My issue with standing desks is that to me that would not nearly be enough. Physiologically there is quite a gap between standing and walking, the latter being a lot easier and also a lot more effectful. The whole story is much more complicated when looking at body and brain. We can say for sure we do way too much sitting, but standing is not even half the solution. Actual movement is required, for a lot of physiological functions as well as for the brain.

Anyone who learned to ride a horse should have learned that you letting a horse stand still for prolonged periods, specially with you on top, isn't so great for the horse, it can carry its weight (and you) much more easily when moving. I doubt that I'm different from the rest of humanity when I say that I can't (just) stand for nearly as much time as I can walk, standing is actually really hard (just for me? I don't think so).

I also noticed that even for productivity I need both sitting and walking, I have yet to discover a need for "standing". When I'm looking for inspiration and "to loosen up" after having worked for too long on one problem I start walking, and often find an easy way out of my problem within 15 minutes of walking. But when I need to be "in the zone" and know exactly what I want I need to sit. Walking won't do - too much distraction. Standing won't do - too hard.

I see a place for standing, but if I could do a perfect mix of sitting, standing and walking than standing would be the state I spend the least amount of time in. Maybe a little more with those crosses between sitting and standing, and a lot of changing posture. But in the end sitting and walking are my key states.

"Yes sitting at work is bad, but is standing actually better?":

  > “Standing all day isn’t the answer,” said Alan Hedge, a design and ergonomics
  > professor at Cornell University. “That’s where we were 100 years ago, and we
  > needed to develop chairs to prevent curvature of the spine, backaches, and
  > varicose veins.”

The article has a lot more detailed and varied information, as my long text already indicates, the problem isn't black/white and has plenty of nuance.

https://www.bostonglobe.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/2014/1...

Cinderblocks. I went to Home Depot, spent $5, and jacked my desk up 18". I figured I'd take a flier on the standing desk idea, but it's working out so well that I don't think I'll bother with anything fancier.

Some kind of an anti-fatigue mat is kind of a must if you're standing on a hard surface. You don't have to go big on that necessarily, either - mine came from the home goods aisle at Wal-Mart.

Standing desks are not luxury anymore. You can get a decent new adjustable legs for around $250, and get a table top from ikea for $40. I don't really think that it is luxury for a developer. Even if you charge $20/hour, it's only two days of your work, which I think is a very little price to pay for an improved health.

I used this and found it to satisfactory, assuming you use a monitor and a keyboard.

http://iamnotaprogrammer.com/Ikea-Standing-desk-for-22-dolla...

If you arrange the cables right, switching position takes only a minute.

If you are willing to make your own, very non fancy setup, you can have a standing station for quite cheap compared to a proper standing desk. You can use a custom made piece of wood to put on top of your current desk, use books, boxes, even soda cans :) https://www.flickr.com/photos/marcoarment/3234209861

Personally I like to alternate standing and sitting. Since this is not going to be an adjustable desk think about having a way of quickly repositioning monitor/laptop keyboard and mouse on 2 levels instead of just the standing level.

Work in 30-minute intervals (these are great for achieving focus too). After an interval has elapsed, get up from your desk, relax, stretch and wander around the office a bit. Don't read HN during the break.

Maybe not so hip as a standing desk but it works.

All it takes is a cardboard box (maybe 2 if you want keyboard at a different leve). Your employer can't prevent you from putting that on your desk. More solid ideas: http://www.cnet.com/how-to/diy-ways-to-convert-any-desk-into...

If you're in an open space office, likely standing desks are already en-vogue - just ask for one. My employer used to require an ergo audit (which by itself was informative for other parts of my life/posture that weren't ergonomic) but now they hand out stand desks to anyone who asks.

Makeshift one.

I put two large speakers I have (similar to amazon eco) and a flat table on top of my desk. Presto!

Be creative and you can build one super easy. Only need a flat table and something to cover the height.

When I visit others, I just put a chair on top of the table. Works well for me. I do it at home too when I work outside.

Get one?