I’m going to start standing-sitting while working. Got a desk that can do it. Was curious how it has affected other people.
I got one of those balance boards that uplift sells, it’s actually kind of fun
If you have back problems, get a wide desk, a smaller desk to place on one side, set up two workspaces for one computer, and place a treadmill under the one where you can stand.
Then alternate between sitting and walking with timers. I recommend 10 minutes of walking, 30 minutes of sitting, rince and repeat. Your back issues will be as much as cured, and you’ll also not have to worry about heart problems because you’ll essentially be walking a few kilometers every day.
If you can’t sit for 30 minutes, 10 min walking and 5 minute sitting works just as well. Just don’t walk for too long at a time. 10-20 minutes is a good amount. If you’re fine with just standing, I still r ecommend alternating. Don’t stand for more than 30 minutes at a time.
If I didn’t have this setup I would have been without a job right now. Absolutely recommend it.
I dont think I have back pain yet. I feel it some times when i focus on it. I dont have a big space but I can easily switch my setup standing-sitting. I dont have space for treadmill either but my work allows me to take 20mins break easily every hour or so. I plan on walking for 10-20min wherever i find myself.
It’s great. Legit so good. Not only for the back but also productivity. It helps me concentrate better if I stand for like a hour in the morning and evening each.
I got double hernia from working on the computer. I started doing exercises and got this chair called spinalis and was good ever since.
Made a big difference honestly. Used to work in an office where I sat for 8hrs a day and my back/legs would go numb after awhile. Went all in on an ergo set up during COVID. Sit-stand desk, split keyboard, vertical mouse, etc. I figure if I use them more than 40 hrs a week and they prevent some form of RSI or back-pain, it’s worth it.
Also, the other half of the equation is stretching, yoga, and walking. If I have to wait 5 min for something to run, I’ll do a quick stretch while waiting.
I like having the option to sit or stand, myself, but I’m very active physically so the negative effects of sitting all day are largely muted.
Science behind this is fun. Apparently, standing for 8 hours straight is even worse than sitting for eight hours straight, but put a little walkpad under the standing desk and you’re good to go, as long as you don’t fall over or something.
Anyone got recommendations for great/solid under-desk treadmills?
At least where I am at, under the desk treadmills are against health and safety regulations and very frowned upon by your local health and safety committee.
It’s because most of the blood return to your heart is passive. The heart pumps OUT through the arteries pretty hard, but the blood finds it’s way back through the veins whenever it feels like it, it just can only go one way because the veins have valves along the way that prevent backflow. A lot of the pressure that actually gets the blood back comes from the contraction of the nearby muscles squeezing the blood up past the valves. So especially if you’re standing with your legs all the way down there from your heart, most of the work to get the blood back up is going to come from your calves and thighs flexing.
My A&P teacher very cheerfully illustrated the point by telling us there’s actually one animal that does have valves in it’s arteries.
spoiler
It’s the giraffe! It has valves in the artery going up it’s neck to help keep up enough pressure to get the blood all the way up to it’s head!
We had a guy at one of my old jobs who was trying to get a not guilty by reason of insanity charge because he was facing a life sentence for something he didn’t want to spend that time in prison for (the only time it’s worth it). Unlike most guys however, instead of faking, he actually drove himself insane! He was actually fine coming in, just had some (dubious) suicidal ideation but perfectly cognitively intact. But the doctor wasn’t buying the suicidal thing after a week or two so he started staying awake for weeks on end then slept for weeks on end, soiled himself constantly, refused to eat then binge ate. Just went absolutely feral until he really was.
One of the things he did for a while was refused to lie down at all. Just stood completely still in the hallway staring at the wall. Did it for weeks. Started to look like a candle melting down into his feet until they began to split open and weep interstitial fluid. Anyway the point is we started having to chase him around the unit a little. You’d go just stand next to him and bug him a bit until you got him to walk a little because we needed to start stimulating some blood return. I forget how that story ended he may have still been there when I finally had it with that place and left.
Bro, I thought you were describing your co-worker!
My job is a combination of office and hands-on tasks. My desk is sit-stand but I never raise it. I get up and walk around when I need a break from sitting at my desk. Sometimes I walk a lap around the building. Sometimes I walk up the stairs, then down again. Me and my coworkers like doing squats as a greeting when we pass each other in the corridors. (Nobody shakes hands after the pandemic anyway)
I have an electric standing desk (converts in seconds) and imo it’s extremely overrated and doesn’t actually do anything.
The science behind this is extremely unconvincing other than “standing is fun sometimes” which is great but you shouldnt force yourself if it doesn’t work for you.
