Sitting comfortably? You won't be after reading this...

[donnay]

Sitting comfortably? You won't be after reading this: Cankles, constipation and even 'brain fog' - why we should all try to spend a lot less time on our bottoms

By Diana Pilkington

With many of us chained to a desk for hours a day before heading home to slump in front of the telly, we're spending much of our time on our bottoms.

And it's having an impact on our health, a growing body of evidence suggests.

Last month, for instance, it emerged that spending an extra hour sitting a day (for 13, rather than 12, hours) is linked to a 50 per cent greater risk of being disabled. And this was regardless of whether the participants - all over 60 - also did moderate exercise, according to the U.S. study published in the Journal of Physical Activity & Health.

Previous research has suggested spending too much time on our rear may be a new risk factor for illness and even death.

Here, the experts reveal what happens to our bodies when we sit for long periods...

LEAKY VEINS

That dreaded 'cankle' look isn't just unsightly - it may also be a sign that you need to get up.

'If you don't keep blood pumping out of your leg and back to your heart, you get high pressure all the time in the veins in the lower legs and feet,' explains Professor Mark Whiteley, consultant vascular surgeon at the Whiteley Clinic in West London.

'With the vein walls under pressure, some proteins and fluid may leak into the tissues, resulting in inflammation. You often see people who spend a long time at their desk with ridges on their skin from their socks. It's because they're not moving enough.'

This can also apply to slim people, as it is fluid, rather than fat, that causes ridges. Over time, the same problem can lead to brown stains and hardening on the skin, eventually leading to leg ulcers, says Professor Whiteley.

Reduced circulation in the legs can also raise the risk of blood clots, such as deep vein thrombosis (DVT). But most patients have other risk factors, too, such as age.

Wiggling your toes, getting up and walking every 20 minutes, or using an electric circulation booster - which administers small electric shocks to the feet - can help blood flow, says Professor Whiteley.


Those sitting for long periods may also want to wear flight socks.

Continued...

[green73]

http://www.artofmanliness.com/2011/0...tanding-desks/

[specsaregood]

//

[Root]

Hell yeah, move it or lose it.

[Eagles' Wings]

I've been using a standup desk for around a decade now; I don't think I could ever go back to sitting all day again -- it sounds absolutely horrible.

edit: here is the one I built years ago when I was living on an island with a distinct lack of building materials and tools. It did the trick.

Perhaps this will go on the "honey do" list. Very good looking desk.

[Acala]

I'm in the process of making a standing desk to sit on my regular desk at work so I can alternate standing and sitting. It is low tech - just a high platform for my monitor and keyboard. I will manually swap them back and forth as needed.

[TonySutton]

I made standing height work benches in my crafting room. Because I am no longer sitting while working on a project I found that I can easily move around and get things accomplished quicker. I also use the space underneath for storage of supplies and tools which is very handy. I did get a tall stool but have found I rarely use it. It puzzles me why people ever moved away from this style of work space.

[angelatc]

I think that standing at your desk also increases productivity.

I never got one, but I wanted one of the "chairs" where you kind of kneel instead of sitting, too. You kind of need somewhere to sit when clients come in, because it is awkward not to offer them a chair, and it is kind of rude to stand up while they're seated.

LIke this:

[donnay]

A yoga ball is great to sit at your desk too.



http://lifehacker.com/5830748/why-i-...-it-feels-like

I will say the yoga ball was great when I was in labor too.

[eduardo89]

My office:

[green73]

My office:

That looks a lot like Tommy Ho's set up.

http://pokerlifestyledesign.com/2011...fice/tommy_ho/

[eduardo89]

That looks a lot like Tommy Ho's set up.

http://pokerlifestyledesign.com/2011...fice/tommy_ho/

That bastard stole my pictures.

[tommyrp12]

I bought the book he sells, one of many. The stretches and exercises are great, just give them a try you will be hooked.
http://www.amazon.com/Instant-Health...+for+longevity


A Shaolin Temple Disciple At Your Office

[Todd]

My wife says that Sitting is the new Smoking in America. I try to get up every hour and move around.

[CPUd]

I'm planning a new workstation that will look similar to this:

[mad cow]

I try to get up every hour and move around.

I try to get up every 2 beers or so and walk to the bathroom.

[georgiaboy]

interesting stuff - looks like I just found my new year's resolution.

