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Sitting down too much is doing more harm to your body than you can imagine

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Re: Sitting down too much is doing more harm to your body than you can imagine

#51

Post by pizza »

gaius wrote: post #39
snarfy wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You have about 5 seconds before your brain shuts up those ideas like "I'll definitely exercise more...". It's an awesome idea, life changing even. 5 seconds later your rational self catches up with the idea and starts to counter with 'but I don't have enough time', 'it's too hard', 'maybe tomorrow', etc. The next time you get the idea to exercise more you need to stop what you are doing right then and there and do so…

you need to stop what you are doing right then and there and do something about it If you're at home, there's no reason not to just do 10 pressups right there and then (and as you get better, 20, 30 and so on). Or dips with your chair if you can't do pressups yet.

"desire is to drive what truth is to knowledge"

you need it to be a kind of mediating objective to not lose that pledge. otherwise, the inevitable abandonment comes after exercising a handful of times, if that :P

my intuition tells me you'd need a goal that has pushups (or exercise at all) only as a subcomponent along the path towards the attainment of that goal. hopefully it would persist longer than if solely working out were the goal. so that it doesn't feel "empty" or easily abandon-able after doing it a few times.

Re: Sitting down too much is doing more harm to your body than you can imagine

#52

Post by nickjj »

westoncb wrote: post #28
nickjj wrote: post #8

I've been using a standing desk now for almost 2 years and stand about 90% of the time. I think it's one of the best decisions I've ever made because it leads to other healthy habits. Typically you don't stand still at a standing desk. Your legs will naturally want to move and stretch and since you're already standing, you can do this without really being disturbed. Also, it sounds funny but walking and even running…

> I tend to break up my day with 2-3x ~2 mile walks. To be clear, you do ~2 mile walks two to three times per day? So you walk 4 - 6 miles per day? It actually sounds kind of appealing to me—I like walking... but it seems like a serious amount of time, and like finding places to walk might be difficult.

Yep. You can do 2 miles in about 30 minutes. Perfect time to listen to podcasts, audiobooks and clearing your head.

I don't see it as a waste of time. Often times I'll step away from a programming problem and get the solution while walking, which in turn saves time in the long run.

I just go around my neighborhood, nothing fancy.

Re: Sitting down too much is doing more harm to your body than you can imagine

#53

Post by shadowmint »

> When you need to ask a colleague something, walk up to his/her desk instead of dropping a message

'Did you get that email I sent you?'

Ahhhhhh~ No. Please don't.

There's plenty of good advice on this article, but be careful that the things that you do for yourself don't negatively impact other people; that's not be healthy, its being thoughtless and selfish.

Re: Sitting down too much is doing more harm to your body than you can imagine

#55

Post by mholub »

alansammarone wrote: post #5

Every time I read an article like this, I get a bad feeling and I say to myself "I'll definitely exercise more - I don't wanna be all buggy when I get older due to my lifestyle - I'll do this NOW!". Then a couple of hours later, I'm back coding happily seated. I'm sure this is the case for many of us. I wish our brains could keep this bad, guilty-like feeling that makes us take action around for longer.

You just need to find activity interesting for you

I used to do sedentary lifestyle most of my life until I found rock climbing 2 years ago

I go rock climbing to a gym 2-3 times a week now. I go there because I WANT not because I have to. This did tremendous job to my health and overall fitness. And this is sustainable in the long term because I don't have problems with motivation.

So my advice — find your sport, any physical activity you are interested in. If it becomes boring, don't hesitate to change it.

You don't need to be a sportsman and become good at something, you just need consistency to move your body , so care about your motivation. Good body will come naturally after some time.

Re: Sitting down too much is doing more harm to your body than you can imagine

#56

Post by raamdev »

I’ve posted this elsewhere, but it feels relevant here so I’ll share it again. I work remotely 80-90 hours a week using my laptop (this is important: your screen needs to be mobile). Here's how I currently try to keep my body moving:

- I don't have a desk or chair. I have a bar table and a stool. This makes a huge difference. I get uncomfortable sitting on the stool after about 30 minutes, so I get off. Then I'll stand at the bar table and work for an hour or two. When I get tired of that, I'll spend a minute or two doing a physical activity (see below).

