How to Make a Stand.

2013-08-02 007hhhhIn the fall of 2012 something radical happened in the Blue Moon sales office: Rebecca and I threw our chairs out the window. Well, okay: we didn’t actually throw our chairs anywhere, but we did push them to the far side of the office. It was something we’d often fantasized about—instead of sitting while working, standing. Every other day it seemed another major media outlet was sounding the alarm over the health hazards associated with prolonged sitting. We decided it was time for a change.

The history of the chair, and sitting more generally, is a revealing one. Only after the 16th century did what we know as the modern chair become common anywhere; prior to that, most folks, if they did sit, did so on benches or stools. Though really it wasn’t until the Industrial Revolution that the chair achieved the near-universal ubiquity with which we Westerners now associate it. Whereas in ancient times it had been a means for ruling classes to convey superiority over their subordinates (think thrones or sedans), the chair was now an indispensible part of daily life. Desks were designed around the chair, as were dining tables. Churches, concert halls, and town halls all required sitting in some type of chair. Colin McSwiggen, writing for Jacobin Magazine, points out that, “as chairs became prevalent in schoolrooms, they became a tool for teachers to control the movement of children, whose healthy tendency towards activity made them difficult to teach.” The chair was changing who we were as people, and not always for the best.

Indeed, recent research shows that prolonged sitting has lead to a number of health problems, including obesity and something called ‘metabolic syndrome’, a cluster of conditions including increased blood pressure, high blood sugar, abnormal cholesterol levels, and, yes, even larger posteriors. Sitting also raises the risk of death from cancer and cardiovascular disease. None of which, experts agree, can be offset by extra time at the gym. The only solution is to spend less time sitting.

Having worked for years in standing-intensive retail jobs, Rebecca and I knew we were physically capable of ditching our chairs, but just how was unclear. There was no shortage of standing desks on the market, but they were expensive and didn’t jive with our aesthetic. So we enlisted the help of Blue Moon handymen Carl Ruppert and “Uncle Jim” Rappo to design and build a pair of standing desks which were at once functional and attractive.

2013-03-05 008

To be sure, the transition was not an easy one—several weeks had to pass before our legs adapted—but we knew right away   we’d made the right decision. The chronic pain in my neck decreased, and I felt more limber, alert. Rebecca reported       similar results. What’s more, standing made us feel in control, as though instead of reacting to the day’s events, we were enacting them. The only downside was the steady stream of confused glances and perplexed comments leveled by coworkers and visitors. One of our crew-members even asked if Jim and Kathy were making us stand. We soon learned that these were teachable moments—Did you know that sitting 11 hours a day raises by forty percent your risk of dying over the next three years? And little by little perceptions began to change.

Since we abandoned our chairs, the standing desk has seen its status as Hottest New Trend trumped by the ‘walking desk’, an upright workstation with a treadmill. All over the world, people are giving their chairs a rest. What about you? Are you ready to make a stand?

18 Comments

  1. gratis binance-konto on January 22, 2025 at 7:48 pm

    Can you be more specific about the content of your article? After reading it, I still have some doubts. Hope you can help me.



  2. Tài khon binance on January 25, 2025 at 10:39 am

    I don’t think the title of your article matches the content lol. Just kidding, mainly because I had some doubts after reading the article.



  3. Binance开户 on January 27, 2025 at 2:16 pm

    Your article helped me a lot, is there any more related content? Thanks!



  4. binance kod on January 30, 2025 at 10:15 am

    Your point of view caught my eye and was very interesting. Thanks. I have a question for you.



  5. b^onus de registro na binance on February 9, 2025 at 2:03 pm

    I don’t think the title of your article matches the content lol. Just kidding, mainly because I had some doubts after reading the article.



  6. binance on February 24, 2025 at 4:40 am

    Your point of view caught my eye and was very interesting. Thanks. I have a question for you.



  7. Mendaftar di www.binance.com on February 25, 2025 at 1:48 am

    Can you be more specific about the content of your article? After reading it, I still have some doubts. Hope you can help me.



  8. binance Препоръчителство on February 28, 2025 at 2:06 am

    I don’t think the title of your article matches the content lol. Just kidding, mainly because I had some doubts after reading the article.



  9. Anonymous on March 11, 2025 at 2:30 am

    Your article helped me a lot, is there any more related content? Thanks!



  10. www.binance.com anmelden on March 13, 2025 at 12:48 am

    Your point of view caught my eye and was very interesting. Thanks. I have a question for you.



  11. Vytvorit osobn'y úcet on March 20, 2025 at 12:49 am

    Your point of view caught my eye and was very interesting. Thanks. I have a question for you.



  12. Mistie Thurmond on March 20, 2025 at 1:56 am

    24 Horas de Suporte Profissional: [brapub](https://www.brapub-br.com) Está Sempre Disponível para Você!



  13. Liz Bushrod on March 21, 2025 at 3:36 pm

    [pixbet](https://pixbet-88.com): O Aplicativo Ideal para Jogar Cassino com Uma Interface Incrível e Ótima Performance



  14. Palma Storts on March 25, 2025 at 2:53 am

    ดาวน์โหลดแอป w69 – https://rebe0.com ได้ง่ายๆ เพียงไม่กี่ขั้นตอน พร้อมรับโบนัสต้อนรับ 100$ สนุกกับการเดิมพันที่ดีที่สุดบนมือถือ



  15. Joan Scheve on March 26, 2025 at 9:07 am

    สนุกกับการเดิมพันออนไลน์ที่ 188bet – https://188bet-778.com พร้อมข้อเสนอสุดพิเศษสำหรับสมาชิกใหม่ เพียงลงทะเบียนและเปิดบัญชีใหม่ รับโบนัสฟรี 100$ ทันที ใช้เล่นได้กับทุกเกม ไม่ว่าจะเป็นกีฬา คาสิโน หรือสล็อต เพลิดเพลินกับอัตราต่อรองที่ดีที่สุด และโปรโมชั่นสุดคุ้มตลอดทั้งเดือน ฝาก-ถอนสะดวกด้วยระบบออโต้ที่ปลอดภัย สมัครวันนี้เพื่อรับโบนัสและเริ่มสนุกได้ทันที!



  16. Code de parrainage Binance on March 27, 2025 at 9:05 pm

    Thank you for your sharing. I am worried that I lack creative ideas. It is your article that makes me full of hope. Thank you. But, I have a question, can you help me? https://accounts.binance.com/ru-UA/register-person?ref=OMM3XK51



Leave a Comment