On the bright side, my standing desk is great as an adjustable desk. It's nice to be able to get the height just right.
I had the same revelation with my standing desk. It’s the first desk I’ve ever had that is the proper height for me.
Standing desk might be as bad as sitting all day
31–40 of 230 posts
Re: Standing desk might be as bad as sitting all day
#32My idea to solve all this would be to change how computing is done. We don't talk about radical disruptive ideas enough these days. What if we don't have to interact with computers from a stationary position at all? VR headsets are one direction that might help with this, but in my view there is another way. Decouple peripherals and computing units fully. You'd carry around with you a battery unit that will charge di…
Lol did you just invent a terminal from the 1970s, but a cell phone?
Re: Standing desk might be as bad as sitting all day
#33Maybe we need to, I dunno, rethink the way we work in general. Stop chasing silver bullets and admit that movement is medicine. Reading articles like this reminds me of the people I've watched exhaust every possible option for weight loss save for mindful eating and exercise.
Butts in seats is a very poor way to get productivity. It is, however, management enforced. Management only pretends to care about productivity. Until managerial ideology shifts we'll never bother. I think countries beyond the US have a much better prospect of doing this.
Quite the opposite. The US has the strongest startup culture in the world; new companies with new founders are definitionally the places where new concepts are first implemented and tried.
Re: Standing desk might be as bad as sitting all day
#34Walking desk it is!
Fun fact: both Linus and Wolfram have walking desks!
Wolfram said he didn't exercise much before age 40, but his wife convinced him to, and he's now resolved to not walk less than 10000 steps per day. He does his first few meetings of the day "in motion" whether walking or on a treadmill.
Re: Standing desk might be as bad as sitting all day
#35> The researchers found no association between time spent standing and the risk of cardiovascular disease, suggesting standing desks and similar work postures might not be enough to stave off the health problems associated with sitting around. I always assumed it was also probably pretty good for my back and neck - I'd love to see a study on that.
The title is a bit misleading, "standing desks don't improve risks of cardiovascular disease" would have been better. I would wager it did nothing for my chances of getting cancer, skin moles, or being hit by a car either, yet that doesn't mean they are "as bad as sitting" I personally switched only for my posture, and it mostly fixed my issues with neck and back. I never thought it had any other benefits than that.…
Obesity is a major risk factor for both cardiovascular disease and cancer. They are highly correlated.
Re: Standing desk might be as bad as sitting all day
#36You don't actually stand all day. You rotate so you aren't sitting or standing too much.
Do people really not understand that?
Re: Standing desk might be as bad as sitting all day
#37My idea to solve all this would be to change how computing is done. We don't talk about radical disruptive ideas enough these days. What if we don't have to interact with computers from a stationary position at all? VR headsets are one direction that might help with this, but in my view there is another way. Decouple peripherals and computing units fully. You'd carry around with you a battery unit that will charge di…
I see the big issues as:
1. Input accuracy, speed, and fatigue. Stick your keyboard to a wall and try standing next to it typing for an hour. Even if somehow gestures/sign-language are viable, your arms will get tired, and only a few people will power through the pain with the excuse that it's a form of exercise.
2. Motion sickness and physical safety. We make dedicated workspaces because we need to control external factors and have definite positions for things. A floating "window" isn't that different from an LCD on a pivoting arm, especially if you prefer to change the hat's on it rather than frequently relocate it.
3. We don't multitask nearly as well as we think we do.
Re: Standing desk might be as bad as sitting all day
#38Maybe we need to, I dunno, rethink the way we work in general. Stop chasing silver bullets and admit that movement is medicine. Reading articles like this reminds me of the people I've watched exhaust every possible option for weight loss save for mindful eating and exercise.
Completely agree with you. However, what does this mean for a software engineer or anyone who must be in front of a computer for extended periods of time? I’ve moved to biking everywhere and daily walks with the dogs, but still have 8 hours where I’m mostly sedentary
Try to get movement in whenever possible. Take the stairs, pace around during calls (when you do not share an office). Get up and stretch between "work segments". And my favorite new tool: A skipping rope that I use whenever I feel too tired/ like my concentration is breaking / I do not want to do, what I currently have to do. (Mind you, there is a storage room big enough next to my office room that is right above the underground garage, so I will not disturb my colleagues.). Before that, I used to climb the stairs to the top of my office building (five floors) and down to "unfog" my mind and get some energy back.
Re: Standing desk might be as bad as sitting all day
#39I think it is obvious that staying stationary all day (standing vs. sitting) will be bad for cardiovascular health. I also don't think anyone believed standing would suddenly make working for 8+ hours a day in front of a computer screen healthy.
However, with a standing desk and split keyboard (apple trackpad in the middle), I personally feel I can work with some semblance of decent posture. When I work sitting down, especially for long periods of time, my posture degrades (tech neck, etc.) When standing up with a split keyboard, at least my posture is linear and my shoulders are back. From the study, apparently the improved posture benefits do not carry over to cardiovascular health benefits, but I would guess it is still beneficial. Very rarely in the office do I see people sitting with good posture (It is possible, but takes more conscience effort), but I will often see people standing with good "upright" posture.
tldr: Article mentions nothing about posture improvements. That is what I always thought improved the most moving from sitting to standing desks.
Re: Standing desk might be as bad as sitting all day
#40Standing all day will not help your VO2 max. You need to get your heart rate up.
Thankfully, working on your V02 max doesn't take all day!