Re: Stand

1

I stand for 8-10 hours a day. Why is standing limited to four hours?


Posted by: D. Rumsfeld | Link to this comment | 05-17-11 9:31 AM
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2

Amen. As a friend says, we were born to move and stand, not to turn ourselves into tripods staring at screens.


Posted by: Robert Halford | Link to this comment | 05-17-11 10:28 AM
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3

Yeah, I've been wanting a stand-up workstation for a while now.


Posted by: Megan | Link to this comment | 05-17-11 10:29 AM
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4

At what date did people in the west stop reading and writing standing up by default? I suspect some time in the 18th century, but certainly pretty recently in the greater scheme of things.


Posted by: chris y | Link to this comment | 05-17-11 10:33 AM
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5

Jolie O'Dell can kis my fact, sedentary ass with her fucking scaremongering.

If sitting at a desk was that "dangerous", we would've seen huge decreases in average life expectancy over the past fifty years.

Funnily enough, the opposite is the case.


Posted by: Martin Wisse | Link to this comment | 05-17-11 10:33 AM
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6

If sitting at a desk was that "dangerous", we would've seen huge decreases in average life expectancy over the past fifty years.
Because, of course, nothing else has changed over that time period.


Posted by: Eggplant | Link to this comment | 05-17-11 10:51 AM
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7

5.1 gets it right. I always hate the "doing X increases your risk of Y by Z%!" warnings that don't state what the initial risk of Y is. Going outdoors increases my risk of getting struck by lightning by a gajillion percent! Better not ever go outdoors!


Posted by: essear | Link to this comment | 05-17-11 10:55 AM
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8

6: Maybe HFCS is really a life-extender, but the effect got washed out because everybody was sitting down.


Posted by: Moby Hick | Link to this comment | 05-17-11 11:01 AM
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9

I love the infographic about sitting at 135°. If you're going to jeopardize your life, for the love of god don't sit at 70° or 90°.


Posted by: heebie-geebie | Link to this comment | 05-17-11 11:05 AM
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10

I once sat at 80 degrees and I died.


Posted by: Moby Hick | Link to this comment | 05-17-11 11:10 AM
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11

Still, I also have a standing desk that I now use when I can, which isn't very often because I don't have a computer on it.


Posted by: Moby Hick | Link to this comment | 05-17-11 11:11 AM
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12

9: 135 degrees is lethal in short order. Even more so if it's Celsius.


Posted by: togolosh | Link to this comment | 05-17-11 11:37 AM
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13

Can the negative effects of sitting be countered by squirming around like a toddler on corn syrup? Because if so, I'm good.


Posted by: Eggplant | Link to this comment | 05-17-11 11:39 AM
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14

12: Or Kelvin, for that matter.


Posted by: Jesus McQueen | Link to this comment | 05-17-11 11:43 AM
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15

Standing desks, paleo diets--the obsessions of middle-aged Gen-X nerds continue to emerge.

It strikes me that if you should stand up to work, then your office cubicle can become more of a cuboid, thereby saving valuable company real estate. Thank you for your cooperation.


Posted by: Gonerill | Link to this comment | 05-17-11 11:47 AM
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16

13: I'd have to google for them, but I have seen a fair number of pop-health articles lately claiming that fidgeting keeps you slim and fit.


Posted by: LizardBreath | Link to this comment | 05-17-11 11:48 AM
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13: I drink a lot of coffee, so in addition to bouncing my legs like a grand mal seizure, I stand up and dash to the restroom at regular intervals all morning long.


Posted by: apostropher | Link to this comment | 05-17-11 11:50 AM
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18

16: A couple of people I work with have replaced their office chair with a big inflated rubber ball. I think the idea is that you must fidget to stay at your seat.


Posted by: Moby Hick | Link to this comment | 05-17-11 11:51 AM
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19

16: Research I'm too lazy to google shows that a full bladder actually helps with focus. No joke.

18: It works the muscles of your core as you adjust to avoid falling on your ass. It's good for your back. Unless you fall off. You should discourage this practice by sneaking up behind them and popping their balls as they work. The big rubber ones.


Posted by: togolosh | Link to this comment | 05-17-11 12:03 PM
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20

If only Eichmann had known about this, he could have saved a lot of sturm und drang by just making all the Jews and Gypsies and homosexuals and leftists sit at 70 degrees all day. Think of what a public relations boon that would have been to the Nazis!


Posted by: Natilo Paennim | Link to this comment | 05-17-11 12:05 PM
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21

I'll just note that comment 5.1 is self refuting.


Posted by: Robert Halford | Link to this comment | 05-17-11 12:07 PM
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22

Everyone talks about sitting and standing, as though there aren't other alternatives. Myself, I plan to work lying down from now on.


Posted by: text | Link to this comment | 05-17-11 12:43 PM
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23

Speaking of sitting, I had to vote today and while at the polls there was a guy sleeping on a folding chair. He was really out of it, maybe because of his perfect 135 degree angle. On my way out, I joked, "Is that the poll watcher?" The people at the table shook their heads in a barely perceptible "yes" and were trying to wake the guy as I left. I've either been an asshole or helped maintain an important check on electoral integrity.


