Buying a standing stool: 4 things you absolutely have to consider

Are you thinking about a standing stool and not sure if this is right for you? In this blog article I will go over the four most important things you should consider when buying a new high desk chair.

1. Transition period can be tough

The first thing to consider when buying a new standing desk chair is something I learned very early on. Transitioning from a regular office chair to a standing stool can be quite difficult. By that I mean that you will be sitting in a completely different posture than you are used to.

Many standing chairs have a stiff seat, so they offer a completely different sitting experience than your normal office chair. You sit in your normal office chair

with your knees, elbows and hips mostly in a 90 degree position. It doesn't put a lot of pressure on your muscles. Some force is applied to your thighs, buttocks, and lower back. You don't have to expend a lot of energy or use muscles to resist them.

This is not the case with the standing desk chairs.

You will need to hold a large portion of your weight. You feel it in your legs, your shins, your feet and in every other part of your body. Switching from a normal chair to a standing stool therefore requires a greater use of the muscles. As you adjust to a standing chair, you'll likely experience some fatigue, soreness, and maybe even pain in various muscle groups. But it also depends on whether you sit in the chair often and what type of chair you choose.

2. The footrest as a compliment

The next item to consider in a standing chair is a footrest. A footrest makes work much more comfortable overall. This makes it possible to use the chair longer. When you have to get your feet flat on the ground, there's a lot of pressure on your soles and shins because there's a lot of force pushing you forward and you have to resist it. A lot of muscles are used for this. If you have a footrest and can put most of your weight on your soles and thighs, it will be much easier to stand in one place. It's not as strenuous and you don't engage small muscle groups like your shins. Instead, you shift most of your weight to your thighs, which makes sitting much more comfortable for long periods of time.

3. Best suited as a supplement chair

A high desk chair is an addition to your ergonomic setup. Don't think of it as a replacement for an office chair that you use more than five hours a day. There are several reasons for this. The first reason is the seat design of most standing desk chairs. These are not big and padded like the typical office chairs. Most chairs are rather hard and have a specific shape. Many people cannot sit long on a hard surface, so it makes sense to use the chair only as a supplement.

Another issue is the amount of energy and muscle you expend sitting in these chairs. Similar to moving from a regular desk to a standing desk, additional muscle groups are engaged. It takes you a lot more strength to use these chairs than a regular chair. So using standing chairs for five hours a day is probably not the best idea.

The chair is best used in conjunction with a height-adjustable desk and your regular office chair. So you could sit in your regular office chair for a couple of hours, stand at your desk for an hour, and then add a standing chair for an hour or two to diversify your day. And you should also include things like walking, having a drink, doing desk exercises. Basically, anything that brings more exercise and posture into your workday is healthier for you. And these chairs are just a tool to help you do that, not a substitute. They're also not the ultimate if you have to sit all day.

4. It will feel great to be more active

And the last thing to consider when buying a standing stool is that it feels good to be active. These chairs help encourage extra activity. When I use a high desk chair, I'm much more likely to walk around my office and move around my desk. It's much easier to get up and go somewhere or talk to someone in the office. You are not tied to the chair with the back and armrests. The office chair sometimes makes you feel like waking up in the middle of the night and not wanting to get up to get a glass of water. With a standing chair, you don't have that feeling because you can just get up and move whenever you want. It's no big deal to hop out of the chair, grab something, and sit back down. I have found that I am much more active in my office, at my desk and with my co-workers when using these types of chairs.

It's also very useful when you're in pain. I have lower back problems, as I am sure many do. And if I have one of those days when my lower back hurts, a standing chair is a good way for me to move and stretch. When I need to stretch, which I can't do on an office chair, I have to get up and do it physically. With a standing work chair, on the other hand, I can do this while sitting at my desk, reading something, typing or on the phone.

Short conclusion

All in all I think these chairs are a great tool to add to your day as they make you feel more active and in my experience it feels good to use a standing desk chair.