Living with a standing desk: Why my wife is so much happier to stay active on a long day

We're all becoming more aware of the long-term benefits of physical activity. We count our steps, we join Parkruns, and more people than ever have a gym membership. But for people who work in front of a desk, there's always going to be a long period in the day when we're sedentary. But it doesn't have to be like that.

My wife works from home, and she has a very involved job, which sees her in endless calls, sitting in front of a screen for long hours, with only brief breaks to pop to the loo or make a sandwich.

She knows that's not ideal, I know that's not ideal, and it's something we've been trying to find a way to fix. So we've been researching standing desks.

It's possible to buy one for around £100, but I've read some iffy reports about them, and it's obvious you need to buy a decent one.

A company I've been aware of for a while, Boulies, has just launched a high-end standing desk, and they offered to send me one to try out. It's a perfect opportunity, then to see if my wife can learn to live with one, and whether it makes a difference.

Unfortunately, my desk is underneath a captain bed, so if I raised it, all my things would be crushed. But Her Ladyship works in our conservatory, and there's lots of room.

And that's a good thing, because the Boulies MagVida standing desk is a decent size. It's 140x70cm, and it can rise up to 127cm - more than enough for my 5'2" significant other, and certainly plenty high enough for me at 5'8".

The raising and lowering of the desk is done electronically, on a smart panel, which I'll come back to, but all the other elements of the desk, including a drawer, are attached by magnets.

It makes it a doddle to assemble and, although it weighs a lot, it's easy enough to move around the house.

The build quality, incidentally, is exquisite. From the solidity of the desktop to the way all the fixtures attach, everything feels premium. And so they should do, because the MagVida costs £679.99.

It's a lot of money then, especially when there are half-decent alternatives for less than £300, like the FlexiSpot E7, currently priced at £259.99.

The price is perhaps the only thing that stands against the MagVida, because I love everything about it.

I love the way the cables are tucked away neatly in a hanging harness beneath the desk, I love the fact it's completely silent in operation, and I love the way it's so modular. To the extent that the headphone hanger can swap sides, as can the control panel.

That control panel, incidentally, is a pretty standard addition to a premium standing desk, but it works brilliantly. Raise the desk, save the position in one of the three numbered presets, and when you want to stand up, you just push the corresponding number and it raises elegantly into the perfect spot.

When you want to sit down again, you just press the other memory button and it glides back down. There's even a child lock.

The drawer is a bit small, but it's good for storing a notepad and a few pens, and I wish there was another colour option other than black or white - but it'll suit most rooms and offices.

Fundamentally, if you want the best standing desk on the market, and you can afford it, this is probably it.

Yes, it's expensive, but it does feel like the money has been well spent, and there aren't many desks out there that will support a 120kg load.

As an added bonus, my wife is no longer in danger of being struck down with deep-vein thrombosis, which is a good thing.

Does she like it? Absolutely, yes. Has it lifted her mood and made a difference? 100%, yes. Could she now live without a standing desk? No way. Do try one out, they're brilliant.