Posted by: Moby Hick | Link to this comment | 05-17-11 12:47 PM
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24

22: You rejected hanging from gravity boots without even thinking about it, didn't you?


Posted by: LizardBreath | Link to this comment | 05-17-11 12:48 PM
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25

As a friend says, we were born to move and stand, not to turn ourselves into tripods staring at screens.

I presume he wanted to say we were born to keep bending down to gather food and to do other things while squatting. I'm waiting for the squatdesks that regularly go through phases requiring their users to stand up and bend down to type every word.


Posted by: teraz kurwa my | Link to this comment | 05-17-11 12:49 PM
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26

Ideally, I'd like a laptop that periodically extends its legs and runs away from me.


Posted by: Eggplant | Link to this comment | 05-17-11 12:52 PM
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27

I'm waiting for the squatdesks that regularly go through phases requiring their users to stand up and bend down to type every word.

No fancy required up-and-down phases that I'm aware of, but there are people who prefer squatdesks. I think if you squat at them for hours a day do tend to do some up-and-downing on your own, just to keep comfortable.


Posted by: urple | Link to this comment | 05-17-11 12:52 PM
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28

Following through some of the links, the studies seem to be more about sitting vs. not sitting (that is, work that includes being on your feet and moving, not just standing) than sitting vs standing still. Is there any study about specifically standing still at a desk?


Posted by: fake accent | Link to this comment | 05-17-11 12:58 PM
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29

It wouldn't be hard to do -- you could compare to people working cash registers or other customer service counter jobs.


Posted by: LizardBreath | Link to this comment | 05-17-11 1:05 PM
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30

Ideally, you'd have a double-blind study. Every morning, after the participants punch in, you'd drug them and put them into box behind the counter or desk. You'd keep the lower body numbed and hidden in the box while the upper body did the work.


Posted by: Moby Hick | Link to this comment | 05-17-11 1:10 PM
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31

29 Or compare seated supermarket clerks with standing ones.


Posted by: teraz kurwa my | Link to this comment | 05-17-11 1:26 PM
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32

That study sounds like the exact kind that proves to be worthless. If they just tracked some people for some long period of time, and looked at whether or not they sit and some control variables, then they're just going to miss some confounding variable that drives the result. You pretty much have to do an experiment where they have no choice whether to stand or sit. (The customer service worker idea is clever, but people are still choosing -- to a certain extent -- what kind of job they have, which could be driven by some confounding variable.)


Posted by: Walt Someguy | Link to this comment | 05-17-11 1:37 PM
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33

25 -- she, and I've seen her do 1000 squats in 30 minutes, so I think she's on board with that.


Posted by: Robert Halford | Link to this comment | 05-17-11 1:37 PM
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34

I have a pooping desk.


Posted by: Sifu Tweety | Link to this comment | 05-17-11 1:39 PM
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35

You should put a diaper on it.


Posted by: heebie-geebie | Link to this comment | 05-17-11 1:40 PM
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36

gravity boots, kinky.


Posted by: text | Link to this comment | 05-17-11 3:10 PM
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37

A couple of people I work with have replaced their office chair with a big inflated rubber ball. I think the idea is that you must fidget to stay at your seat.

I am a compulsive fidgeter with a recurring lower back ache. The people at my work would probably have fits if I replaced my chair with a rubber ball, however.


Posted by: Jackmormon | Link to this comment | 05-17-11 4:14 PM
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38

What is he on about now?


Posted by: text | Link to this comment | 05-17-11 4:27 PM
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39

37: One of the people sitting on the rubber ball at my office is a doctor. I think he sit on the regular spinning stool when he sees patients.


Posted by: Moby Hick | Link to this comment | 05-17-11 4:52 PM
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40

I've been standing about 50% of the time at work for over a month now, and I don't hate it. Well, that's not true, I hate my job, but not the standing part of it.

Also, who is medicalbillingandcoding.org? They seem to be responsible for all of the cool infographics these days, but their website looks ... off. Like someone SEO'd all over it.


Posted by: emdash | Link to this comment | 05-17-11 5:23 PM
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41

I hate my job

Noooo, you love your job!


Posted by: Sifu Tweety | Link to this comment | 05-17-11 6:00 PM
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42

I hate my job in May. And most of June. And some of April. The rest of the time it's not too bad.


Posted by: emdash | Link to this comment | 05-17-11 6:03 PM
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43

Luckily it's still March, apparently!


Posted by: Sifu Tweety | Link to this comment | 05-17-11 6:05 PM
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44

More to the point, one time I was on a road trip with some friends, and we passed a sign in Walker, CA that read "Dance-A-Thon" and pulled a U-Turn and checked it out. Everyone was so charmed that these greasy college kids were coming to their small town dance-a-thon, which was to raise money for prom, that they didn't even ask us to chip in. The kids seemed bored, two-stepping and line dancing and what-have-you, and I crept up to the DJ booth and told him to put on "Stand" by R.E.M. and he did and all the kids got really excited and danced and that's how I saved the dance-a-thon.