What actually works - raise your monitor, lower your keyboard, get a vertical mouse, get a ergonomic keyboard with a track point, get compression socks if you’re older and do some yin yoga / stretching. These things actually work. Just listen to your body as you can feel the exact strain and discomfort if you actually pay attention to it.
Also posture is not harmed through idle poses, you don’t want to keep your back straight at all times - that’s stupid. Main enemy of posture and all muscles is strain and this is fixed by stretching and exercise not standing with a straight back.
I listened to some ergonomics person in the office and stood at my desk for years. Now I have a varicose vein. Which it seems might be caused by standing too much. Thanks, ergonomics person.
You forgot one thing…stand up and walk around even for a few minutes every few hours.
I have the same, and I mostly got it to be able to make minor height adjustments while sitting, but now I love it.
I only stand for a few hours of work, but it’s a major comfort difference to me compared to the office.I would think this would be the key aspect of the standing sitting desk. Being able to move positions all day long.
I don’t understand why everybody seems to want motorized desks instead of stool-height office chairs.
High stool?
Whatever you call something like this:
Edit: Herman Miller calls it a “drafting stool.”
Mr Handy?
This is just a chair but fewer foot rest options.
It’s a chair tall enough to use at the same height as a standing desk.
But doesn’t it defeat the purpose of a standing desk?
No, why would you think that?
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With a fancy motorized sit/stand desk that’s all the rage these days, you either sit at it in a regular chair with the desk at its low setting, or you hit the button and wait for it to lift to its high setting so you can use it while standing.
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With a fixed standing-height desk and a high drafting stool instead of a low normal chair, you use the desk while standing, or you sit on the stool and use the desk (again, still in that same high position) while seated.
IMO, the latter has a bunch of advantages:
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It’s quicker to transition between standing and sitting because you don’t have to wait for the motor
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It’s cheaper because you don’t have to buy a desk with a motor in it
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There are no extra moving parts to break
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You can cable-manage your computer cables without having to leave extra slack to accommodate the desk moving
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You can wall-mount your monitors to reduce desk clutter, since they don’t have to move, whereas with a motorized desk you’d have to use a regular monitor stand or a monitor bracket that clamps to the desk top
Ok so you’re saying get a high chair and a high desk instead of an adjustable desk. Sure I suppose it depends on cost then.
However the high chair when being sat on has fewer posture changes possible than the low chair. I would still go for that.
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I have never had a job where I spent the majority of my working time sitting. I really have nothing to compare it to.
Same here. I’d reckon most people do not sit or even stand idle at their jobs. I’d fucking kill to bitch about my posture from sitting at home all day.
Sadly, you’d be wrong. In a country where many are too lazy to wash their hands, there’s a lot of crossover with being too lazy to exercise.
I used to weigh 350 pounds. What precipitated my weight loss was noticing that, when I got up from my chair, my hips would have to get right (sorry, that’s the best way I can explain it) before I’d be able to walk to the copier or go to the rest room. It was a huge early warning sign.
I had a standing desk at my old job and liked it a lot.
So when a desk riser came up at an op shop for $20, I snapped that up.
I tend to have the desk up when I’m gaming or studying, and lowered if I feel like I just want to chill and watch some YouTube.
However I wasn’t aware of the sit-stand technique, so I may give this a go!
Pilates for 20mins a week fixed my bad desk posture.
There’s an alternative missing in all these graphics: Feet not on the ground.
If your feet are on the ground for hours and hours your heart will be in trouble to pump the blood back up all the way. It’s even worse with standing. So see to that your feet are not on the ground, rest your legs on some support under the table, sit cross legged (it’s feasible even in office chairs) and take every pose that’s not feet in the ground.
Your venes and your heart will thank you.
Damn that’s not great to hear. I have to stand all day, I don’t have much of an option lol
I wouldn’t be too worried if you have ordinary cardiovascular health. If your heart has to put in non-trivial work to get the blood up from your legs, I would recommend more exercise.
Just spend a few minutes with your legs above your head each day, and you’ll be fine. I usually just lie on my bed with my feet up on the wall after stretching. Sometimes I also end up taking a nap, which is nice.
Standing for hours is counteracted by a few minutes of this? Is that really true?
luckily lying in bed is option for me. I ll be doing standing-sitting-walking-lying.
Slow motion planking, nice.
understood, installing pull up bar to avoid feet touching ground, alternatating between pull ups and sitting like a furry with feet above the desk.
Compression socks do help though
For me it’s a difference but I’d say it’s minor as for as what I can truly tell. I’m more comfortable now that I can sit or stand when I want. Sometimes I’m restless so being able to stand and easily move while I work feels good.
