Yes, there are transaction costs. But overcoming them is worth it. (And you can create a make-shift standing desk pretty easily out of a normal desk with enough stacks of printer paper or boxes.)
Bed risers work great (like the kind you might still have hanging around from a college dorm room). I bought some two years ago from Bed, Bath, & Beyond, coupled with an anti-fatigue mat. Not only did my developing back pain go away, but I've lost 15 pounds since then without adding anything to my exercise regimen, or drastically changing my diet.
