A Ridiculously Easy Way to Make Your Own Standing Desk

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Complex Original

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Every office has a few dudes that bond together over the fact that "happy lights," standing desks, or taking a Jameson shot every hour will make the average work day just a bit easier and better for your health. Here at Complex Media (aka Sneaker Report HQ), standing desks are popping up everywhere. It all started with a few enterprising folks in Ad Ops and the trend has spread thanks to their semi-aggressive campaign.

Being the reviewer of all-things-fitness that I am, attempting an all day stand-a-thon was a must, even though it meant giving up a few miles on my favorite fitness toy, the surprisingly discreet DeskCycle. What I don't have is an actual standing desk. What I do have is sneaker boxes, and plenty of 'em.

If you have six sturdy sneaker boxes, you have yourself a standing desk. Stack an equal amount of boxes to your desired height under the monitor, keyboard and mousepad. No excuses now!

However, my standing desk did not last long. I prefer not to tower over my coworkers, it makes the impression that I'm about to leave or deliver a super important announcement at any moment. For example, "How was your weekend?" sounds more like a menacing decree than a polite conversation starter when it's projected across the heads of 15+ co-workers as they fine-tune their morning tweets.

For most, the benefits of a standing desk outweigh the social awkwardness. It is proven that being inactive for nine hours a day is bad for your health. According to studies performed by Dr. Levine, a researcher at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., sitting is a "lethal activity."

Thankfully, there are ways to combat this. Get up and take a brisk walk once an hour, sit in a good chair that promotes good posture, or stretch it out to get that blood flowing when you start to feel cramped. Or you could just come over and try out my DeskCycle; it's pretty dope.

Calvy Click is the Editor-in-Chief of Sneaker Report. When she isn’t writing about performance footwear and apparel, you can find her running around Manhattan to Rick Ross anthems or hitting the tennis court. Keep up if you can on Instagram or Twitter.

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