I’ve never sat so much in my life.

Don’t get me wrong: I like my job. Balancing marketing communications, grant writing, event planning, vendor contracts and whatever else comes along keeps me jumping mentally. But physically? Not so much.

I just don’t get out and about like I did when I was a newspaper reporter. Even when I do, it’s typically to get into my car – where of course I sit – and go somewhere for a meeting to sit some more. I do try to take a walk at lunchtime, even for half an hour, and am active on the weekends and most evenings. I just needed more.

A sit-stand station on top of my desk for my computer setup seemed like a good way to stay off my burgeoning tush, at least for a few hours a day. I could raise a sit-stand station when I wanted to stand and lower it when I didn’t. I had a few considerations, though:

• I use two monitors, so I needed a bigger and sturdier model.
• I’m nearly 6-foot tall in bare feet. So I also needed a model that would accommodate a taller person, especially one who often wears a bit of a heel and wants to stand on a cushy mat.
• I really did not want to spend $500 or so to meet the above requirements.

Instead, I decided to try my luck with repurposing a two-tier end table or other piece of small furniture. I ran into several possibilities while shopping at a consignment store with a friend, and the clerk pointed out one that turned out to be nearly ideal. It certainly helps that my office had two hefty desks that I pushed together into an “L” shape – I work at a true nonprofit, where we make due with donated furniture – and both are 30” deep. When I want to sit, I just move my laptop to the other desk.

How many calories am I burning by standing instead of sitting? A little more than 50 calories an hour, according to this calculator from Ergotron, Inc. That’s not much, but it will add up, and it certainly feels good to stand at times.

And while my standing station is not nearly as nice as Ergotron and other companies make, it definitely works for me.