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Standing desk might be as bad as sitting all day

sciencealert.com

131–140 of 230 posts

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

#131

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That essentially reads to me as "you can't both be focused on computer work and be active enough to be healthy" Break my concentration EVERY 20-30 minutes to move around for at least 2 minutes? That's at least halving my productivity. It's a total non-starter. It's the sort of advice that everyone pays lip service to, but almost no one is actually able to follow.

> That's at least halving my productivity. That is bold claim, and I struggle to believe it. Are you writing from the perspective of "flow"? In my experience, the people who talk the most about "flow", are the ones who are trying to avoid communicating with teammates / managers.

in my experience, the people complaining about others not communicating enough are insecure extroverts that just can't stand the sound of their own thoughts and just need constant approval from others in the form of attention.

schedule a meeting once a week and we'll catch up. if you're stuck, send me an email and I'll get back to you when it won't interrupt my own work.

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

#132
post #96

The whole thing is bad. We're chimpanzees chained to desks and they're trying to figure out if it's the chair that's killing us.

Humans are nothing like chimpanzees physiologically. Homo sapiens has a semi-aquatic mammal build.

"semi-aquatic mammal build"

That's one way to insult someone as a stranded whale.

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

#133
post #63

Here's an article [1] from a few years ago from Cornell ergonomics researchers that is still relevant the discusses the pluses and minuses of both sitting and standing desks. Here is their recommendation: > Sit to do computer work. Sit using a height-adjustable, downward titling keyboard tray for the best work posture, then every 20 minutes stand for 8 minutes AND MOVE for 2 minutes. The absolute time isn’t critical…

That essentially reads to me as "you can't both be focused on computer work and be active enough to be healthy" Break my concentration EVERY 20-30 minutes to move around for at least 2 minutes? That's at least halving my productivity. It's a total non-starter. It's the sort of advice that everyone pays lip service to, but almost no one is actually able to follow.

I have yet to buy one, but a walking pad under my height-adjustable table should allow me to do all those thing at the same spot while I keep working.

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

#134

If we’re not supposed to sit more than 10 hours a day, and not supposed to stand more than 2 hours then how are we supposed to spend the other 4 hours when we’re not sleeping? I can’t imagine being on a treadmill or exercise bike for than length of time

Running, walking, climbing, pushing, pulling, carrying and shagging.

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

#135
post #121

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Humans are nothing like chimpanzees physiologically. Homo sapiens has a semi-aquatic mammal build.

Perhaps we should transition to in-office swimming pools with floating desks

Comedy Central landed on that solution six years ago: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TwQRXSvgm5o

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

#138
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.

I usually go out for a cigarette break a few times during the day, keeps me moving.

I tend to pop by the pub for a quick one at 11:30am when they open.

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

#139
post #96

The whole thing is bad. We're chimpanzees chained to desks and they're trying to figure out if it's the chair that's killing us.

Humans are nothing like chimpanzees physiologically. Homo sapiens has a semi-aquatic mammal build.

The aquatic ape hypothesis is pseudoscience. Humans are adapted for long distance running and throwing.

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

#140
So, sort of motivated by reading that many other people seem to experiment with standing desks, I installed a standing terminal at home. Used it sporadically (so only an hour at a time or so) for a few months. Then, my right foot developed a very painful problem. Dragged that with me the whole winter. When I went to the doctor, they didn't find (suprise!) any cuases. Took me 8 months to recover my right foot totally. Lessons learned: Forget about the new trendy alternative craze, its likely just bullshit.
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