A standing desk can keep your heart healthy

Sitting throughout the day behind a desk? You might be putting yourself at risk of fatal heart related illnesses. A recently available article by NPR included comments originating 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 counterparts who only sit for 11 hours or fewer a week. That’s surprising news.

The Good News

The message is obvious: Get off your butt. Thankfully, it is easy to decrease your sitting hours by building a standing desk. A standing desk — which happens to be just what it sounds like, a desk where you stand rather than sit — is far from expensive. You can construct it with low-cost parts from Ikea. Here’s the recipe, courtesy of the Lifehacker blog.

The Easy Way

If you just need a simple desk, Lifehacker suggests creating a standing desk that employs Ikea’s Utby legs. Though this desk is going to be smaller, you’ll be able to fit your laptop, monitor and keyboard easily enough on top of it. You will have space, too, for a lamp and storage. To make this desk, buy a Vika Amon Top, Utby under frame, Ekby Jarpen shelf and one set of Capita legs. You can find all of these parts at Ikea for a total of around $140. Best of all? According to the Lifehacker story, you can put this desk with simply a screwdriver.

A Bit More Complicated

You may also use Ikea parts to build slightly more sophisticated wide standing desk, according to Lifehacker. Again, you can get the parts you’re looking for at your nearest Ikea: five Vika Byske legs, two packs of Capita brackets, one Lack shelf and one Vika Amon tabletop. These materials should set you back about $250. This desk offers you more space, for both your tech and your supplies. But it is going to be slightly more challenging to build. You’ll need a power drill. But don’t let that scare you. Lifehacker still ranks this desk as a “medium” with respect to difficulty.