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Maybe we need to, I dunno, rethink the way we work in general. Stop chasing silver bullets and admit that movement is medicine. Reading articles like this remin
by 0xEF 2y ago
Maybe we need to, I dunno, rethink the way we work in general. Stop chasing silver bullets and admit that movement is medicine. Reading articles like this reminds me of the people I've watched exhaust every possible option for weight loss save for mindful eating and exercise.
- deprecative 2y agoButts in seats is a very poor way to get productivity. It is, however, management enforced. Management only pretends to care about productivity. Until managerial ideology shifts we'll never bother. I think countries beyond the US have a much better prospect of doing this.
- sneak 2y agoQuite the opposite. The US has the strongest startup culture in the world; new companies with new founders are definitionally the places where new concepts are first implemented and tried.
- wongogue 2y agoEurope might be better but the eastern hemisphere (India, China, Japan) is worse.
- safety1st 2y agoPeople need to stop expecting their employer to solve this problem, because they won't. They're not responsible for making you exercise. The most efficient way to incorporate exercise into your day is to make it part of your commute. Walking, biking, taking the train etc. - different modes are viable for different locations. If you choose a job where this is not possible, you're just going to have to make it up some other way - two hours per week in a gym goes farther than most people think if you spend that time well. In many cases at least one of these options is available to people but instead of taking it they whine that the job itself is too sedentary. I don't have a lot of sympathy, there are far worse jobs for the body than sitting in a chair (or standing stationary, your choice!) all day. If truly none of these options are available to you in your current job - find a new one if you value your health. So many people have chosen a job for the money or prestige and just ignored this element completely. Those are unhappy people on account of their own choice.
- jltsiren 2y agoThis is not about exercise. Extended periods of inactivity are bad for your health, even if you are physically active. If the nature of your job is sedentary, you should interrupt the inactivity often enough. This is something all employers should accommodate. Either voluntarily, due to market pressure, or by regulation if more reasonable approaches fail.
- michaelt 2y agoEvery employer I've ever had, even doing factory and warehouse work, has split the day into circa-2-hour blocks, with a morning break, a lunch break and an afternoon break. When folks are working a production line the bosses have to coordinate it - but in an office there's more flexibility. And if someone in an office wants to skip their breaks to leave early, or have a larger number of shorter breaks, they generally have that freedom. Is this not the case everywhere?
- deprecative 2y agoMost people don't get meaningful breaks.
- deprecative 2y agoAtomic solutions to systemic problems obfuscate the core issue. Butt in seats in the US means you sit for about an hour to go to work then eight to nine at the office and another hour back home. Most people can't change their commute. Pedestrian infrastructure is simply not there. Public transit doesn't exist in most places. Your option is to drive or drive or drive. Get a new job that will require you to be in your chair in an office just like the last one. In many cases... Nope. Get out of your bubble.
- carlgreene 2y agoCompletely agree with you. However, what does this mean for a software engineer or anyone who must be in front of a computer for extended periods of time? I’ve moved to biking everywhere and daily walks with the dogs, but still have 8 hours where I’m mostly sedentary
- krior 2y agoTry to get movement in whenever possible. Take the stairs, pace around during calls (when you do not share an office). Get up and stretch between "work segments". And my favorite new tool: A skipping rope that I use whenever I feel too tired/ like my concentration is breaking / I do not want to do, what I currently have to do. (Mind you, there is a storage room big enough next to my office room that is right above the underground garage, so I will not disturb my colleagues.). Before that, I used to climb the stairs to the top of my office building (five floors) and down to "unfog" my mind and get some energy back.
- skirmish 2y agoI once got a bright idea to climb up the stairs to the 13th floor where our office was located. Once I got there, I found that doors can only be opened from the inside, so I climbed 13 floors down and took an elevator up again like a good little sheep.
- stocknoob 2y agoMy 2c if helpful: the solution was to question deeper assumptions. Why are you at a desk? Because you have to work 8 hours. Why? Because your job requires it. Why do you have that job? Because you need income to live. Is a job the only way to have income to live? (See: FI). Ultimately the root cause is not being in control of your time. It takes time, but once solved the downstream problems solve themselves. You can work (exert effort on goals you care about) in a way that prioritizes your health.
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- SoftTalker 2y agoNext fad: treadmill desks.
- EnnEmmEss 2y agoI actually tried doing that when I was stuck in isolation during COVID. Even when you go at low speeds, the constant movement messes with both your mouse movements and your typing. If you're aiming for that route, I would recommend an underdesk cycle you can use while sitting down instead.
- tmtvl 2y agoThe Torvalds Zombie Shuffling Desk does seem like it could be a hit.
- insomagent 2y agoI usually go out for a cigarette break a few times during the day, keeps me moving.
- blitzar 2y agoI tend to pop by the pub for a quick one at 11:30am when they open.