Andrew Seidman:
>Sitting down for more than three hours a day can shave a person’s life expectancy by two years, even if he or she is physically active and refrains from dangerous habits like smoking, according to a study to be published on Tuesday in the online journal BMJ Open.
Converting to a standing desk is really tough for the first two weeks, but if you can get past that it really does feel great. I had some lower back problems completely disappear once I made the switch — and I was sitting in one of the best chairs money can buy. Do note that researchers relied on self reported data, and believe that many respondents lied about how much they actually sit, meaning the numbers are probably worse than they look.
The other advantage to standing, if you work in an office with others, people that come to your desk are forced to stand if they want to talk to you. This means they tend to linger less since they are probably not comfortable just standing at a desk. This was a great fringe benefit for me.