MacFormat UK – June 2019

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standards of office chairs. If you’re shopping

around for a chair, don’t settle for anything

less; that cheap spinning stool might seem

like a good deal, but it could do you more

harm than good.

And then there’s the main alternative, that

objet du jour, the standing desk. Is it the thing

that’s going to change your working life? We’ve

tested a couple of options this issue, specifically

a standing desk riser and a dedicated desk, and

switching heights is certainly a very different

experience. You almost need to relearn

everything, at least at first; touch-typing while

on your feet isn’t exactly hard, but it’s unusual.

Just the act of standing in front of a desk, after

what’s likely to have been decades of sitting to

compute, takes some time to get used to.

Stands to reason

It’s important to understand that desks like the

button-activated Bekant and the Yo-Yo Desk

(see details opposite) and Flexispot desks (uk.

flexispot.com), and even the likes of the portable

laptop-rising Freedesk range (thefreedesk.com)

are quickly convertible for a reason: you’re not

really supposed to stand the whole day through.

Get Britain Standing suggests you start with

two hours in a working day, then bump that

up towards four as your body gets used to it,

alternating between 20 minutes standing and

40 minutes sitting. An ergonomic chair at least

helps put your back into the proper position –

when you’re using a standing desk, the proper

position is entirely up to you.

Even if you’re dedicated to using your

MacBook (or even an iPad) on your couch, there

are ways to improve neck alignment. There are,

for instance, a host of laptop desks with bases

that scoot under your sofa and present a sturdy

raised surface. We like the Etpark Portable

Laptop Desk (£33, bit.ly/mfetpark), which sits

above your lap and uses lockable angled legs to

put your laptop at the perfect height for typing

and viewing. If you’re on a budget, this could

double up as a desk-based riser.

Backapp’s stool, the stem

of which perches on a ball,

gives your body a workout.

APPLE HOME Working health

74 | MACFORMAT | JUNE 2019

HOW TO Stay ergonomic at your desk

2

Sit up straight

This is the personal effort bit...

You can get a little help, though, by

strapping on the Upright Go Posture

Trainer (£69.95, uprightpose.com) which

gently buzzes when you slip into a slouch,

and records your progress in an app.

3

Ta ke a b re a k

Rest your eyes regularly, take a one-

minute walk around, just stand up – make

your muscles work. If you need a helpful

reminder, a pomodoro timer like the

Tomato One app (free, Mac App Store)

can nudge you when it’s time for a break.

1

Position it right

Your eyes should be at the mid-point

of your display. If using a MacBook, that

means raising it up using something

like the Rain Design mStand (£39.90,

raindesigninc.com) and adding an

external keyboard and mouse.

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