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The Benefits of a Lunch Hour Walk

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Re: The Benefits of a Lunch Hour Walk

#31

Post by Symbiote »

stegosaurus wrote: post #14
Symbiote wrote: post #13

Working at a botanic garden[0] definitely has its advantages :-). By the summer I aim to have thoroughly explored the opposite end, which I've neglected as it's 20 minutes walk from my desk, with three big glasshouses in between. (What are the guidelines on mentioning jobs in comments? As we've just advertised four developer positions...) [0] http://www.kew.org/

I would very much appreciate information on this; notably I would be interested in any junior positions that might be available. I've scanned the site but only managed to track down two positions so far. Many thanks!

They're listed under "Science" on the careers website, which isn't obvious — we have nothing to do with the 'business' IT of HR and finance systems.

Three positions are primarily software development jobs — there's no requirement for any knowledge of botany etc, but we want to make good, stable software. The first is a junior position, a recent graduate is fine.

1. Biodiversity Informatician: https://careers.kew.org/vacancy/biodiversity-informatician-2...

2. Senior Biodiversity Informatician: https://careers.kew.org/vacancy/senior-biodiversity-informat...

3. Lead Developer — Drupal: https://careers.kew.org/vacancy/lead-developer-drupal-208862...

The fourth is a new kind of role in the biodiversity informatics / development team, since it's focussed on research. I think that means the software is allowed to be a kludged together bundle of scripts so long as it's novel and can have papers written about it. (We all do this kind of thing sometimes, but have usually either set it aside, or turned it into a production system. It's been rare to write a paper about it.)

4. Early Career Research Fellowship — Biodiversity Informatics: https://careers.kew.org/vacancy/early-career-research-fellow...

I hope that helps!

Re: The Benefits of a Lunch Hour Walk

#33

Post by laichzeit0 »

nether wrote: post #16

I wish I was fat and trying to lose weight so that I could fast and walk. Instead, I'm skinny and bulking and need to stuff myself sick during my precious hour of freedom. I sit alone at my desk with my office door closed.

I see people downvoting, but what you're saying is the truth. If you're trying to put on weight, e.g. building lean muscle, you have to eat at a caloric surplus. You're probably lifting weights so you need to eat maintenance + calories burned during workout + 200 or so more cals just to be in a surplus. You're probably eating 3 meals during work alone (mid morning snack, lunch, mid afternoon snack). That's at least 30-45 minutes eating time alone if you force it down. There's not much time to go for "walkies".

Re: The Benefits of a Lunch Hour Walk

#34

Post by brlewis »

I've seen a lot of "walking is good for you" articles; I've worked at Fitbit for over a year. The interesting thing about this one for me was how the researchers used smartphones to make a mood study more tenable.

Re: The Benefits of a Lunch Hour Walk

#35

Post by zkar »

larrydag wrote: post #32

I highly encourage this advice. If you want to have a little gaming fun while you are out for a walk try this https://www.ingress.com

It appears the game works only in a high pedestrian areas like downtown SFO with defined landmarks. Does the game work if you are in a suburban office with walking trails around ponds?

Re: The Benefits of a Lunch Hour Walk

#36

Post by strathmeyer »

megablast wrote: post #21
walkamages wrote: post #7

I was just remarking to a colleague today how beneficial a lunchtime walk really is. The walk provided: 1. Fresh air 2. Exercise 3. A chance for the eyes to change focal range from the fixed distance of the shitty monitors work provides. 4. A chance to take a brief phone call from a recruitment agent to discuss a better job 5. A chance meeting of an old colleague I had not seen for nearly twenty years as he also took…

Depends where you are. If you are outside a big city in the US, then you can't even walk anywhere unless you like walking on roads and highways.

You think if there are fewer roads that you are forced to walk along them??

Re: The Benefits of a Lunch Hour Walk

#37

Post by Gargoyle888 »

Gustomaximus wrote: post #3

Shifting the topic slightly, but I've trying to encourage colleges to do walk-and-talk meetings when your not really going to be using a computer/AV equipment (and it's only one or 2 of you). I cant seem to get traction. It seems people are just so used to going to a room and sitting there it seems to foreign to do otherwise but I think it would be a good culture shift if we could do this more.

I hate the walk-and-talk idea.

I've been walking at lunchtime for over 10 years. For some reason, co-workers think they're being friendly and companionable when they come along. I hate hearing the cheerful: "Hey I'll come and walk with you."

NO. That's my time to be away from you guys. I use that time to think about what I have to do in the afternoon, what I need to include in the report that I'm writing, how I'm going to fix the sticky door in the basement, or what I'm going to get for my wife for her birthday. I don't want to discuss the merits of partially deflated footballs.

I find that I have to sneak out the door when nobody is looking.

Re: The Benefits of a Lunch Hour Walk

#38

Post by TheCoelacanth »

Gargoyle888 wrote: post #37
Gustomaximus wrote: post #3

Shifting the topic slightly, but I've trying to encourage colleges to do walk-and-talk meetings when your not really going to be using a computer/AV equipment (and it's only one or 2 of you). I cant seem to get traction. It seems people are just so used to going to a room and sitting there it seems to foreign to do otherwise but I think it would be a good culture shift if we could do this more.

I hate the walk-and-talk idea. I've been walking at lunchtime for over 10 years. For some reason, co-workers think they're being friendly and companionable when they come along. I hate hearing the cheerful: "Hey I'll come and walk with you." NO. That's my time to be away from you guys. I use that time to think about what I have to do in the afternoon, what I need to include in the report that I'm writing, how I'm goi…

I think the suggestion is to turn your meetings into walks, not to turn your walks into meetings.

Re: The Benefits of a Lunch Hour Walk

#39

Post by freehunter »

laichzeit0 wrote: post #33
nether wrote: post #16

I wish I was fat and trying to lose weight so that I could fast and walk. Instead, I'm skinny and bulking and need to stuff myself sick during my precious hour of freedom. I sit alone at my desk with my office door closed.

I see people downvoting, but what you're saying is the truth. If you're trying to put on weight, e.g. building lean muscle, you have to eat at a caloric surplus. You're probably lifting weights so you need to eat maintenance + calories burned during workout + 200 or so more cals just to be in a surplus. You're probably eating 3 meals during work alone (mid morning snack, lunch, mid afternoon snack). That's at least 3…

The downvotes are probably because of the "I wish I was fat so I could fast and walk". Both fasting and physical exercise are activities that are not fun when you have to do them. No one wakes up in the morning and says "yay I'm glad I'm fat so I can not eat things and work out!" They stop eating and start working out for the sole purpose of not being fat anymore.

As it was worded, it's a huge slap in the face to anyone who is overweight. It sounds like the parent is glorifying being overweight. Being underweight must suck too, but it can't make you feel any better when a fat person says "I wish I was as skinny as you so I could eat everything and just focus on bulking up" when you're trying to force yourself to do those things, likely to the point of physical illness.

Re: The Benefits of a Lunch Hour Walk

#40

Post by cafard »

strathmeyer wrote: post #36
megablast wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Depends where you are. If you are outside a big city in the US, then you can't even walk anywhere unless you like walking on roads and highways.

You think if there are fewer roads that you are forced to walk along them??

I assume that he means along as in "on the roadway" rather than "along" as "following the road, but on a sidewalk".
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