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Comment by jflatow | Hacker News Reader

I tend to bite my nails, especially when I'm programming or deep in thought. Last year I decided to start walking whenever I reach that point where I am fidgeting and can't sit still. It's totally changed the way I work for the better. I walk between 10-20 miles per day, and can get a lot of work done on those walks. Highly recommended, especially for people living in places with good weather and beautiful scenery.

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Even if not for distance and just a few hours, getting out of the city setting and flooding your perception with nature, trees, natural sounds, quiet, fresh air, etc, can feel like a week of vacation. I think people travel around half the world to get away from their daily routine and see other stuff, but often a walk in the woods can already lift you up quite a bit.

I keep nail clippers in my desk exactly for this reason.

I hate the feeling of rough bitten nails which became an unproductive distraction in itself.

Now, I clip instead. My nail grooming has become on point.

Clipping in a cube farm is a capital offense.

If it's your home office or you have a door its okay :)

I have the same problem. If I'm learning something or programming or anything mentally straining I start biting nails.

I have no feeling some problem is out of my reach but still the nail biting happens.

Ever since I've started standing instead of sitting, walking around has decreased my nail biting.

I can see walking 10-20 miles a day being detrimental to your health long term. Knees, feet, hips, somethings gonna give.

Good cushioned footwear and insoles is a must to limit the damage at that range.

I've been walking about 10kms per day for decades now without wearing any shoes at all. No detrimental effects so far. But then I'm a featherweight, which might help.

Anyway: walking is absolutely essential to me. I do most of my work outside, walking and thinking.

It will be beneficial to many others parts of your health. I'm thinking it would be a net positive, vs not walking / exercising very much. I agree on cushioned shoes if walking on something like concrete.

While cumulative effects no doubt contribute to tissue changes, those changes aren't necessarily going to be for the worse. Leg bones and cartilage adapt positively to the light impact and weight-bearing of walking (for most people, most of the time, in most circumstances). In fact a lack of upright weight bearing in 20s and 30s may contribute to the development of osteoporosis and cartilage thinning.

Your mileage may vary (apologies for the pun) but if you can, walk.

There are ways in which walking for long distances can affect you negatively. Consider bursitis for instance. I was walking 5 miles a day, on average according to my iPhone, last year. I suddenly noticed this dull aching pain in my hip/buttock sometime in December. Over the course of several weeks, it got increasingly worse until the point where I was bedridden for 4 days. I've started my routine up again, but I walk about 3 miles a day now, and not every day, until I can be confident that the pain will not return.

Running maybe (and I say that as a runner myself) but even then the jury's pretty much out.

I'd imagine that spending the few hours it takes to walk 10-20 miles sitting instead would be far worse to long term health.

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