Throughout school, when I played sports (football, rugby, karate, track, you name it) all the time and generally moved a lot, I felt indestructible, and I was pretty good too. Since I left school in 2005, and started sitting for most of the day, my body has gradually developed aches, weakness, and immobility - both shoulders are impinged, I get pain in both of my knees (especially when sitting and squatting) which I think is due to some sort of patella tracking issue (I’m currently waiting on x-rays for this), my glutes/upper hamstrings ache not long after I sit down (there doesn’t seem to be enough muscle covering my sitting bones, which is quite obvious as some of the more old fashioned in my family used to say I had the ass of a black man), my hamstrings are tight, and it hurts to stretch them, my posture when sitting is not ideal, I have difficulty keeping my chest up when squatting, and getting into an overhead squat position with anything other than a broomstick is pretty difficult.
Believe it or not, I have tried to remedy this with stretching, foam rolling, blah, blah, blah, but now I am convinced that the only way to fix these issues is to not sit down so much. This is, in my opinion, the reason why folks (incorrectly) say squats are bad for your knees. Well, yes, if the rest of your body is so dysfunctional that you can’t perform it properly, then you probably will end up with painful knees like mine. The problem isn’t the movement though.
My mentality has changed so much since leaving school, that I no longer want a job that will use the qualifications I spent so much time on my ass studying for. I seriously wouldn’t mind throwing all my electronics (and chairs) out the window. This would probably bring more satisfaction than using them ever has. Once I’m finally done studying, I will probably pursue a major lifestyle change which adheres to the following principle: Time spent seated <<<<<<<<<< time spent on feet. \rant.
I love my standing desk but I can’t use it all day every day. I need a break. Especially if I worked my legs in the morning.
Some things that I think lead to a better time with a standing desk would be:
Transition slowly. Try standing for one hour and then go back to sitting. Next week stand for two hours or two one-hour blocks of time. Try standing in the morning and sitting down in the afternoon or vise versa.
Make sure everything is at the right hight. I’ve only ever used makeshift standing desks (I work from home) so I’ve been able to get the hight exactly right. Make sure you take into account hands, elbows, shoulders, head, and eyes.
Use a mat and comfortable shoes. I have a yoga mat folded in thirds that I stand on but I need to upgrade to an anti-fatigue mat.
Something to put your feet on. A box, a cross bar, a paint can, it doesn’t matter. Putting a foot up every once in a while can ward off fatigue and keep things more comfortable.
Move around. Standing is better than sitting, but moving is better. All the same things that people have mentioned in this thread should be done when you’re at a standing desk: Walk around when you’re on the phone, get some water, go to the bathroom, squat, do band pulls, etc.
Since I work from home I don’t often wear shoes (otherwise what’s the point, right?) but I’ve heard other standing desk users swear by a good pair of Running/Walking shoes. Even those weird rounded Skechers. I actually find my flip flops work great so maybe it’s like a mattress where some people prefer soft and comfy while others like it firm and supportive…
I think everyone should give it a try, even if you’re just setting your laptop on a shelf, or stacking cardboard boxes on your desk. It’s better to know if you like it before you spend thousands on a sweet standing desk with a treadmill that you’re not using 2 months later. But even using my standing desk about half the time makes a difference from my hips up to my neck.
[quote]usmccds423 wrote:
Just got a standing desk at work to avoid all this. [/quote]
Is that a sit/stand or pure standing desk? I’d be very interested to here how this is working out.
I’m tempted to ask for one but my work would never shell out for a sit/stand desk and I’ve heard bad things about pure standing desks (apparently humans are not meant to just stand still anymore than we are meant to sit down)…[/quote]
Standing still does have its own disadvantages as well. Blood will pool in the lower extremities and can cause varicosities if you don’t walk around every now and again. It’s probably in the company’s best interest to provide workers with ways to mitigate pain since an employee leaving on disability costs huge amounts in missed work, hiring someone new, training someone new, etc, which all easily cost more than a sit to stand desk.
[quote]Young33 wrote:
Now I say office workers, but this can pertain to anyone who sits for the majority of the day(in my case, being a student). I am 21 and in nursing school. I previously played college hockey and now that that is over I focus on lifting weights, so I have never been out of shape and definitely am not now. But, when I am in class for hours on end on my long days of the week, my knees and hips absolutely ache.
So, I wonder how some of the people who sit like that every day for work can stand it! What do some of you guys do to help your knees and hips when sitting for long periods of time?[/quote]
OP, does your school have a trainer’s office? While in school, I discovered that I could get a massage/electrotherapy/ice bath/heat pad - for free - from the interns. It was pretty great, I would go after class and before practice. Definitely worth checking into.
Now, I just alternate sitting and standing. I have a desk for both.
