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Comment by runin2k1 | Hacker News Reader

All the ergo adjustments in the world won't help you if you sit in one position all day long with one small set of muscles engaged while the rest are disengaged and slowly atrophying.

The best solution is touched on in the article, but it can't be overstated that actual exercise is the best preventative.

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Easiest solution for an office worker is to just run up and own the stairwell a few times a day. I don't know how so many people just sit still all day, with a big lunch too, then wonder why they feel tired in the afternoons. Their only solution seems to be more garbage Keurig coffee!

One of the most frustrating things about working in New York is the ample amount of potential stairs to climb with almost every door locked from the stairwell.

Hah, same issue in my building in NYC.

The epidemic has long since spread to the west coast. The Seattle building I currently work in has some limited, well-defined accessible stairwells, but AFAICT the majority are one-way, emergency-only. I've worked in buildings as you describe: one-way, down-only. Sucks when you don't know this yet, think you'll take the stairs to the fourth floor only to discover that you need to climb all the way to the bottom then take an elevator up. Security? Yeah, maybe, but that's bare-minimum-to-meet-the-spec lazy security.

I can confirm that the Royal Bank building in Toronto is the same, so I wouldn't doubt that this is a malaise in much of this city's office space.

>I don't know how so many people just sit still all day, with a big lunch too, then wonder why they feel tired in the afternoons.

One of the best periods I had in college was when I used to wake up around 0430, work out at home, take a shower, have breakfast (oeufs au plat, escalope/steak, and half a liter of milk).

I'd spend the day feeling great even though I didn't have lunch hour, just four 1h30 lectures from 0800 to 1430 as opposed to 1st and 2nd years 0800-1120, 1300-1630, with 10 minute pauses between each two lectures.

Full of energy and feeling great the whole day.

We had a physical therapist come by the office and adjust everybodies chairs - the result was that sitting down hurt so badly I ended up standing all the time, that should be better than sitting down, and the best possible position for my back other than lying down.

My feet wanted to murder me the first week, and especially the first 3 days, but once you get over it I highly recommend doing so - I actually don't have a chair at my desk anymore.

Switching to a sit-stand desk is by far the best thing I've done: http://jakeseliger.com/2015/01/24/geekdesk-max-sit-stand-des....

It sounds great but I'm wondering, would this be accepted in any company?

Yes.

My coworkers just got some Ikea boxes and swap around from time to time between standing and sitting.

I work at a Fortune 500 company, in an open office area. I was the first person to use a standing desk, by cobbling some cardboard boxes together. And then I was kind of a promoter, and also mentioned to the department chair: "By any reasonable measure, computer use is a workplace safety problem waiting to explode." In fact I goaded him into getting one for himself.

Since then, quite a few people have gotten a VariDesk, and if you ask, your boss will just tell you to get one from Amazon.

If you think programming is bad, CAD is even worse. So far as wrist fatigue goes, I was in pain within a few months of getting my first Apple Mac, and quickly learned all of the keyboard shortcuts so I could minimize mouse use. A side benefit is that using a keyboard shortcut instead of an icon doesn't require you to focus your eyes on the screen.

Second the motion on VariDesk; I have one and am entirely pleased with it. (No, I don't work for them or have any financial interest in their company.)

You "goaded" your department chair?

Yup. He and I have a good relationship, plus he's willing to entertain well meaning debate. When he says, "my door is open," it's for real.

But I told him, "long term computer use will kill you. Get a standing desk."

I'd love to see this happen at my company. Many of us have L-desks with cabinets and drawers. I see little, if any use, for them, and would rather some vertical space in a convertible desk like the VariDesk.

The best bang for buck ergonomics device for me has been a monitor stand that is spring loaded for easy height adjustment and goes higher than a normal monitor stand.

You'll need one with a sit-stand desk anyway so I'd suggest getting one first. You need the monitor higher when standing to have correct posture.

The monitor stands that come bundled with monitors are way too low if stationed on the same tabletop as your keyboard.

Can you recommend said spring loaded stand? I've just ordered a Varidesk (it hasn't arrived yet) but monitor height is one of the things I am worried about being a tall guy.

I can't give you a brand name or anything like that. I have one at home which I bought from a second hand office supply for peanuts and I didn't order the one I have at the office and it doesn't have any labels.

Just searching the Internet shows that there are dozens of manufacturers for these things and price ranges vary widely. You should have no problem finding one.

If you're a tall guy like I am, I'd go for the highest one I could find. I have it almost at the highest setting when sitting down and I wish it was higher when standing up.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00689HXI4/ref=oh_aui_se...

This one (Ergotron LX Desk Mount LCD Monitor Arm, Tall Pole) has been working well for me for the last couple of years, in conjunction with a Conset sit/stand desk (also great). I got the Tall Pole version just to be on the safe side, and it gives a lot of flexibility on where you want to position and angle the monitor.

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