Standing Desk Timer Calculator

A standing desk schedule splits the working day between sitting and standing in a regular cycle, so you change position before either one has gone on too long.

Core formula:

Standing Share = Stand Part ÷ (Sit Part + Stand Part)
Standing Time (hours) = Total Work Hours × Standing Share
Sitting Time (hours) = Total Work Hours − Standing Time
Position Changes per Hour = 2 ÷ Cycle Length (hours)

What the published guidance actually says:

Those two do not agree on the ratio, and nobody has run the trial that would settle it. What they agree on is the pattern: break up sitting often, do not swap it for hours of static standing, and move in between. The ratios in the menu run from mostly sitting to mostly standing so you can start low and build, which is how the BJSM statement puts it.

Changing position:

• Every 30 to 60 minutes is a schedule most people can keep; Cornell’s half-hour cycle is the tighter end
• A couple of minutes walking at each change does more than either position
• A reminder on the desk or your phone is what makes it stick

Worked example:

8-hour workday, 1:1 ratio, 60-minute cycles, 70 kg:
Standing = 8 × 0.50 = 4.0 hours, sitting 4.0 hours
Each cycle = 30 min standing, then 30 min sitting, repeated 8 times, which is 16 position changes

Calorie burn, and why the number here is smaller than elsewhere

This is worth reading, because most standing-desk pages get it badly wrong and this one used to as well.

The 2011 Compendium of Physical Activities puts standing quietly at 1.3 METs, exactly the same as sitting. It credits standing with no extra burn at all. Plenty of calculators instead use 1.8, which would make standing worth about 37 kcal an hour.

The measured answer sits between the two. A 2018 meta-analysis pooling 46 studies found the real difference between sitting and standing is 0.15 kcal per minute, or 9 to 11 kcal an hour for a typical adult. That corresponds to a standing MET of about 1.45, which is what this calculator uses.

So four hours of standing instead of sitting is about 44 extra calories a day, not the 200 this page used to print. Over a working year that is roughly 11,000 calories, or 1.4 kg on paper, and trials that actually weigh people find less than that because appetite adjusts.

Health risks of too much standing: Prolonged uninterrupted standing is associated with varicose veins, lower back pain, and leg fatigue. The key is alternation, not the elimination of sitting. An anti-fatigue mat, correct desk height (elbows near 90° when standing), and supportive shoes matter more than the exact ratio you pick.