[quote]usmccds423 wrote:
Just got a standing desk at work to avoid all this. [/quote]
Is that a sit/stand or pure standing desk? I’d be very interested to here how this is working out.
I’m tempted to ask for one but my work would never shell out for a sit/stand desk and I’ve heard bad things about pure standing desks (apparently humans are not meant to just stand still anymore than we are meant to sit down)…[/quote]
It’s a sit/stand (motorized).
I got the V3.
[/quote]
Nice. Desk envy a whole new category of human envy.
Work a brutal low paying construction job with an asshole boss screaming at you. Then sitting at desk in climate controlled office doesn’t seem so bad.
I work at a desk and I didn’t actually have any problems with sitting a long time until I took up lifting. Having gone through some breaks in lifting due to injuries has reinforced the idea that sitting isn’t what causes my hip flexors to misbehave but lifting is. Ive come to accept that I will have to keep lacrosse balls stashed in my desk, in the gym at work and all over my house.
YMMV.
That said, when my problems were at worst, I was a programmer which meant I would get deeply engrossed in my work for long periods of time without moving and this obviously made things worse. I have a different desk job now that is more on the phone or in meetings or video conferences and I just naturally move around a lot more and get up to talk to people in person more. For long calls I have hands free headset that I can go fetch coffee or just get up and move around.
As for desk jobs in general, I don’t think you can make a general statement about monotony boredom etc. My job has changed drastically over the years but I still have just a desk job. I have had some horrible desk jobs that I quickly left behind. What made them suck had nothing to do with sitting at a desk and everything to do with the lack of a challenge and shitty company culture.
I worked in a manufacturing plant long ago and if you want to know what a shitty soul sucking job is I point you to that! On your feet and moving but throwing yourself in front of the net forklift is appealing to not have to spend another moment counting widgets and putting them in a box with the biggest joy being when the fucking tape reel jams so you get to unjam it.
[quote]Captnoblivious wrote:
Work a brutal low paying construction job with an asshole boss screaming at you. Then sitting at desk in climate controlled office doesn’t seem so bad.
(nothing against the trades btw)[/quote]
I would still rather do construction than a desk job. But, for me this is only an issue while I’m in school, as I am in nursing school and will be a firefighter/medic/nurse. So, once I am out of school, prolonged period of sitting and not moving will not really be a concern to me
I work in an office job, although I spend most of the day moving around and usually don’t spend longer than 15 minutes at once sitting down.
My issue is that I have to wear dress pants, that I have tailored, and I find that movement is very limited in them. Sometimes when I pick things up of the floor(i.e.; a pen), I have to be careful that I don’t stretch my pants too much and cause a rip. There is no way in the world I could squat in a pair of dress pants. So even though I can move throughout the day, I still feel my movement is limited.
Anyone can recommend a material or maybe even a particular cut of dress pants that allow better moment during the day?
[quote]theBird wrote:
I work in an office job, although I spend most of the day moving around and usually don’t spend longer than 15 minutes at once sitting down.
My issue is that I have to wear dress pants, that I have tailored, and I find that movement is very limited in them. Sometimes when I pick things up of the floor(i.e.; a pen), I have to be careful that I don’t stretch my pants too much and cause a rip. There is no way in the world I could squat in a pair of dress pants. So even though I can move throughout the day, I still feel my movement is limited.
Anyone can recommend a material or maybe even a particular cut of dress pants that allow better moment during the day?
[quote]spar4tee wrote:
I certainly want to avoid ever doing it again.[/quote]
whats your experience?
[/quote]
I just found it boring and unfulfilling to put it mildly. The culture just wasn’t my style, and I didn’t really care much about what I was doing. I have since gone into business for myself. Once I finish college, I’ll probably never work for someone else ever again.[/quote]
Thats a though row to hoe, but if you can do it, personally , I think its totally worth it.
[quote]debraD wrote:
I hear good things about these:
[/quote]
Thanks for the link, but they look a little too casual for work. I need pants that provide the freedom of a tracksuit, but look like dress pants.
Check out some of Under Armour’s stuff theBird. I’ve got a couple pair of their dress pants and they’re pretty comfortable and are somewhat dressy. I wear them to work w/out issue, but we are pretty casual here (I’m wearing Cabela cargo pants & a polo today).
[quote]theBird wrote:
My issue is that I have to wear dress pants, that I have tailored
[…]
Anyone can recommend a material or maybe even a particular cut of dress pants that allow better moment during the day?[/quote]
Maybe ask your tailor?
Also, since you’re close enough geographically to Hong Kong, there are probably a number of good tailors nearby that you could get a couple pairs of truly custom tailored/custom made pants for relatively cheap.
Obviously depends on how much you’re willing to pay and how much you care, but getting custom made pants may be a viable option for you.