5 ms·

Of course if your intent is to be inactive then all bets are off. Even if you're not I don't think those little nudges are that effective. Personally I've been

Of course if your intent is to be inactive then all bets are off. Even if you're not I don't think those little nudges are that effective. Personally I've been working lying down for 20 years, almost all day, almost every day. I only have back problems when I use beds that are not very firm. I'm over 6 feet tall and weigh about 120 kg and I'm in my early 50's. I run 10kms (without stopping except for quick drinks) regularly, in 1:20. I can do bench press, shoulder press, lateral pull down, seated row and seated dip machines with the weight set to my bodyweight (about 4 sets of 8 reps each machine, ramping the weight). I actually don't do a lot of exercise on the scale of things, and I can regain the above abilities within a month or so if I become totally inactive for a long period. I'm actually a fairly large person which helps with the weights but makes the running pretty rigorous. Like most things, if you work your body regularly you will be fine. How you don't use your body when you're not exercising doesn't affect that.

sushid 6y ago
You’ve been lying down for the better part of the day for 20 years? What does that translate in terms of hours per day? 20 hours? 16?
GordonS 6y ago
Would you mind if I asked why you work lying down?
- che303 6y ago
  The idea was born because one of our inventors was rear ended on the freeway. He herniated L4-L5 and could no longer sit in a regular chair for more than 10 mins at a time or more than a few hours in a week. This included driven car so it was important to figure out how not to aggravate the injury while working.
  - Noumenon72 6y ago
    This worked out well for me also, keeping my back in stable condition until I eventually figured out I could cure it by deadlifting.
htfu 6y ago
For what it's worth I generally don't work laying down, am also around 6ft, weigh a lot less and would categorize your 10k pace as a brisk walk. Set some goals and you'll be below 100kg and 60min in no time.
- Mirioron 6y ago
  It's definitely not just a brisk walk. Walking at that speed for extended periods of time is likely going to be painful and most people probably couldn't do it.
  - deleted 6y ago
    [deleted]
  - matsemann 6y ago
    The average speed of 6km/h is so slow I don't think most people would be capable of running like that. So a brisk walk, or running with intermediate walking is probably a more apt description. Edit: pretty sure I read it as 1:40 hmm
    - frereubu 6y ago
      10k in 1h20m is not 6km/h on average, it’s 7.5km/h
      - quickthrower2 6y ago
        And no one has mentioned gradient
  - xwdv 6y ago
    The transition from walk to run occurs at about 13 minutes per mile. A 10km run in 1:20 is about 12 minutes 52 seconds per mile, which is extremely slow. This better be a recovery run or something, it’s barely enough to lift an average person out of a Zone 1 heart rate.
  - htfu 6y ago
mikenew 6y ago
There's evidence showing that exercise does not necessarily offset the damage caused by being sedentary all day. Running, lifting, etc. are good things for sure, but saying "if you work your body regularly you will be fine" is not a conclusion you should make at this point. https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/much-sitting-linked-heart-disease-diabetes-premature-death-201501227618 https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/much-sitting-linked-hear...
- nonbirithm 6y ago
  Is there any hope besides choosing to stand in any situation where we would normally be sitting for a prolonged period of time? I just got into a cardio routine for the first time in my life in the hopes of becoming healthier, and this has all but destroyed my optimism. If not even exercise and a good diet can save your life if you are still sedentary, then the advice should be clarified to also suggest sitting as little as possible. I ended up believing that checking both those boxes was enough.
  - mikenew 6y ago
    If you choose to start exercising you will improve your health, full stop. Being stuck in a chair all day isn't good, but there's no need to change your thinking about exercise. They seem to be two independent things. From what I've read (I'm no kind of expert, so don't just trust my interpretation), is that sitting can interfere with your blood circulation. It constricts blood flow to your legs, and when you're sitting you aren't contracting your leg muscles which is part of what helps move blood around your lower body. It's not so much that sitting itself is bad for you; it's sitting for so long without moving. So just... move around. I love having a sit/stand desk but if that isn't something you can do then just get in the habit of frequently getting up from your desk and walking around a bit. If you need to think about something, do it while you walk. Pretend you have a smoking habit and you need to get up for a cigarette every 20 or 30 minutes. Once you get used to frequently moving around you'll start to become sensitive to sitting down for too long. I can't sit through a movie at a movie theater anymore because I get this overwhelming urge to get up and move around.
- wing-_-nuts 6y ago
interfixus 6y ago
Make that 30 years, early sixties, and about 75 kg, and it's me, except I've always absolutely loathed running. I'm in fine shape, thank you, and my experience in general very much resembles yours.

