Summary
Ben Greenfield and co-host Brock answer listener Q&A covering exercise timing for sleep, cholesterol interpretation, raw milk freezing, stair climbing technique, standing workstation options, and big toe mobility. On standing desks, Ben explains that people sitting more than 11 hours daily have a 40% higher mortality risk, and standing upregulates lipoprotein lipase for improved fat metabolism. He reviews affordable DIY options (cupboards, bookshelves, IKEA tables), adjustable electric desks (UpDesk, GeekDesk), and converters like the Kangaroo Pro Junior ($250), plus recommends treadmill desks as the next upgrade.
Key Points
- People who sit more than 11 hours a day have a 40% higher risk of dying; sitting more than 2 hours uninterrupted raises chronic disease risk regardless of exercise habits
- Standing upregulates lipoprotein lipase, an enzyme that helps break down fat and boost metabolism
- Budget standing desk setups work fine — a cupboard, bookshelf, or IKEA table with adjustable legs costs under $100
- Electric sit-to-stand desks from UpDesk, GeekDesk, and Anthro offer push-button height adjustment (~$500-600)
- The Kangaroo Pro Junior (~$250) converts any existing desk into a standing workstation
- Light aerobic exercise before sleep can improve sleep quality, but intense workouts activate the sympathetic nervous system and may cause insomnia
- Climbing stairs one step at a time burns more calories and is easier on the knees than bounding two steps at a time
- Big toe mobility is crucial for proper foot mechanics — rolling a golf ball under the foot daily prevents knee, hip, and foot pain
Key Moments
Sitting 11+ hours daily raises mortality risk by 40%
Ben Greenfield cites research showing that sitting more than 11 hours a day increases mortality risk by 40%, and explains how standing upregulates lipoprotein lipase to improve fat metabolism.
"we know that people who sit more than 11 hours a day have a 40% higher risk of dying. People who sit, no matter whether or not they're exercising after work, people who sit for more than two hours in a row have higher risk of chronic disease. When you're standing, you upregulate this cool enzyme called lipoprotein lipase that can help you do things like break down fat and have a higher metabolism."
DIY standing desk options under $100
Ben and co-host Brock share their budget standing desk setups — Ben uses an old cupboard, Brock built one from an IKEA tabletop with adjustable legs for under $100.
"Mine's not fancy, but it's only a tiny step above what Ben's got. Mine's just a table with extra long legs, and I just bought it at Ikea. I just got a tabletop and some long legs that are adjustable so I can make it the right height, but that's all."
Creative standing workstation ideas and product picks
Ben reviews a range of standing workstation options from creative DIY builds (bookshelves, wall-mounted planks) to electric sit-to-stand desks from UpDesk, GeekDesk, and the budget-friendly Kangaroo Pro Junior converter at $250.
"It cost me less than $100. And, yeah, you don't have to get fancy on this at all. And not to kick a horse to death because I think this has been talked about in the media quite a bit, but we know that people who sit more than 11 hours a day have a 40% higher risk of dying. People who sit, no matter whether or not they're exercising after work, people who sit for more than two hours in a row have higher risk of chronic disease. When you're standing, you upregulate this cool enzyme called lipoprotein lipase that can help you do things like break down fat and have a higher metabolism. You can also engage a lot of these tiny little core muscles that help to maintain body tone and and foot strength and leg strength and you know it's one of the reasons why if you're standing six eight hours a day at work and say you're training for a marathon or triathlon you get away with less training because you're really making your legs stronger while you're standing there at work you can as he swears by it there you go yeah and of course you do have greater risk of things like varicose veins, potential issues with your knees if you're standing improperly, that type of thing. But all of that can be fixed with things like wearing compression socks or compression tights or ensuring that you're using good posture when you stand. And that was know, that was something I demonstrated at the superhuman event was, you know, good versus bad posture when you're standing. And, you know, you definitely want more of kind of like a military-esque posture with your knees slightly bent, your butt and your core engaged, deep breathing, and then you want the actual workstation itself set up so that, you know, your table height or your workstation height is at or slightly below your elbow height, so you're able to stand up straight as you're working. Now, as far as the way you can go about putting kind of a standing workstation together, first of all, I'm going to link in the show notes to a great little article over at Brit.co. And at Brit.co slash standing desks, they have 10 examples of really kind of cool, creative standing workstations. For example, there's one that's basically like, it's almost like the keyboards on a bar stool on like a fancy bar stool. And then the monitor itself is just one of these flat screen TVs that's attached to the wall, right? So it's super minimalist, kind of cool. I'll put a link to these if people want to look at them. Add them to your Pinterest or whatever crazy weird things you want to do. Another one is you just get a bookshelf and you um you on whatever shelf of that bookshelf happens to be your ideal standing height that's where you have everything set up is on that bookshelf um another example that they have there is basically like taking an old like cupboard shelf or just like plank of wood and tacking that onto the wall at your ideal height and literally just like doing that. And that's another easy way you can do things. Now, there are companies out there. Updesk is a really good one. Updesk makes a desk that goes up and down on basically like a hydraulic motor. Yeah, like hydraulics. And that's one example of one where you can easily and quickly convert it from seated to standing. So updesk.com would be another one to look at. There's another one called Elevate Adjust that's made by a company called Anthro, and that one will also go up and down. New Heights makes one called the electric sit to stand desk and it's got a push button height adjustment on it uh then geek desk geek desks make makes one too that that will go up and down uh when when you click on and these are more expensive you know these are i think like 500 600 desks so get those if your employer is paying for it. Yeah, exactly. Probably the best one out there, and I'll put a link to this in the show notes, what I think is the coolest one is called the Kangaroo Pro Junior because it's not that expensive. Because it jumps around the room while you're trying to work on it and you have to chase it. And it has a little pouch that you put your keyboard into. That's $250, and it goes up and down. It's an easy, easy way to convert a regular desk into a standing workstation. It's got this adjustable steel rod on it. It's nice and sturdy. It's got a nice little shelf for you to put your keyboard on. And, yeah, it's a pretty cool one.. So the Kangaroo Pro Junior is, in my opinion, a pretty good way to go. And then, of course, you've also got the option for a Trek desk or a treadmill desk. And I was listening. I think you shot me the link. Was it you, Brock? You shot me the link to the Talk of the Nation, the NPRs. I think it was on Science Friday. Oh, yeah, probably. I think you shot it. Or maybe it was the eating insects one. You always send me those weird links. Oh, yeah, I definitely send you the eating insects one. That's awesome. How we could replace all of our food problems by eating insects. Boost your metabolism. Sedgway, unless fried grasshoppers while you're standing and walking and working, is your cup of tea. But, yeah, treadmill desks, like the Trek desk, that's another way to go. And that's the next modification I'm making in my office is an actual treadmill desk so I can walk while I'm working and riding and all that jazz."
