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Varidesk Soho sit/stand desk for laptops, £150
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Why we love it: Computer-related shoulder tension and headaches are a thing of the past. It gets us off our butts without leaving the office.
Review: "I spend five days a week at a desk – the more I sit, the more the tension in my shoulders and upper back mounts. By the end of the day I have rounded shoulders, a thumping headache and tense muscles that only a sweaty yoga session or massage can shift – both of which involve time and money. Post holiday, I was determined not to go back to my hunchback working ways.
The Varidesk has changed my life. I work at home on my laptop two days a week and and thrilled with this laptop desk - essentially a worktop on ironing board-type legs - on my kitchen table. At the end of the day I store it flat under the sofa. It can be used flat if you want to work seated or you can raise it for standing, alternating as you wish. I dived straight in with a full eight-hour day on my feet and was surprised to find that I didn't actually notice that I was standing. My feet ached slightly but this was nothing compared to the shoulder tension I had experienced sitting.
Now when I work at home, my shoulders feel relaxed and tension free, my digestion and breath have more room to move because I’m not compressing the front of my body by hunching over my desk. I miss it when I work in the office at a conventional desk and so am planning to invest in the Varidesk Pro Plus 30 (£295) which has a split level for screen and keyboard for my desktop computer.
With a growing body of evidence suggesting that our sedentary lifestyle increases the risk of chronic health conditions such as type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure, it's a great investment for overall health."
Reviewer: Victoria Woodhall, Deputy Editor