Your standing desk isn’t making you any healthier \ stacker news ~science

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Sitting for long hours is bad for our health. Standing up may not be much better, though. A large new study of more than 83,000 adults found that standing for more than two hours a day — as many people with standing desks do — didn’t protect against the cardiovascular risks of too much sitting.

Those hours of standing also turned out to have their own downsides, increasing people’s likelihood of developing serious circulatory problems, including varicose veins, abnormally low blood pressure and blood clots, compared with people who rarely stood.

Got a few colleagues who swear by the standing desk. I just like to be comfortable in my chair when i code and compensate my lack of activity at work with intense indoor biking and lots of walking. Good you know this might unintentionally be the right choice...

Do you have a standing desk? How do you get your daily activity?

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20 sats \ 0 replies \ @poe7645 10 Nov

I work in a machine shop, stand most of 10 hours a day on cement floors in front of work stations and by the time I leave walk about 10-15,000 steps between machines, the office, and the loading bay. I technically have a sitting desk in the office, but it's usually just to throw a program on my card and then back into the shop.

Can say I have terrible foot and joint problems sometimes, and often terrible lower back pain from being bent into a machine all day, but I think some of it is an arthritic issue. Although doing it for nearly two decades straight might also be taking it's toll 😂

10 sats \ 0 replies \ @nichro 10 Nov

I think the most important is, well, to do healthy movement and exercise outside of work.

But the second most important while sitting or standing long periods is to change position regularly. Maybe standing desks naturally encourage that by standing around. But some people (and I was guilty too) tend to get a comfy ergo chair, adjust it to their perfect position and then never touch it again. I think we're supposed to regularly readjust. Up and down, tilt and no tilt, arm rests, etc.

Not a doctor tho.

52 sats \ 1 reply \ @_stacktoshi 10 Nov

Everything in moderation. tl;dr, but I imagine there’s a sweet spot for standing while working, like 3:1 sitting to standing. We didn’t evolve sitting in chairs for 8 hours a day. When I had back problems a while back, the (sports medicine) doctor asked me how long my commute was. When I told him 45-60 minutes, he said that was way too long to be sitting down; I should pull over, get out and stretch. I don’t think I ever did that, but what I did do is eventually get out of that shithole city and bought myself a standing desk. I noticed an immediate improvement in my back health. No more spasms. No more being laid up in bed for a day.

Pretty anecdotal I know. I don’t get the hate towards these things though. It’s pretty fucking retarded to think a style of working influenced heavily by computer use is how everyone else must work. Chiropractors must be behind it. 😂

10 sats \ 0 replies \ @02a9a61fdc 10 Nov

Agree. For me its also about avoiding back and neck pain from sitting for hours. Being able to stand every now and then really helps. I´m thinking about adding something like this:

0 sats \ 0 replies \ @398ja 11 Nov

I don't know why but I find it easier to walk away for a break when on my standing desk. Not so much when sitting.

I start my day with 15 mins of stretching, then I go out for a 20 mins walk around the block. It's winter but I'll still go out in t-shirt, it's supposed to be good for your vascular system, and it's addictive too :)

0 sats \ 0 replies \ @chaoticalHeavy 10 Nov

This is good info. I know some people who stand all day. Here's the article's recommendation:

Try moving every half hour

The good news is that it’s easy to make things better. Just move, both Stamatakis and Ahmadi said. Stroll around your office for a few minutes every half hour or so. Take a break and hurry up and down the nearest stairs. Or slip in some discreet squats while you remain standing in place at your desk. Sit down, stand up, sit down and stand again. “Transitioning frequently from sitting to standing is a good idea,” Stamatakis said, “as there will be some muscular contractions while doing that.”

0 sats \ 0 replies \ @ShibatoshiNakamoto 10 Nov

It's bad we all know that naturally, but who cares? Huh? We all have a job mate and we have to sit for hours. Although, I try my best to stay active whenever I can!

0 sats \ 0 replies \ @denlillaapan 10 Nov

HAHAHHA OMG the irony here is fantastic.

All the companies and fiat employees and work-health blah-blah. And it was all for nothing??

Fucking shocker.

0 sats \ 1 reply \ @Satosora 10 Nov

My old company changed to standing desks, no one ever used them. They just cranked them down amd sat amd did stuff. Total waste of money.

0 sats \ 0 replies \ @_stacktoshi 10 Nov

I bet no one had a bad back, or they were too afraid to stick out. But yeah, just ask your employees if they want one or not.