Atkins diets and standing desks aren't going to fix more fundamental issues with a pervasively unhealthy culture.
I agree, our culture's unhealthiness is such that no incremental improvement in our lifestyle can make us incrementally healthier.
Cornell Ergonomics Web finds standing desks present their own issues
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Re: Cornell Ergonomics Web finds standing desks present their own issues
#22Atkins diets and standing desks aren't going to fix more fundamental issues with a pervasively unhealthy culture.
I agree, our culture's unhealthiness is such that no incremental improvement in our lifestyle can make us incrementally healthier.
How can an incremental improvement in our lifestyle NOT make us incrementally healthier?
Re: Cornell Ergonomics Web finds standing desks present their own issues
#23> The problem with standing is that when you raise desk height for keyboard/mouse use you need to also raise screen height above the desk or you get neck flexion. Also, for standing computer work the computer fixes the person’s posture there is greater wrist extension and pretty soon people end up leaning which also compromises their wrist posture, thereby increasing the risks of a musculoskeletal disorder like carpa…
For traditional cubicles and traditional desks (i.e. no keyboard tray, no monitor stand), this doesn't happen. I get the impression that they're talking about that kind of situation. But if they are, then the sit scenario has issues they're failing to address. I agree, who uses a standing desk but has the monitor at the same level as the keyboard/mouse? That's just irrational.
Happy standing desk user (well, customizable IKEA bookshelf, LOL).
Re: Cornell Ergonomics Web finds standing desks present their own issues
#24Everyone seems to use a standing desk to stand , I use a standing desk to walk . Standing still will definitely murder my back, while walking feels comfortable and natural. Long term effects might be bad, but sitting down just feels uncomfortable after a while, even on very good ergonomic chairs.
I've been wondering about something similar myself - do you walk the entire time you're working? If so, do you use a combination of a standing desk and a treadmill, or something similar? Do you find it tiring to do for 7-8 hours, and does it give you any other problems, e.g. with your feet?
Re: Cornell Ergonomics Web finds standing desks present their own issues
#25I highly recommend kneeling chairs. You sit with your legs underneath you instead of in front of you, which puts your back at a much more natural angle (much like standing, actually) than a standard office chair. They're cheap (mine was $75) and very compact, so you can augment them with a "normaller" chair. Long hours in a kneeling chair can strain certain muscles (the small of my back gets a little tight), so I do…
The central problem with kneeling chairs is that it's normal and necessary to subtly shift your sitting position on your chair with some frequency (often without even noticing), and kneeling chairs are not conducive to this since they effectively hold your legs in a fixed position. Of course, if you're switching between two different styles of chair when you need to, that may well alleviate any problems.
I use a kneeling chair(a Varier Variable Balans[1]) and I change position a lot, actually I think I move more with this chair than with traditional chairs. And I can stretch my legs(one at the time of course) while maintaining the correct posture.
[1] http://www.varierfurniture.com/Collections/Human-instruments...
Re: Cornell Ergonomics Web finds standing desks present their own issues
#26Re: Cornell Ergonomics Web finds standing desks present their own issues
#27Earlier quoted context omitted.
I agree, our culture's unhealthiness is such that no incremental improvement in our lifestyle can make us incrementally healthier.
How can an incremental improvement in our lifestyle NOT make us incrementally healthier?
I think he may have been saying this sarcastically.
Re: Cornell Ergonomics Web finds standing desks present their own issues
#28Another cue to place my twitter bot: http://twitter.com/officeworkout - tweets an exercise every 30 minutes.
Those are some funny 'exercises'. One practice I adopted is to do all my printing in the printer which is 2nd closer to my office. That way every time I print (which is quite often as I read lots of C.S. papers) I have to walk about 40 steps.
Re: Cornell Ergonomics Web finds standing desks present their own issues
#29Its a shame they didn't discuss walking beyond "it makes it difficult to type". Question: if I can figure out how to type while walking, will that give me the benefits of standing while avoiding the negatives?
They don't discuss sit-stand either, beyond saying that people only stand for 15 minutes a day, and they can't find benefits, which suggests to me that in the sit-stand group they effectively ended up studying people who sat all day.
So, are they saying sit-stand is ineffective, or are they saying that in practice people just sit?
Re: Cornell Ergonomics Web finds standing desks present their own issues
#30I dislike it when articles make bizarre statements and take it for granted that the audience should accept it. Like:
But, standing to work has long known to be problematic, it is more tiring, it dramatically increases the risks of carotid atherosclerosis (ninefold) because of the additional load on the circulatory system, and it also increases the risks of varicose veins, so standing all day is unhealthy.
Where do they get that?? Citations, please! It took me a bit to find all the background research and read up on it. Interesting stuff.
That being said, still prefer the standing desk. My standing desk at home is right by my bed, so it's really easy to fall back and change my position when needed, and I'm worried about carotid atherosclerosis or varicose veins. :)
See also what the book 59 has to say about lying down and creativity. :)
Some background info I found for anyone more interested in this.
http://www.slideshare.net/inspiringlife/are-you-an-accidenta...