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What happens when you sit at a desk for 13 years and also exercise

deanproxy.com

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Re: What happens when you sit at a desk for 13 years and also exercise

#41

Post by deanproxy »

oyvindeh wrote: post #31

Recently, there was an article in New Scientist about this[1]. Basically, if you sit for more than 6 hours a day, one hour of exercise a day doesn't undo the damage. The solution is to get up and move around often, i.e. every ~20 minutes or so. Exercise is still good even if you stand/move around often. And standing all day also has its problems, like others have mentioned. [1] http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg2…

I do this as well. I guess I should elaborate on my 8-12 hour days. It's rare now that I will sit in the chair for more than an hour at a time. Not only due to my awareness of the issues that it causes, but also because it just helps me clear my head to get up and go talk to some people, walk around the office, etc...

This should be done if you have a standing desk as well.

Re: What happens when you sit at a desk for 13 years and also exercise

#43

Post by deanproxy »

eru wrote: post #29
omn1 wrote: post #6

I'm not sure about that. This guy has gone through some extremes. First he was standing 8 hours a day, no workout. Then he was sitting 12 hours a day, no workout. Then he got into bodybuilding using lots of machines which made him gain lots of muscles and finally he scales back to something I would call "normal": a healthy workout of 30min per day but... with some no-training gaps in between which can be several mont…

Where does it say that he used machines?

It doesn't. :) I use none. I workout in my garage with a pull-up bar, a heavy bag and a barbell.

Re: What happens when you sit at a desk for 13 years and also exercise

#44

Post by laichzeit0 »

jacquesm wrote: post #19
deanproxy wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I wouldn't call what I did or even what I do as "extreme". Far from it. Taking steroids and growth hormone is extreme. Lifting weights and enjoying it to the point where you want to better yourself at it? I don't see it as extreme. I also do not go several months without working out often. I did it during a shoulder surgery recovery and again earlier this year. I agree that is not a good idea, but life does get in th…

> Lifting weights and enjoying it to the point where you want to better yourself at it? I don't see it as extreme. I do. It is moving for the sake of moving rather than to achieve some productive effect. To me exercise is riding my to a place where I need to go rather than going by car if the distance is about right and the weather on the way out not too brutal. Walking, playing with the kids and so on. Lifting weigh…

If you feel like you're lacking energy it could be that you're not eating enough calories during the day.

I took up resistance training a few months ago and it required I increase my daily calorie consumption by about 500kcal. I only realized how little I was eating after using an phone app to meticulously record everything I put in my mouth on a daily basis for a few weeks.

Since I started it really forced me to learn a lot about human physiology (because you can injure yourself if you do it with bad form), nutrition (because I want lean mass gain and optimal recovery), I sleep more (recovery) and stopped smoking. There's an amazing euphoric feeling after a heavy weightlifting session when you've got a good pump going. It can be quite a "technical" sport once you start factoring in all these things. The actual process of lifting a heavy object is the easy/least time consuming part.

Just yesterday I completely changed my sitting posture after I was having trouble with my infraspinatus muscle (bad posture at the desk). Now I'm finally sitting up straight at work because it negatively affects my weight lifting if I don't. Man there are so many benefits...

Re: What happens when you sit at a desk for 13 years and also exercise

#45

Post by stevenwei »

deanproxy wrote: post #23
Amadou wrote: post #20

I once knew a guy who thought he could eat as much junk food as he wanted as long as he made up for it with "super-foods" (moringa MLM scam actually). Regular workouts don't decrease death risk if you're also a couch potato -- http://www.nbcnews.com/id/38385104/ns/health-fitness/ People who sit for most of the day are 54 percent more likely to die of heart attacks -- http://health.yahoo.net/experts/menshealth/most-da…

The problem is that there is no evidence that suggest standing in front of a computer screen helps at all in those situations as well. You're still stationary. You aren't moving. Moving your feet around below you to adjust the weight on your legs does nothing for your cardiovascular system. Unfortunately, as people who are tied to their computer screens for most of the day, we have very few options. One is to exercis…

Unfortunately, as people who are tied to their computer screens for most of the day, we have very few options.

