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.

Apparently Too Much Computer Time is Bad for You (!)

The Daily Telegraph recently reported on a study of the health of professional gamers, who spend as much as ten hours a day online, have "the reactions of fighter pilots but the bodies of 60-year-old chain smokers".

On Day Five of my campaign to stop sitting down all day, I must say it's affected my sleep. I've crashed a couple of hours earlier than usual the last few nights, and slept really soundly. This can't be a bad thing.

Now playing: "Crazy" by Snoop Dogg.

Photo by Ofdoom, Morguefile.

Benefits of Using an Exercise Ball as an Office Chair

Day 4. I usually wake up with very stiff, sore hips and lower back, but this morning there wasn't much stiffness and little pain. Of course, my feet were a little tender.

It occurs to me that I have been seeking alternatives to the traditional office chair for at least 20 years. I did spend about two years or so sitting mainly on an exercise ball, which I enjoyed until the ball eventually stopped holding air and I got rid of it. Many people tout the benefits of sitting on an exercise ball, which some claim will give you abs of steel and so on. I certainly didn't receive that particular benefit. I did however find that I tended to move around a bit more. In particular, I tended to bounce up and down slightly and rotate my hips, which was probably a good thing.

I also thought it was funny, and I believe laughing is almost always beneficial.

Oddly, there seems to be some concern that people may injure themselves by falling off the ball. As a not-particularly-athletic person, I'm here to say that particular risk is negligible in most cases. But the ball still allows you to slouch, and unless you're consciously moving around, you can still ending up spending much of the day with your hips locked in an L shape. But switching from chair to ball and back would at least have the benefit of variety, another plus.

There's quite a bit of online debate about the benefits of sitting on an exercise ball at work, and I suspect the official jury is out. I'm certainly not convinced that an expensive exercise ball chair would be worth more in the long run than a simple ball, which can be had for $20-$40 at drugstores and other outlets.

Currently playing: "Tam Tam Kébando" by Camara Aboubacar. Very good for tired knees.

Photo by Adria Richards on Flickr.

Why I'm Standing Up

Earlier this year a colleague circulated an article about the risk of deep vein thrombosis to people who sit down a lot at work. I figured I didn't have a lot to worry about. But then I saw an item on the CBC television news about severe health risks to anyone who habitually sits for more than two hours at a time. Well, it's not unusual for me to spend as much as 16 hours on the computer in one day, and many of my favourite recreational activities (movies, reading, knitting, dining out, TV) are also sedentary. So I got scared and decided to see whether I could make a change.

So here's stage one: the makeshift standing workstation. Notice it's adjustable (just add or subtract photo albums and atlases of the world as needed.) I've been using it for two days now, and it doesn't seem to affect my work at all, but my feet are a bit sore and I went to bed remarkably early yesterday.

I find it helps to play bouncy music (currently: "Fire in Me Wire" by Calypso Rose), because then I remember to move around a bit. Also, I'm grateful I have a decent pair of Reeboks from Winners.

I've also been figuring out how to avoid sitting for other activities. How about this one: standing up while watching TV? I watched a World Cup game yesterday while standing, and it went just fine. Then last night I stretched out on the floor to read a book and found it really comfy. However, my sweetie Jonathan treated me like a crazy person, as if he'd caught me shaving my head or giving myself a home tattoo.

This may end up being one of those one-post blogs, but I thought it might help me keep up with this if I posted about it, even occasionally. Let's see how it goes.