{"id":125381,"date":"2026-06-23T03:53:35","date_gmt":"2026-06-23T03:53:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/arielle.com.au\/?p=125381"},"modified":"2026-08-17T09:12:18","modified_gmt":"2026-08-17T09:12:18","slug":"standing-desk-mistakes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/arielle.com.au\/standing-desk-mistakes\/","title":{"rendered":"What Most People Get Wrong When Buying A Standing Desk"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading Time: <\/span> 4<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>\n

I became an accidental standing desk “expert” about 5 years ago, when I wrote about my experience with the UpDown Pro<\/a>. To my surprise, people read it – and asked me to write more reviews.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fast-forward to today, and this blog is the #1 resource Aussies use to help them choose their ideal standing desk. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I’ve also learned a lot on this journey. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turns out, the standing desk industry loves using marketing hype to stretch the truth (are you surprised?), so I thought I’d dispel some of the common myths I still see people fall for – despite my best efforts to educate them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Related: Ultimate Guide To Standing Desk Stability<\/a>).<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n

1. Not A Panacea For Health Issues.<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The standing desk industry has been guilty of overstating the health benefits your standing desk is likely to deliver.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Buy one – and it will apparently fix your bad back while curing that chronic thyroid issue you’ve had since you were a kid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/path><\/path><\/svg><\/div>

Important!<\/h3><\/div>

I call BS. In fact, new research from Australia<\/a> suggests that prolonged standing may make you more – not less – vulnerable to certain circulatory problems. <\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

But let’s get real – if you’re buying a standing desk to mitigate serious health issues, you’re barking up the wrong tree.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You likely have issues upstream (e.g., diet and exercise habits) that you’ve been avoiding – and need to address first.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Back pain, however, is a valid point. I’d stop far short of viewing a desk as something that will “fix” your back. But I recognise that the best way to avoid back pain is to ensure you switch between several postures throughout the day. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As the founder of HAG (an ergonomic chair<\/a> company) says, “your best posture is your next posture”. <\/span><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

So, think of a standing desk as a tool that offers you an additional position to choose from – and this may relieve some of the discomfort you’re experiencing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n

2. Calorie Burn Is A Myth.<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Let me call this out as total BS, as well. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

You won\u2019t get skinny by using a standing desk. It’s marketing hype at its worst. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The difference in caloric burn between standing vs sitting is about 50 calories per hour<\/a>. The naive conclusion is that this delta can help you lose about 1kg per month, because:<\/p>\n\n\n\n