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Standing desk might be as bad as sitting all day

sciencealert.com

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Re: Standing desk might be as bad as sitting all day

#71

Post by EnnEmmEss »

SoftTalker wrote: post #52
0xEF wrote: post #6

Maybe 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.

Next fad: treadmill desks.

I actually tried doing that when I was stuck in isolation during COVID. Even when you go at low speeds, the constant movement messes with both your mouse movements and your typing. If you're aiming for that route, I would recommend an underdesk cycle you can use while sitting down instead.

Re: Standing desk might be as bad as sitting all day

#72

Post by jltsiren »

carlgreene wrote: post #20
0xEF wrote: post #6

Maybe 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

I think it's less about deliberate tricks and more about developing habits that ensure some low intensity activity throughout the day. Most things you do on a computer don't actually require being in front of the computer all the time. There are always moments when you are waiting for something to happen or thinking about something instead of actually doing it. You can use those moments to snap out of the torpor, even if just for a few seconds.

Re: Standing desk might be as bad as sitting all day

#73

Post by charles_f »

nradov wrote: post #35
charles_f wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

I remember reading something that your baseline consumption when standing is 140 calories/h vs 120 when seating. Definitely too marginal to have any sort of impact on obesity.

Re: Standing desk might be as bad as sitting all day

#75

Post by nradov »

charles_f wrote: post #73
nradov wrote: post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Obesity is a major risk factor for both cardiovascular disease and cancer. They are highly correlated.

I remember reading something that your baseline consumption when standing is 140 calories/h vs 120 when seating. Definitely too marginal to have any sort of impact on obesity.

If those numbers are accurate then it would equate to a difference of about 2lb (1kg) of fat per year. That's a pretty typical rate of weight gain for many adults.

Re: Standing desk might be as bad as sitting all day

#76

Post by aeternum »

tikhonj wrote: post #51
carlgreene wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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

I've developed two habits that work well for me: 1. Taking walks during the day. I have figured out a lot of tricky design and even debugging questions by taking a walk. And even if I don't think about programming directly, it still clears my head. Splitting my day up with an hour (or longer) walk leaves me more effective than spending the same time in front of my computer. I usually work remotely, so often this invo…

The videocall obsession has got to stop for #2 to work. It used to be much easier to do walking meetings and walking calls, now every external call has to be on video and even internal calls there are plenty of people that subtly guilt you or assume you're not actually working if you have video off.

I'm about to start leaving video on with the phone in my pocket as I walk.

Re: Standing desk might be as bad as sitting all day

#77

Post by satvikpendem »

carlgreene wrote: post #20
0xEF wrote: post #6

Maybe 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

I saw this comment by the user smeej recently on Ask HN about your best purchases of 2024 [0]:

> Semi-recumbent stationary bike that fits under my standing desk.

> I've never been coordinated enough to get the hang of walking on the treadmill and typing, but pedaling slowly all day I can do! I've lost 45 lbs so far this year, and adding up the calorie estimate for each day (I've been tracking) and dividing by the 3500 calories people say are in a pound, about 20 of them have been from the bike! (The rest have been from hard work with a dietitian who helped me solve some longstanding issues, but that was more expensive.)

[0] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42080255

Re: Standing desk might be as bad as sitting all day

#79

Post by safety1st »

deprecative wrote: post #10
0xEF wrote: post #6

Maybe 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.

People need to stop expecting their employer to solve this problem, because they won't. They're not responsible for making you exercise.

The most efficient way to incorporate exercise into your day is to make it part of your commute. Walking, biking, taking the train etc. - different modes are viable for different locations.

If you choose a job where this is not possible, you're just going to have to make it up some other way - two hours per week in a gym goes farther than most people think if you spend that time well.

In many cases at least one of these options is available to people but instead of taking it they whine that the job itself is too sedentary. I don't have a lot of sympathy, there are far worse jobs for the body than sitting in a chair (or standing stationary, your choice!) all day.

If truly none of these options are available to you in your current job - find a new one if you value your health. So many people have chosen a job for the money or prestige and just ignored this element completely. Those are unhappy people on account of their own choice.

Re: Standing desk might be as bad as sitting all day

#80

Post by dmead »

grues-dinner wrote: post #50
dmead wrote: post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Lol did you just invent a terminal from the 1970s, but a cell phone?

Sounds like the hand terminals from The Expanse which you can flick onto any nearby display. Which I dearly would like to see, but the protocol and security implications make my head hurt.

It sounded like satire about dumb tech bros to me.
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