Posted by: k-sky | Link to this comment | 05-17-11 6:35 PM
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45

Admiral Spruance, victor of Midway, had a stand-up desk when he was chief of staff of the Pacific fleet, allegedly so that no one would get comfortable in his office during meetings. I can only infer that Spruance didn't have chairs for guests, either.


Posted by: bill | Link to this comment | 05-17-11 6:38 PM
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46

I've seen a lot of "infographics" lately produced by MedicalBuildingAndCoding.org, which, when you go to that site, is totally spammy advertisements. Presumably this is part of an attempt to game the google rankings.

Probably not wise to take ergonomic advise from spammers.


Posted by: Spike | Link to this comment | 05-17-11 6:51 PM
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47

44 is not more to the point, in fact it's less to the point, but it an awesome story.

No more of this five dollar dollar bills, y'all, I'm going to end every story I can from now on with "And that's how I saved dance-a-thon!"


Posted by: Jimmy Pongo | Link to this comment | 05-17-11 6:52 PM
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48

Standing for hour after hour can get a little old if the carcass that is standing exceeds six feet in height or around two hundred pounds in weight slim elegance.


Posted by: Flippanter | Link to this comment | 05-17-11 7:02 PM
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49

in fact it's less to the point

What is the title of the post? What is the title of the song? Most to the point.


Posted by: k-sky | Link to this comment | 05-17-11 7:10 PM
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50

49 is correct. Also, we need a post titled "Spam."


Posted by: fake accent | Link to this comment | 05-17-11 7:12 PM
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51

found an old podium, and took it to my office,

A banner day at Post-Apocalyptic U.!


Posted by: JP Stormcrow | Link to this comment | 05-17-11 8:02 PM
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52

Just wait until after the Rapture.


Posted by: teofilo | Link to this comment | 05-17-11 8:12 PM
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53

Dear Diary: The sanctimonious prick in the next office got raptured today and so I got his real wood bookcases. Very sturdy--they'll last a lifetime!


Posted by: JP Stormcrow | Link to this comment | 05-17-11 8:22 PM
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54

No more of this five dollar dollar bills, y'all

Well if you've lost interest in $5 bills, I'll send you my address. I'll gladly relieve you of any unwanted excess.


Posted by: chris y | Link to this comment | 05-18-11 12:21 AM
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55

But saving a dance-a-thon is morally wrong. Let the kids sit down already!


Posted by: Walt Someguy | Link to this comment | 05-18-11 12:33 AM
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56

Speaking of dance-a-thons, they shoot horses don't they? At least the ones who aren't standing. More evidence of how deadly not standing can be!


Posted by: M/tch M/lls | Link to this comment | 05-18-11 5:14 AM
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57

||

Obamacare!

Emergency Rooms Closing

In 1990, there were 2,446 hospitals with emergency departments in nonrural areas. That number dropped to 1,779 in 2009, even as the total number of emergency room visits nationwide increased by roughly 35 percent....

Conditions in emergency rooms may be worsened by the new health care law, several experts said. The law will expand eligibility for Medicaid, the government health plan for the poor. Often beneficiaries turn to emergency rooms for care, because many physicians do not accept Medicaid payments, said Dr. Sandra M. Schneider, president of the American College of Emergency Physicians.

Well, expand the coverage, but increase costs to providers and cut the funding, which was Obama's plan all along. Obama turns entitlements into subsidies, and then waits for Republicans to cut the subsidies, and then Obama blames Republicans, and gets another campaign check from FIRE.

And poor people die.

|>


Posted by: bob mcmanus | Link to this comment | 05-18-11 6:31 AM
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No more of this five dollar dollar bills, y'all, I'm going to end every story I can from now on with "And that's how I saved dance-a-thon!"

Comments to this post:
http://www.slate.com/id/2293889/

taught me that "and then I found 5 dollars" isn't just an unfoggedism and that 'cool story, bro" comes from zoolander:

Cool Story, Hansel!


Posted by: lemmy caution | Link to this comment | 05-18-11 2:36 PM
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59

I did get bad tendonitis from sitting at a desk all day.

Also my optometrist always recommended looking away from the computer to give my eyes a break (plus wear mild reading glasses to prevent further myopia). I think that they suggest some stretching.

I doubt that I'll live longer, but I feel more energetic if I follow this advice, and my eyes don't feel as strained.


Posted by: Bostoniangirl | Link to this comment | 05-18-11 4:46 PM
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40: Sorry to hear that. I thought you liked it--especially the benefits. I hate mine too.


Posted by: Bostoniangirl | Link to this comment | 05-18-11 4:48 PM
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I do wonder the extent to which this research applies to people who engage in highly skilled sitting.


Posted by: urple | Link to this comment | 05-20-11 7:54 AM
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