- I try to work from different physical places, e.g., cafes, different places in the house when nobody is home, the steps outside, the floor, the hammock hanging by the lake. I make it a game to come up with new and novel places to work from that don't require a lot of travel time (unless I'm walking—then it's well-spent travel time), anything to change the physical position of my body while working (and hopefully something that gets uncomfortable within an hour so I'm pushed to change again).

- I have a sandbag next to the bar table that I'll pick up at random times throughout the day and do squats, deadlifts, bent-over rows, or just carry the 60lb thing up the stairs or out around the yard once. I'll also use it as a weight to hold my feet while I do sit-ups. I have a pull-up bar hanging between two trees outside.

- I don't watch TV. In fact, I try to avoid anything that involves the sitting position. If I have to sit, I prefer the floor, or if I'm watching a movie or reading a book, I prefer laying down. If it's something for a few minutes and I can stand, I'll stand.

I've been doing this for about a year now and it's the best I've ever felt while working this much. What I'd like to start mixing in are some runs or long walks, but right now it's a choice between those or getting sufficient sleep. I prioritize sleep.

Re: Sitting down too much is doing more harm to your body than you can imagine

#57

Post by viraptor »

alansammarone wrote: post #5

Every time I read an article like this, I get a bad feeling and I say to myself "I'll definitely exercise more - I don't wanna be all buggy when I get older due to my lifestyle - I'll do this NOW!". Then a couple of hours later, I'm back coding happily seated. I'm sure this is the case for many of us. I wish our brains could keep this bad, guilty-like feeling that makes us take action around for longer.

That's me. If it was just up to me, I'd never exercise. That's why I've got PT session at the gym scheduled every week and make sure to exercise when my more motivated partner exercises. (i.e. say "I'll go for the run with you in the morning" - and then is feel guilty not to) Making plans with other people makes it harder not to follow through.

Re: Sitting down too much is doing more harm to your body than you can imagine

#58

Post by petercooper »

alansammarone wrote: post #5

Every time I read an article like this, I get a bad feeling and I say to myself "I'll definitely exercise more - I don't wanna be all buggy when I get older due to my lifestyle - I'll do this NOW!". Then a couple of hours later, I'm back coding happily seated. I'm sure this is the case for many of us. I wish our brains could keep this bad, guilty-like feeling that makes us take action around for longer.

Be careful of what you wish for :-D I was the same until this year when some very odd bodily sensations turned into full blown health anxiety. Exercise has turned out to be the only thing that helps keep it at bay, it seems. Getting healthy is great but now I seem to feel dreadful pretty quickly if I'm inactive for even a few hours.

Re: Sitting down too much is doing more harm to your body than you can imagine

#59

Post by jacobush »

Retr0spectrum wrote: post #47
snarfy wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You have about 5 seconds before your brain shuts up those ideas like "I'll definitely exercise more...". It's an awesome idea, life changing even. 5 seconds later your rational self catches up with the idea and starts to counter with 'but I don't have enough time', 'it's too hard', 'maybe tomorrow', etc. The next time you get the idea to exercise more you need to stop what you are doing right then and there and do so…

Is it really the "rational self"? Personally, I think it's just my lazy instincts kicking in.

Your rational self being brought back to the party line.

Re: Sitting down too much is doing more harm to your body than you can imagine

#60

Post by yaseer »

I've found the Pomodoro method, coupled with walking and stretching between the breaks, helps immensely.

The movement also helps me maintain energy levels during long periods of working, which can lull if I'm sedentary. I even find maintaining 'flow' perfectly attainable (provided that your mind stays on work between the breaks, and you don't check things like e-mails). I see the Pomodoro break more as a physical break from sitting, with the option of taking a mental break from work if I think it's necessary.

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