrease your sitting hours by building a standing desk. A standing desk — that is exactly what it sounds like, a desk where you stand rather than sit — is far from expensive. It is possible to assemble it with low-cost parts from Ikea. Here’s the recipe, courtesy of the Lifehacker blog.
The Easy Way
Need a simple way to create an easy standing desk for yourself? Lifehacker suggests buying some Utby legs from Ikea. To set up this desk — one that is small but provides enough space for your monitor, keyboard and laptop — you will need a Vika Amon Top, Utby underframe, Ekby Jarpen shelf and one set of Capita legs. You should have no trouble finding each of these items at your nearest Ikea. They should cost you a maximum of about $140. As reported by Lifehacker, you can put this desk together simply by assembling the main desk and platform with a screwdriver.
A Bit More Complicated
You need not accept a homemade standing desk with a narrow top. You can step up to one having a wider top. And you can get it done while still confining your desk-part shopping to your nearest Ikea. First, as Lifehacker recommends, find two packages of Capita brackets, one Lack shelf, one Vika Amon tabletop and five Vika Byske legs at your Ikea. Then grab your power drill and get to work. Lifehacker ranks this desk as a “medium” one to build, as a result it shouldn’t be overly hard to set up.