[donnay]

Bump for the night time crowd.

[Suzanimal]

A yoga ball is great to sit at your desk too.



http://lifehacker.com/5830748/why-i-...-it-feels-like

I will say the yoga ball was great when I was in labor too.

God Bless you, I would kill myself on that thing.
My laptop sits on my kitchen island so I stand or kind of lean with one butt cheek on a stool -the amount of leaning depends on how much wine I had at dinner.

[fr33]

My desk is where I sit back and relax after a day of standing.

[donnay]

God Bless you, I would kill myself on that thing.
My laptop sits on my kitchen island so I stand or kind of lean with one butt cheek on a stool -the amount of leaning depends on how much wine I had at dinner.

You would be amazed how easy it is to balance on it. It helps your back and puts less pressure on your legs. The chair is under $75.00 and the ball is under $25.00. Believe me it is a godsend when I was in extreme labor pains (natural child birth).

[Suzanimal]

Um, no thanks.

Forget Standing Desks. Hamster Wheel Desks Are What's Up



Here's more evidence that our workday really is a rat race.

Behold the Hamster Wheel Standing Desk by San Francisco-based artist Robb Godshaw and developer Will Doenlen. The creators say they built it as an alternative to the treadmill desk, and they even made their design instructions public, so you can build your own.
"The treadmill desk has become a fixture in a lot of Bay Area office scenes," Godshaw told The Huffington Post. "The issues with treadmills are that you don't set your own pace, and they're not interesting as furniture."

On the DIY-sharing website Instructables, the two posted directions for how to make the contraption. The wheel is 80 inches in diameter and is mounted on skateboard wheels; there is no brake on the wheel, which they insist will "really force the productivity out of the desk user." (You'll have to add your own straw-like water dispenser to go full-hamster.)

Asked if he thought the hamster wheel could catch on in the workplace, Godshaw said its future is now in the hands of anyone who wants to build their own.

...
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/0...ir=Health+News

[Acala]

Finished my standing desk. Works great!

[donnay]

Finished my standing desk. Works great!

Very nice.

[Natural Citizen]

Finished my standing desk. Works great!

Your pc wallpaper reminds me of how annoyed I am of constantly being fed "artist's conceptions" from NASA. It's all we ever get. You'd think that with all of the technology on board these spacecraft that they'd give us actual visuals. I mean, why wouldn't they? We're paying for it. Right? MAVEN just went into Mars orbit and all we get is an artist conception. Again. That thing has cameras on it. And I'm sure HD quality that can zoom in on a rock the size of a baseball if'n it wanted. But nooooo. Artist conceptions. That's what we get.

Ah well. Nice desk anyhoo.

[mad cow]

But nooooo. Artist conceptions. That's what we get.

http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap140921.html

[Dr.3D]

When I saw the thread title, I thought it was going to be about pooping.

[Acala]

Your pc wallpaper reminds me of how annoyed I am of constantly being fed "artist's conceptions" from NASA. It's all we ever get. You'd think that with all of the technology on board these spacecraft that they'd give us actual visuals. I mean, why wouldn't they? We're paying for it. Right? MAVEN just went into Mars orbit and all we get is an artist conception. Again. That thing has cameras on it. And I'm sure HD quality that can zoom in on a rock the size of a baseball if'n it wanted. But nooooo. Artist conceptions. That's what we get.

Ah well. Nice desk anyhoo.

My understanding is that it is a photo and not a painting.

http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/photos/im...m?imageId=2315

[Natural Citizen]

My understanding is that it is a photo and not a painting.

http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/photos/im...m?imageId=2315

Yeah, that one on your desktop is a panoramic made of genuine images. It has still been manipulaterd but real images none the less. As I said, I was just reminded of the phenomenon that we do generally get artist conceptions. Especially when it comes to the plantets and moons where these spacecraft are in actual orbit. Shouldn't need an artist conception if the thing is in orbit.

Maybe should go probably harass Massie about it if I see him in chat. Heh. That'd be a hoot alright.

[phill4paul]

<insert YouTube recognition of Beavis and Butt-Head jamming "Flushing The Log" to Judas priests "Breaking the Law." >

Can't find the YouTube. Did I and some friends just make it up while watching Beavis an Butt-Head in the long ago?

Flushing-the-log....
Breaking-the-law...

I'm sure it was the creators of the show. Then again...........