It's been a while since my last Standing Desk update and I thought it was time to let everyone know about this little experiment and my outcomes:
Basically, this has been a big success.
As I mentioned, my neck and back issues have gone away - they weren't huge to begin with, but they're completely gone to the point that I didn't even remember them till I looked at the previous posts to see where I left off.
Sore feet are not quite a thing of the past, but it seems that factor has a lot to do with the physical activities of the previous day or two. And that's acceptable. I am considering a mat for the floor, though, just to alleviate a bit of the soreness that does come up from time to time.
My only question is whether to get a normal padded mat or a pebbled mat of some kind with a texture to it. I've discovered that a simple walk relieves foot soreness, but that situation is even more improved if I walk on something with some terrain to it. Case in point: if I walk down to Goodale Park here in Columbus for a stroll, there's a section of sidewalk where the city or whoever has put in this sort of raised sidewalk made of uneven bricks. I have no clue what it's used for, but it's there, and it feels great to walk on.
And so I wonder if a textured mat to sort of tread softly on whilst I work would be the best thing or if a simple padded mat would do it. Or... if I could try to find some sort of combo of the two. That'd be ideal, though my employer would only pay for the padded one they can get from our office supply company.
Anyway, I muse away about my feet. Of course, I've been wearing minimalist shoes the entire time as that's pretty much all I own any more, so all these experiences are without the aid of padded soles of any kind. I tend to bop around a lot at the desk now - going up on tiptoes now and again, rolling my feet back and forth, pacing around in my cube as I think things over, etc., so that probably all adds to the effect. I find that if I stand perfectly still too long, that's harder on the feet than the constant movement. Too much of ANY one position, sitting or standing, isn't good.
And to look further at that, it seems my ability to just sit is being affected (not that I have a problem with that). Example: last night I took my son to swimming lessons at our local YMCA, and because of some scheduling stuff going on between my wife and I we were there from about 5:30 to 8:00. Sitting on the bleachers in the pool area for that long was excruciating after a while! I had to get up frequently and walk, do some squats, etc. just to keep my tailbone from hurting. In a way, that's a good thing, right?
Last thing I want to mention is that my coworkers have finally gotten used to the fact that I'm standing all day. I still get people coming over on occasion to ask me "don't you get tired? I'd get so tired, I could never do that." It's tough not to say "no, you couldn't... because you really just don't want to." Occasionally there are jokes at my expense about it, but for the most part that's halted too. And I play along, too, because it can be fun to joke about stuff. It's pretty easy to pick out the folks who are doing it out of fun versus the folks who joke in a passive-aggressive kind of way.
So to summarize, this has been awesome and I will not be going back to sitting if I can help it. I feel better, am working better, and have more freedom to move. I'll be standing for the foreseeable future!
And so I wonder if a textured mat to sort of tread softly on whilst I work would be the best thing or if a simple padded mat would do it. Or... if I could try to find some sort of combo of the two. That'd be ideal, though my employer would only pay for the padded one they can get from our office supply company.
Anyway, I muse away about my feet. Of course, I've been wearing minimalist shoes the entire time as that's pretty much all I own any more, so all these experiences are without the aid of padded soles of any kind. I tend to bop around a lot at the desk now - going up on tiptoes now and again, rolling my feet back and forth, pacing around in my cube as I think things over, etc., so that probably all adds to the effect. I find that if I stand perfectly still too long, that's harder on the feet than the constant movement. Too much of ANY one position, sitting or standing, isn't good.
And to look further at that, it seems my ability to just sit is being affected (not that I have a problem with that). Example: last night I took my son to swimming lessons at our local YMCA, and because of some scheduling stuff going on between my wife and I we were there from about 5:30 to 8:00. Sitting on the bleachers in the pool area for that long was excruciating after a while! I had to get up frequently and walk, do some squats, etc. just to keep my tailbone from hurting. In a way, that's a good thing, right?
Last thing I want to mention is that my coworkers have finally gotten used to the fact that I'm standing all day. I still get people coming over on occasion to ask me "don't you get tired? I'd get so tired, I could never do that." It's tough not to say "no, you couldn't... because you really just don't want to." Occasionally there are jokes at my expense about it, but for the most part that's halted too. And I play along, too, because it can be fun to joke about stuff. It's pretty easy to pick out the folks who are doing it out of fun versus the folks who joke in a passive-aggressive kind of way.
So to summarize, this has been awesome and I will not be going back to sitting if I can help it. I feel better, am working better, and have more freedom to move. I'll be standing for the foreseeable future!
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