This Sunday in the New York Times, I read an article about how sitting is going to kill us all. Well, kill us sooner. The article said that studies had shown earlier mortality and increased risk of heart disease and other health problems among people who spend much of their days sitting down. Even those who "balance it out" by exercising vigorously when they're not sitting are not safe from the deleterious effects of their bottom-bound hours. Since I spend most of my days at work sitting and then come home and sit some more, and tend not to exercise vigorously, the article got me worried. I had long felt that sitting down all day in front of a computer was no good for people. I typically end the day feeling at least a little stiff and hunched-over, and sometimes have a headache from too much slouching and staring. So I decided to be proactive. I quickly rearranged my desk at work, moving the monitor higher and grabbing a few spare laptop stands to stack atop each other thus raising the height of my keyboard. Then I stood up to work. It's not perfect, but I noticed an immediate improvement in my awareness of things outside of my computer screen. I also noticed more energy and confidence. That was yesterday. Today, day two of the standing desk experiment, I more noticed that my back, feet, and knees were tired, and that every chance I seized to sit down was a blessed relief from standing. On the plus side, when lunch rolled around, my food tasted better than it had in a long time, I think because of my increased appetite. And I ended the day with fewer stiff muscles and no headache, so it's still a net improvement over sitting. Also, I got to startle and amuse my coworkers to no end, which is worth something. I'm going to give it another go tomorrow, maybe with more comfortable shoes, and see how it goes!
