101–110 of 124 posts
I dunno if sitting is bad or not -- but ever since I got a fitted desk and put a Deskcycle under it I've felt super great. It's a bit awkward always being a little bit sweaty though (I put in ~50 miles a day). https://deskcycle.com/
Taking a bigger picture view, this makes me wonder.. we took so much effort to move from the industrial age, where hands on work, always active all day work took its toll on workers, to the service or knowledge age, where we sit all day and that takes its toll. Surely the answer lies somewhere in-between, that we must rest, and we must move, and the amount of each must be relative to each person and activity. I would…
Stick the computer on an exercise bike, set it up so its powered by a dynamo and get the programming, marketing and sales teams to cycle while working. Okay, that's not a good idea, but it's one I can see a executive coming up with to 'promote a healthy lifestyle' at one of those newfangled offices Apple and Google and the likes have.
10 years time, headline reads: Male office workers sperm counts plummeting, bike-desks blamed.
"These people should be spending more time sitting" says talking head with vague academic credentials slightly linked to the subject matter.
Went to an orthopedic doc for an achy leg/back/knee. Gave me the usual prescription: strengthen some core muscles, physical therapy, anti inflammatory meds for a couple weeks, and should be good to go. Also, however, he prescribed that I read the book Deskbound, by Kelly Starrett. Reading that book will definitely give you an incentive to not sit for long periods of time.
Weasel words perhaps, but Kelly Starrett really divides physical therapist communities. Some love him, some hate him. Personally I think he's often "right for the wrong reasons". But if his approach gets you feeling better, that's what's important. Ditto workouts for "core muscles".
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While nothing you said is inaccurate, be careful of falling for the "original affluent society" canard. Hunter gatherers do not work less than we do, and they do not get enough food. (Quillette recently did a good write-up on this.)
The article you're referring to[1] only talks about a single group of hunter-gatherers, the !Kung. And all things considered, they do not work less than we do. . . . his original estimate of 12-19 hours worked per week did not include food processing, tool making, or general housework, and when such activities were included he estimated that the !Kung worked about 40-44 hours per week. How many people do you know tha…
Humans stopped being hunter-gatherers for a reason.
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Minority Report style interfaces that require big limb+head movements?
Heh, nice try, but you don't even need a big interface to see how that pans out. You realize how sedentary you are when you have to use a huge multitouch monitor for... half hour. Your arms will be heavy from just pointing and clicking at the screen in front of you. This situation is very sad and I'm also looking for alternatives. Right now what I'm doing is just taking a 5 min break every hour at work and walk to so…
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There probably are some employers that mandate sending desks.
If there are, do they supply high quality shoes? Standing for so long in bad shoes might result in pain, too. I'm a bit of a pessimist in that regard so I could see an employer doing this to save money. A good office chair ranges from $600 to $2000 but you can also can go as high as you want.
Taking a bigger picture view, this makes me wonder.. we took so much effort to move from the industrial age, where hands on work, always active all day work took its toll on workers, to the service or knowledge age, where we sit all day and that takes its toll. Surely the answer lies somewhere in-between, that we must rest, and we must move, and the amount of each must be relative to each person and activity. I would…
> Surely the answer lies somewhere in-between, that we must rest, and we must move I think the biggest change we made that caught us completely unprepared, was that we've committed ourselves to doing the same thing 8 hours a day, 5 days a week, all year long, for decades. I don't think our bodies evolved for this kind of effort (and I use the word "effort" even when the activity requires a lot of sitting, which is ap…
Our bodies evolved to stay alive long enough for our kids to have kids of their own, somewhere between 30 and 40ish. There is no grand plan, no set lifestyle that will perfectly suit our bodies. Such concepts tough on quasi-religious ideas of grand designs and lost edens. Evolution is a dirty and unplanned mess of factors without any plan. Brushing my teeth every day isn't something my body evolved to handle. The bit of evolution that gave me wisdom teeth had in fact a very different plan. That doesn't mean I should return to the 'natural' lifestyle of not taking care of my teeth. Sitting too much is no doubt bad for our hearts, but there is no idealized 'balance' between sitting and jogging, a form of exercise that didn't even exist until maybe 1800.
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I always understood a lot of the industrial age jobs took a toll because of hazards & health issues. Occupational hazards like mine collapse & black lung, heavy machinery, fumes, and so forth. Are there many accounts of people simply being "all worn out" from hands on work? Are, e.g., lumberjacks who aren't injured, healthy or worn thin?
Go ask anyone aged 45 or over, who does physical labor - construction workers, electricians, farm workers, flatbed truck drivers. They will all tell you of the severe toll on their muscles, bones, and most specifically joints. Shoulders, elbows, hands, knees, and backs get to a point of being functionally disabled. So, yes, physical labor, even with full OSHA support, will wear your body out. Alongside all those stru…
Taking a bigger picture view, this makes me wonder.. we took so much effort to move from the industrial age, where hands on work, always active all day work took its toll on workers, to the service or knowledge age, where we sit all day and that takes its toll. Surely the answer lies somewhere in-between, that we must rest, and we must move, and the amount of each must be relative to each person and activity. I would…
Stick the computer on an exercise bike, set it up so its powered by a dynamo and get the programming, marketing and sales teams to cycle while working. Okay, that's not a good idea, but it's one I can see a executive coming up with to 'promote a healthy lifestyle' at one of those newfangled offices Apple and Google and the likes have.
I used to do this when I worked in Manhattan and the 1.5hrs of walking were great. I'll admit this may not be enough exercise for your needs, but it is a good forced way to get very regular exercise, and perhaps part of a good overall plan that incldues a gym as well.