Computer programmers have a fixation on treadmills other sedentary hobbyists don't have.
I have a treadmill behind the main TV couch in my house, and I sometimes use it while the TV is on. I don't watch much TV with the result that I don't walk on the treadmill very much, but it does sometimes happen.
The main treadmill problem I can see is they're not really compatible with little kids or small animals WRT obvious hazard, so for a variety of reasons its only recently that I can safely use mine without any worry. This focus does fit in with the stereotype that startups are really good at solving 25 year old kid problems, not so good at the other 90% of the population. What doesn't fit in is a stereotypical startup kid would live in a tiny apartment and the "whiiiiiir" would drive the other inmates crazy pretty quickly, to say nothing of the horrible open office fad, if my treadmill takes up 3ft x 6ft or so area and a fad style open office only allocates a 2ft x 2ft space per person this is a problem.
I have no complaint with this implementation and anytime I see someone do carpentry I like it. I'm just commenting on the general fascination with treadmills and desks seen on HN, its kinda funny.
There's also something deliciously ironic about literally being on a treadmill while you're working. It's a metaphor we often use to describe the feeling of not getting anything done, or working just for the sake of working.
There is truth in that. However why are computer programmers utterly fascinated with the concept, but not, for example, accountants? Or stock traders? Or customer service? Those seem like even more stereotypically cyclical jobs.
I propose the analogy of the "endless loop" of the treadmill and endless loop software bugs.
No doubt sitting is bad, but don't overthink this. The original and following studies could not possibly have controlled for every related variable. There's just too many potential nodes and arcs.
If you're in generally good health, get a standing desk and call it a day.
It could also be argued that having a treadmill desk leads to spending more time at the desk. Since treadmill means less work done due to fatigue + less productivity because of loss of deep focus. Overall, bad news. Standing desk + general cardio is what I recommend.
Actually, at such a low speed I find it only helps focus. It's meditative, similar to how a labyrinth is an ancient meditative walking device.
Also, our bodies evolved walking 10+ miles per day. Not standing in one place for hours. The broader point is about reconciling modern lifestyles with the evolutionary past that we are still largely bound by.
I'm not following your logic here. What I'm getting is, "this topic is complicated and we don't know much, so you should adopt the solution I happen to like." Is that what you were after?
I built a treadmill desk a few years ago and I love it. It's tough to get myself out of my chair to use it, but once I get started I like it.
It's definitely not an all day solution though. I usually start feeling tired after about 45 minutes. I start sweating at about 1 hour. After 1.5 hours, I need a break. So I go back the my sit down desk.
The basic idea is to avoid staying in one place for a long time. Treadmill for an hour or so, then site for a while. Repeat.
How fast are you going? I had mine set on 1-2 mph, and never broke a sweat.
Regardless, I am a big fan of breaks; if I'm out hiking I'll also stop every couple of hours to sit down for a bit. And really, when I'm sitting I try to stand up and move around every couple of hours.
All those things wrong about 'sitting' are wrong about standing also. It's the fact that your spine is supporting your weight that causes back pain and issues. If you are sitting, it's best to use the chair back to support your back so you can recline in a 135 degrees.
For me, this is not about “cardio”. This is simply about not sitting. That’s it. That’s all.
In which case, wouldn't the author be better off with a lectern with a stool. Then they could stand or sit depending on mood.
It seems to me that some combination of sitting and standing are likely to have the greatest health benefits. There's evidence that standing all the time is itself not good for you.
Sitting and standing for extended periods both have their perils. However, given that we're built for long distance walking, that might be more optimal:
The extended content in grey covers my experiments with standing desks prior to this. tl;dr: Standing for a half hour leads to aching body parts — walking doesn't.
Right, but I wasn't talking about walking vs. standing, I was talking about standing vs. sitting. There seems to be evidence that being upright all the time isn't good for you either.
My personal thoughts would be that if computer interfaces catch up to the point of being able to use them in a redwood forest you won't be looking at the redwood forest you would be working.
Much better to be in a controlled environment that does not distract you from your work but takes into account all the evolution that has taken place so far.
Does it really just cut off? I colored the second, less essential half of the article grey for visual simplicity. Is it not showing up as such for you?
This is the last paragraph I see when I get to the bottom of the page:
Noise — If you’re in an office environment noise is a real concern, especially for the $35 Craiglist special. There are exercise treadmills out there that are whisper quiet but you’ll need to find out which ones. I assume the new generation of treadmills geared for desk use are a fair bit quieter.
Yeah. Lack of margin definitely made me try scrolling down a few times. Also, from the amount of intro, I was expecting a longer, more detailed article. And it didn't seem to conclude so much as stop.
I think this goes along with his observations of speed/typing error rate correlation: go slow. He's only going .5 an hour, typical walking speed is 3mph, so he's not likely to be winded.
However, it could make considerable noise (enough to effect a phone call).
I'd say if you're spending 50%-20% of your days on the (presumably wireless, cordless, mobile, whatever radiation-emitting technology) phone, then sitting is not the main concern you should have regarding your health.
Those were workdays so out of an 8 hour workday I have between 2-4 hours of meetings and then they expect me to get my coding done with 20%-50% of my day taken up by meetings...but I digress that is a different discussion.
If you use an earbud headset are you subject to the same radiation than say putting a phone/bluetooth device against your head?
I think what he is pointing out is the paradox of walking inside a house int he middle of the redwood forest. If you're a hiker, it's a wonderful place to hike. I'm not a hiker, but hell I would love to spend the entire day walking in the redwood forest.
Not sure that I'd jump to the conclusion of him personally destroying the redwood forest in order to live there. I think much of the bay area was redwood forests which were used to build houses and boats etc, over the last few hundred years.
Wait, what? Since when was appreciating the aesthetics of nature bad? Since when was living in a cabin in the woods a nature-destroying venture? How did you conclude his motivations were solely narcissistic? Yes, he's living out there just so he can mention it in blog posts...
This sort of extreme snap judgement just comes across as envy.
Then give up whatever device you are typing on, and never set foot again in whatever structure you are typing from. Surely you know that your activities have destroyed at least as much nature as whatever you're criticizing.
What truth? You've asserted, in the form of a question, that OP was involved in the destruction of redwoods. You then make a statement that assumes an answer to the question you just posed.
I have a treadmill behind the main TV couch in my house, and I sometimes use it while the TV is on. I don't watch much TV with the result that I don't walk on the treadmill very much, but it does sometimes happen.
The main treadmill problem I can see is they're not really compatible with little kids or small animals WRT obvious hazard, so for a variety of reasons its only recently that I can safely use mine without any worry. This focus does fit in with the stereotype that startups are really good at solving 25 year old kid problems, not so good at the other 90% of the population. What doesn't fit in is a stereotypical startup kid would live in a tiny apartment and the "whiiiiiir" would drive the other inmates crazy pretty quickly, to say nothing of the horrible open office fad, if my treadmill takes up 3ft x 6ft or so area and a fad style open office only allocates a 2ft x 2ft space per person this is a problem.
I have no complaint with this implementation and anytime I see someone do carpentry I like it. I'm just commenting on the general fascination with treadmills and desks seen on HN, its kinda funny.