sushid 6y ago

You’ve been lying down for the better part of the day for 20 years? What does that translate in terms of hours per day? 20 hours? 16?

GordonS 6y ago

Would you mind if I asked why you work lying down?

che303 6y ago
The idea was born because one of our inventors was rear ended on the freeway. He herniated L4-L5 and could no longer sit in a regular chair for more than 10 mins at a time or more than a few hours in a week. This included driven car so it was important to figure out how not to aggravate the injury while working.
- Noumenon72 6y ago
  This worked out well for me also, keeping my back in stable condition until I eventually figured out I could cure it by deadlifting.

htfu 6y ago

For what it's worth I generally don't work laying down, am also around 6ft, weigh a lot less and would categorize your 10k pace as a brisk walk. Set some goals and you'll be below 100kg and 60min in no time.

Mirioron 6y ago
It's definitely not just a brisk walk. Walking at that speed for extended periods of time is likely going to be painful and most people probably couldn't do it.
- deleted 6y ago
  [deleted]
- matsemann 6y ago
  The average speed of 6km/h is so slow I don't think most people would be capable of running like that. So a brisk walk, or running with intermediate walking is probably a more apt description. Edit: pretty sure I read it as 1:40 hmm
  - frereubu 6y ago
    10k in 1h20m is not 6km/h on average, it’s 7.5km/h
    - quickthrower2 6y ago
      And no one has mentioned gradient
- xwdv 6y ago
  The transition from walk to run occurs at about 13 minutes per mile. A 10km run in 1:20 is about 12 minutes 52 seconds per mile, which is extremely slow. This better be a recovery run or something, it’s barely enough to lift an average person out of a Zone 1 heart rate.
- htfu 6y ago

mikenew 6y ago

There's evidence showing that exercise does not necessarily offset the damage caused by being sedentary all day. Running, lifting, etc. are good things for sure, but saying "if you work your body regularly you will be fine" is not a conclusion you should make at this point. https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/much-sitting-linked-heart-disease-diabetes-premature-death-201501227618 https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/much-sitting-linked-hear...

nonbirithm 6y ago
Is there any hope besides choosing to stand in any situation where we would normally be sitting for a prolonged period of time? I just got into a cardio routine for the first time in my life in the hopes of becoming healthier, and this has all but destroyed my optimism. If not even exercise and a good diet can save your life if you are still sedentary, then the advice should be clarified to also suggest sitting as little as possible. I ended up believing that checking both those boxes was enough.
- mikenew 6y ago
  If you choose to start exercising you will improve your health, full stop. Being stuck in a chair all day isn't good, but there's no need to change your thinking about exercise. They seem to be two independent things. From what I've read (I'm no kind of expert, so don't just trust my interpretation), is that sitting can interfere with your blood circulation. It constricts blood flow to your legs, and when you're sitting you aren't contracting your leg muscles which is part of what helps move blood around your lower body. It's not so much that sitting itself is bad for you; it's sitting for so long without moving. So just... move around. I love having a sit/stand desk but if that isn't something you can do then just get in the habit of frequently getting up from your desk and walking around a bit. If you need to think about something, do it while you walk. Pretend you have a smoking habit and you need to get up for a cigarette every 20 or 30 minutes. Once you get used to frequently moving around you'll start to become sensitive to sitting down for too long. I can't sit through a movie at a movie theater anymore because I get this overwhelming urge to get up and move around.
wing-_-nuts 6y ago

interfixus 6y ago

Make that 30 years, early sixties, and about 75 kg, and it's me, except I've always absolutely loathed running. I'm in fine shape, thank you, and my experience in general very much resembles yours.