Poll: Standing Desk or Exercise Ball Chair
After reading this article http://health.yahoo.net/experts/menshealth/most-dangerous-thing-youll-do-all-day I am determined to change my workplace setup. It looks like the 2 most popular options on HN are standing desk or exercise ball chair. What would you recommend and why?
12 comments
[ 0.22 ms ] story [ 39.6 ms ] threadStanding desk is more expensive but probably more effective.
my back doesn't hurt from sitting anymore and my arms and wrists are in much better ergonomic positions as well (i used to do some ergo design as a manufacturing engineer).
i think there are tremendous psychological and physiological benefits. i'm more focussed, i'm more satisfied, and i feel like i'm getting more done (obviously all subjective). i haven't found my attention drifting at all in the last few weeks, and have not once thought to myself, "damnit, just get back to work." if i get distracted, or need to think about something, i just walk around a little. i'm not stuck in a chair-jail. i also keep a soccer ball nearby, and find i'm often dancing a little when music is on. wonderful.
just got an ergo mat to go under my feet. should make a big difference as well. i'm still not done setting it up. i've been stacking boxes at different heights to test locations for the keyboard and mouse. i'm close.
once you take your desk apart and setup a standing desk, you are forced to use it. this is much different than an exercise ball which you can easily ditch for your chair-jail.
here's my setup:
anti-fatigue mat http://www.amazon.com/Sublime-Imprint-Anti-Fatigue-Comfort-N...
monitor wall mounts http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001DKMO0A
adaptor to run extra externals from my macbook pro http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002GHBW4S
At first I sat in the morning and stood in the afternoon. This is great to avoid feeling sleepy after a big lunch.
After a few months I feel I am standing up straighter, can tolerate standing all day and often prefer it. I feel it has strengthened my posture.
Sometimes however I like to switch to sitting - sometimes I associate sitting with a certain kind of focus.