The Smithsonian Discusses Health Benefits of a Standing Workstation

I just spotted this article by Joseph Stromberg from last year about the health benefits of standing while you work. Having lapsed for some reason (was it because I was distracted by my mom's long hospital stay last winter?), I am reminded to get up out of that chair again and am currently installed at my standing workstation once again.

There seems to be some pretty strong evidence now that standing (for many reasons) will help you to lose weight. And in fact, the summer I started to stand, I suddenly lost ten pounds. Now, I was being pretty careful about what I ate, but there was a time correlation between the sudden drop and the standing.

If that isn't convincing enough... well, there's also that reduced risk of death.

Currently playing: Soundtrack of Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge.

Washington Post Warns About Hazards of Sitting

I'm still at this standing workstation thing (give or take a few fairly long lapses). A new piece in the Washington Post today on The Health Hazards of Sitting confirms it's a good idea – if my hip flexors weren't already enough evidence...

Back On My Feet

In the summer of 2011 I had to move out of my office to make room for the renovators who were pushing a wall over to create space for a bathtub in the adjoining bathroom (this is the kind of thing you have to do when you live in a 109-year-old house). I spent the entire period from Victoria Day to Thanksgiving working at the kitchen table. The upside was that I finally got to design my office just the way I like it (as in the photo). The downside? I abandoned my standing workstation, which I'd been using for almost a year.

I'd been meaning to set things up to work on my feet again for the longest time, but just somehow never got around to it... until this past weekend, when I spotted a copy of Macleans at my mom's place that featured an article called "Why Sitting is a Dangerous Health Threat" by Kate Lunau. Just skimming it made shivers run up my spine, especially the part about how exercise doesn't undo the damage caused by prolonged sitting.

Want more evidence? Have a look at Adam MacDowell's 2011 article for Canadian Business titled "You Better Stand Up For This".

Believe it or not, the biggest barrier was that the cord for my printer didn't reach to the laptop when I was using the standing workstation. (Dumb, eh? Or you'd think I could bother to activate the cordless function? Yeah, right.) But as soon as I addressed the problem, I found I own a gorgeous high-tech looking USB extension cord. Problem solved.

I've been working at the standing work station for the past three days, and I'm glad I made the switch again. Now if I could only get back on track with those spin classes!

Currently playing: "El Durazno" by Diego Marulanda.

Still Standing

Well, a couple of months later and I'm – like Stonehenge – still standing. After about a month I decided to change it up. No point giving myself varicose veins by standing too much. The point is to achieve a healthy balance, after all.

While I was still standing all day, every day, I found that changing shoes, or taking off my shoes for an hour or so, really helped reduce leg fatigue. Sometimes I put a book under the balls of my feet, or my heels. I still try to make conscious choices as to whether to balance weight equally on both legs, or to shift to one leg or the other.

These days I normally stand until I start to feel tired; then I sit for a while. The interesting thing is that now, if I sit for more than about 90 minutes, I become aware that my hips are stiff and sore, and I want to stand up to work.

I've also improved my diet and lost a little weight over the summer, so it's hard to tell what effect the standing is having, but I generally feel a lot better: better digestion, less aches and pains, more energy than when I started. I'm going to keep this up.

Now playing: "Bukra Wba'do (Tomorrow and the Day After)" by Pink Martini.

Photo by jdurham, Morguefile

Multitasking from a Standing Workstation

I discovered a creative multitasking possibility for the standing workstation when Jonathan called home to ask me to handle dinner as he was snowed with pre-G8/G20 summit work. I ran out to pick up ingredients for a simple beef stew and threw them together. Normally I don't like to leave a pot alone for too long, but I also wanted to continue my work day. So I brought my paperwork down to the kitchen and paid bills standing at the counter while keeping an eye on the stew. After all, counters are designed to be the right height to work at while standing, right?

Now playing: "Maria" (Spanglish version) by Ricky Martin.

Tips on a Modified Standing Workstation

A youngish colleague of mine reports that she seldom sits down to work because she has hip problems and experiences swelling in the legs, ankles and feet. Her favourite seat (and many journalists would agree) is a bar stool.

She works at a bar-height counter, half sitting on the stool while standing on one foot. She says this solves her leg problems, and that she thinks it works because at least one leg is always stretched out. She also points out that the height of the seat is important; it has to be low enough that one foot comfortably reaches the ground. I think I may put this on my to-try list.

Now playing: "Oblivion" by Quartango.

Benefits of a Kneeling Chair as an Office Chair

At the beginning of my search for the best office workstation, I started using a kneeling chair, which has been my most common office chair for most of the past 20-odd years. I think they're great for backs, and I suspect they alleviate some health risks because they don't keep the body so folded up in the middle.

I would guess I've gone through four or five of them since the first I ever used, dubbed "the engagement chair" by the good person who first gave it to me, and to whom I was at that date engaged – a path not ultimately taken. But I digress.

It's only in the past few years that I began to feel the kneeling chair was getting hard on my knees. I think this might be partly because of cumulative problems relating to sitting down so much, and as much connected with hips as knees, if you follow. So I guess what I'm saying is that I heartily endorse kneeling chairs, but that I suspect sitting all the time is still not a good idea.

Now playing: "Sweet Dreams", Oscar Lopez.