The Atlanta Lawyer December 2016 / January 2017 | Page 22

FROM THE BENCH

“ALL RISE” and
Remain Standing?

Practicing law means that most of
us spend countless hours sitting at
our desks and the same is even more
true when it comes to the Judiciary.
Whether it‘s being seated in chambers or in court at the bench, Judges
spend hours upon hours on their
derrières. When you consider on
average most people sleep at least
six hours a day; that means many of
us are spending half of an entire day
not moving. Long periods of sedentary behavior can be associated with
obesity, diabetes, circulation and
spinal problems. As a result some
judges are literally “taking a stand”
by refusing to sit.

time to which you develop a level of
comfort, especially if you are not in
good physical health. Additionally
for women, standing in high heels
can present its own issues. There are
however, many benefits to switching to a standing desk that make it
a worthwhile option to consider.
For starters, you will develop a strong
core which is essential to good posture and physical strength. It will
eliminate the need for those tedious
crunches and sit-ups. Additionally,
you will increase your circulation
and possibly avoid a blood clot
which could easily lead to a stroke.
Losing weight is another recognized
benefit as constant standing continually burns calories. It also leads
to continuous movement as most
people do not simply stand station-

Several judges on both Fulton County Superior and State courts now
use standing desks in their chambers and rave about the benefits.
Judges Robert McBurney, Kelley
Ellerbe, Eric Richardson, Susan
Edlein, Jane Morrison and Shawn
LaGrua are pioneers in this regard.
Judge LaGrua touts the advantages
of these devices, especially because
they give one the option of standing
or sitting throughout the day. With
two computer screens propped up
before her, she is inspired to tackle
the onslaught of matters that face
her on a daily basis.
Women may keep a separate pair
of comfortable shoes by their desk
and of course going barefoot is an
option. Some “standers” also add
treadmills or stationary peddles to
the mix to increase the health benefits. The goal however is avoiding
sedentary behavior, as increased
movement of any kind is associated
with heightened mental creativity.
These judges are in good company
as Winston Churchill, Leonardo
Da Vinci, Virginia Woolf, Thomas
Jefferson, and Michael Dell all recognized that there are many virtues
to using standing desks. So, if you
are looking for an easy way to enhance your health, both physically
and mentally, maybe it is time to
consider standing up rather than
taking a seat.

Making the commitment to “get up”
can actually be significant. Standing
for long periods of time can be physically challenging and take some
22

December 2016 / January 2017

ary. Again, these are all benefits to
keeping our bodies in motion and
simultaneously invigorating one’s
collective health.

If you are considering looking into
getting a standing desk or podium,
these are just a few websites that offer
information and a variety of raised
desk options: www.notsitting.com,
www.myupdesk.com, and
www.focaluprightfurniture.com

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