Michael Stuart Kelly Posted December 27, 2013 Share Posted December 27, 2013 Sitting Too Damn Much I don't know about you, but the greatest portion of my waking life is sitting. I spend long hours on the computer and reading books. I have noticed that I get cramps and creaky feelings when I sit for too long, but I also notice that I hate like hell to interrupt what I am doing to take a short break. That last is my lizard brain in control. Once it is in a safe spot, it likes to stay there. And it takes the rest of me with it. So to get through to ole' crocky and get it to accept the habit of periodic breaks, I need to attack it from different directions. Information is a good start for someone who works mostly with information. Here's a great video put out by an ergometric furniture manufacturer on posture. (Incidentally, this is in my opinion the best long-term marketing plan: selling through education.) Office Posture Matters: An Animated Guide from Flikli on Vimeo. I looked up the furniture company--Varier--on Amazon and saw that it's products are pretty expensive. For example, the cheapest one I could find for adults was Varier Variable Balans, The Original Kneeling Chair at a little under 400 smackaroonies. (But guess who's starting to save for one? ) Also, Rich Schefren, an Internet marketing guru I am now studying, made a suggestion in a lecture I watched. He said when you take a break, try to go outside and get some sunshine on you. Even if it's only a minute or two. There's a deep biological thing going on with this. I started doing it and I can feel the tug of approval from the primitive part of my brain. It likes sunshine after a spell of none. This is actually making it easier to adopt the habit of frequent breaks. I hope I am not bullshitting myself. But I don't think I am. I really do feel this stuff. Food for thought for the deep sitters on OL. Michael Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PDS Posted December 28, 2013 Share Posted December 28, 2013 I use a standing desk at work and for my amateur painting hobby. I'm a big fan of avoiding too much sitting. I don't think you're bs'ing yourself on this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Backlighting Posted December 28, 2013 Share Posted December 28, 2013 A few yrs ago my back pain went away thanks to my doc. He had advised me, when sitting, to tighten the abs, sit straight up and get my shoulders back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Selene Posted December 28, 2013 Share Posted December 28, 2013 I use a standing desk at work and for my amateur painting hobby. I'm a big fan of avoiding too much sitting. I don't think you're bs'ing yourself on this.Donald Rumsfeld not only stood at a lectern and ate lunch standing up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikee Posted December 28, 2013 Share Posted December 28, 2013 Absolutely not BS. Recent articles call sitting "The new smoking". Exercise every day cannot counter hours and hours of just sitting. Get up and move around every half hour. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robert Baratheon Posted December 28, 2013 Share Posted December 28, 2013 I use a standing desk at work as well. The adjustable kind is the best, so you can alternate between standing and sitting. Standing keeps me much more alert and engaged - if it's better for my health, then that's a bonus as well. When I used to sit for most of the day, I would drink water in small sips from a glass. This would force me to get up regularly to refill the water or use the restroom - again, if better for my health, another bonus. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PDS Posted December 28, 2013 Share Posted December 28, 2013 I actually got the idea from Rumsfield. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PDS Posted December 28, 2013 Share Posted December 28, 2013 Rumsfeld. Not literally. I read about Rumsfeld. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellen Stuttle Posted December 28, 2013 Share Posted December 28, 2013 Google search on "Victor Hugo wrote standing up" - link.From an article called "The Peculiar Habits of Writers at Work," by Genevieve Brown:linkHere we learn that Victor Hugo wrote standing up, Calvin wrote in bed, Schiller put his feet in hot water, and Dryden "often had himself bled."And an article titled "Who Wrote at Standing Desks? Kierkegaard, Dickens and Ernest Hemingway Too" - link.The first comment:Cat says . . . | October 3, 2013 / 7:21 amand Victor Hugo too ! while Albert Einstein worked at a standing desk as wellEdit: I don't find verification for the statement that Einstein worked at a standing desk. He worked out equations at a blackboard, but I didn't find anything about his using a standing desk.Ellen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moralist Posted December 28, 2013 Share Posted December 28, 2013 I spend a fair amount of time at the computer and my current approach to this issue is to intersperse kettlebell exercises with my sitting, and to sit straight without leaning against the back of the chair. It has done wonders for my back! Greg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonathan Posted December 28, 2013 Share Posted December 28, 2013 Get yourself an iPad and a membership to Snap Fitness. Set the pad on the console of a treadmill or stationary bike, and walk or pedal while you work/read/web browse.J Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dldelancey Posted December 30, 2013 Share Posted December 30, 2013 A large exercise ball like the type used in Pilates makes an excellent ergonomic chair and won't break the bank. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moralist Posted January 4, 2014 Share Posted January 4, 2014 A large exercise ball like the type used in Pilates makes an excellent ergonomic chair and won't break the bank. (from the old TV series "The Prisoner" with Patrick Mcgoohan) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Selene Posted January 4, 2014 Share Posted January 4, 2014 A large exercise ball like the type used in Pilates makes an excellent ergonomic chair and won't break the bank.Start Position for All Levels. Kneel on mat in hinge position with back of body resting on ball, one foot flat on mat with knee bent, other leg bent with toes of foot curled under.Essential. Inhale: press body into ball and extend spine back over ball. Exhale: circle arms out to sides and return to start position. Repeat 3 times each side. Cuing: Use ball as support for weight of body, and relax over ball.Intermediate. Inhale: extend front knee and push back over ball. Repeat 3 times each side. Cuing: Keep good pressure through foot on floor to maintain balance.Advanced. Inhale: add full extension of body over ball. Repeat 3 times each side. Cuing: Keep abdominals engaged while body extends over ball. Be careful not to drop head back. Keep neck in line with thoracic spine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikee Posted June 17, 2015 Share Posted June 17, 2015 Lew Hollander is pretty amazing: http://www.lewhollander.com/index.htmLearned about him in Ross Enamait's article."Hollander has only three firm rules when it comes to diet.“One. Eat desert first, because life is uncertain. Two. There are no old, fat people, so watch your calories. Three. Without chocolate, life is darkness and chaos.” Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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