Treadmill desks have been growing in popularity lately for this reason.

Re: What happens when you sit at a desk for 13 years and also exercise

#46

Post by singingfish »

oyvindeh wrote: post #31

Recently, there was an article in New Scientist about this[1]. Basically, if you sit for more than 6 hours a day, one hour of exercise a day doesn't undo the damage. The solution is to get up and move around often, i.e. every ~20 minutes or so. Exercise is still good even if you stand/move around often. And standing all day also has its problems, like others have mentioned. [1] http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg2…

yeah, my short attention span and inability to sit still is rather useful.

Re: What happens when you sit at a desk for 13 years and also exercise

#47

Post by aaron695 »

OK people it's pretty simple.

The scientific evidence is you can not undo the damage from sitting extended periods by exercise or anything else known.

Current scientific evidence is you can only not sit.

Like all things there is some science that says hey maybe it's not true but the trend is going towards not sitting.

Re: What happens when you sit at a desk for 13 years and also exercise

#48

Post by deanproxy »

taber1 wrote: post #37
deanproxy wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I had a physical by my doctor about 3 months ago, as stated in my writing. So, yes... "I'm healthy" was declared by tests from a doctor.

Then it's seems that it's working out for you and maybe that would be a "middle road" for us, desk-bound people. However we still cannot fully counteract the negative effects of sitting, to quote the article which I linked in my previous post: "Adding to the mounting evidence, Hamilton recently discovered that a key gene (called lipid phosphate phosphatase-1 or LPP1) that helps prevent blood clotting and inflammation…

That's certainly possible. There is no way to tell other than to give it a shot for yourself.

However, I will mention, I'm not blessed with great genetics by any means. I would say I am an average/below average individual when it comes to "good genetics". My entire family is riddled with health issues. My father died at the early age of 56 due to heart disease, his brother at 60. His father at 52. When I found I had cholesterol issues, this is what made me start my exercise routine, so I didn't end up like them. So far, it has helped me tremendously.

Re: What happens when you sit at a desk for 13 years and also exercise

#49

Post by oyvindeh »

deanproxy wrote: post #41
oyvindeh wrote: post #31

Recently, there was an article in New Scientist about this[1]. Basically, if you sit for more than 6 hours a day, one hour of exercise a day doesn't undo the damage. The solution is to get up and move around often, i.e. every ~20 minutes or so. Exercise is still good even if you stand/move around often. And standing all day also has its problems, like others have mentioned. [1] http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg2…

I do this as well. I guess I should elaborate on my 8-12 hour days. It's rare now that I will sit in the chair for more than an hour at a time. Not only due to my awareness of the issues that it causes, but also because it just helps me clear my head to get up and go talk to some people, walk around the office, etc... This should be done if you have a standing desk as well.

Clearing your head is important. Unfortunately, many people seem to forget that it is necessary. "The physiological effects of tiredness are well-known. You can turn a smart person into an idiot just by overworking him"[1].

Also: Getting out the door is good: Five minutes of "green exercise" turns out to be good for your mental health[2].

[1] http://money.cnn.com/2006/03/16/news/ecanomy/annie/fortune_a...

[2] http://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/pressroom/newsreleases/201...

Re: What happens when you sit at a desk for 13 years and also exercise

#50

Post by awjr »

I would strongly suggest anyone looking at this and saying they don't have the time to invest in this to also consider the mental benefits that exercise brings.

I don't feel I have time (which I know is wrong) and I particularly do not like gyms, but I cycle to work (2 miles) and on the way home I'll take a detour and add an extra 5-10 miles to my trip home. It clears the cobwebs. Cycling can be very meditative as well.

I am extremely lucky to be living in a place that allows me to do this on car free routes (Bath->Bristol cycle path and the Two Tunnels Circuit).

If you live within 12 miles (and potentially up to 20 miles) of where you work (about an hour of easy riding), you should consider 'building' exercise into your commute. Even if it's twice a week to begin with. Be crazy and park your car 5 miles from work and cycle in from there and build it up.

FYI before starting this I weighed about 310lb and have got myself down to 275lb within a year without focusing too much on what I eat.

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