Standing at work, thoughts... page

[iniQuity]

Hi all.

I've been standing up at work for the past two months. I am lucky enough to now work at a place that allows it (even offered to actually buy me a desk, but I told them my boxes were just fine) they also don't mind that I am barefoot in the office. It's a dress-down place, and they only really care that you do your job, refreshing right?

Anyway, for the first month or so I stood up basically all day except whenever I ate at my desk. Lately though, I've been sitting for the second half of the day most often than not. I'll stand until 1 or 2pm, sit down to eat and remain seated until around 5-6pm when I leave. I make it a point to stand until my fast-breaking meal though.

My feet are well adjusted and don't really hurt or get sore, I don't stand on a mat or anything of the sort. I'm also not a stranger to standing for work as I've been a waiter and bartender previously, but for the last year I sat at a desk and stopped working as a server, etc. Essentially reducing my standing/walking time to almost nothing.

I get the desire to not want to sit all the time, and all the issues that sitting brings, but I'm beginning to wonder, is standing on one place necessarily better? Surely it's a better position, your veins aren't pressured, your butt muscles don't stretch constantly like they are when sitting, your hip flexors don't shorten, etc, but wouldn't moving around be a better option to standing?

I hate bringing up Grok for the most part, but in this instance I feel like playing the "grok card" is justified. How much sitting vs standing do you think Grok did? We all know Grok was more active than we are, but I bet he was also just as lazy as we are in many regards. I am quite confident that he took every chance to sit down he could as it provided a nice break from whatever. Also, when he had to stand I can't foresee any activity that required him to stay put for more than 4-5 hours at a time.

I shift my feet around, and take some type of walking break (to the bathroom/etc) at least once every hour, but I still wonder how it'll affect me in the long run. I recall reading that you shouldn't lock your legs if you're going to be standing for a while, I do feel a slight pull in the back of my knees when I do lock my legs. I stand now with a small bend and the position is comfortable enough. I'm also going to be getting a high stool so that when I feel like taking a break from standing I don't completely lose my shit as I do when I sit on a chair (all old habits come back with a vengeance and next thing I know I'm sprawled out barely able to type, damn near sleeping on the chair!) a stool should keep my spine straight and in good posture, and I wouldn't have to disassemble my set up like I currently do.

Lastly, and this is an extra, does anybody use a lacrosse ball to massage their soles? I've started using one as of three weeks ago. It's fucking painful! and it hasn't gotten any less painful either. I should note that I spend quite a lot of time barefoot at least as of the past two months, so it wouldn't be any shoe-wearing issues. When I do wear shoes, they're very flat and provide little padding. I also do the lacrosse ball almost daily as I get kinda bored, is this bad?

Anyway, thoughts? experiences?

Here's my rig:

[IvyBlue]

When I was tethered to a desk I used to pace, but this was before the widespread use of computers (people still smoked in the office to give you an idea how much things have changed). I think the high stool is a good idea, more for something to kind of lean against rather than actually sit. Given the pictured set-up what is it that you do there that couldn't be done from home with a good internet connection?

[iniQuity]

When I was tethered to a desk I used to pace, but this was before the widespread use of computers (people still smoked in the office to give you an idea how much things have changed). I think the high stool is a good idea, more for something to kind of lean against rather than actually sit. Given the pictured set-up what is it that you do there that couldn't be done from home with a good internet connection?

Yeah the stool would be more for leaning, my feet would most likely remain on the ground anyway. To answer your question: nothing. A lot of people actually work from home, the only thing is we need to use a remote access program and apparently it takes forever since we access a lot of different files constantly, opening them up apparently takes way longer than it does here. I'm still new, so I don't actually have the option to work from home just yet as I'm still learning and have to ask co-workers about things, and it's easier being physically here.

Eventually, I'll be working from home a little bit, not sure yet how much. I'm told it's not worth it if you're sort of nearby which I'm not. I'd be saving money though, so I'm definitely going to try it a few times and see just how bad it is. Some don't come in almost at all, others take one or two days at most, others are here daily so I guess it'll depend on how my experience is.

[quelsen]

i progressed the same way. first 8 straight then down to 50/50 what i find is that my behind hurts when i sit and my calves ache when i stand. this has only happened in the last 3 weeks.

[iniQuity]

i progressed the same way. first 8 straight then down to 50/50 what i find is that my behind hurts when i sit and my calves ache when i stand. this has only happened in the last 3 weeks.

yeah sitting for me is pretty uncomfortable and I fidget a lot more. I don't really have issues when I stand, it just gets boring after a while (less ways to fidget!). My calves are fine, but then again, I do some barefoot running and my time at muay thai did a lot to strengthen my legs in general.

[primalrob]

i've taken to standing for an hour on each leg. i can't remember why, but mark mentioned it in a post about how it can be just as effective. i had my desk set up similarly to yours for a while, but sort of got tired of it. same thing...i felt like i should be moving. i would pace a bit or sway or something, but that didn't really do the trick. now i just stand for a bit, sit for a bit, and get out of my chair to move around the building whenever i can or whenever my boss isn't paying much attention to me.
i'm thinking that i might start sitting on the floor. pulling from your grok mention, i don't think the only options were standing or laying down. i'm lucky enough to have (mostly) my own office and a laptop for a computer. i figure i can just laze on the floor for a good chunk of the day...though, that is as much about a change of scenery as it is acting like humans before the chair was invented.

[john_e_turner_ii]

I have been standing at work for over a year. Even since working from home, I still fashioned my laptop in a way that I can stand. Occasionally my legs get tired, so I will sit for a few minutes. However, I do my best not to sit much throughout the day. I don't think we were designed to sit very long. I know for me, my back is definitely better now that it's not stressed from sitting so much.

[iniQuity]

Yeah my posture has improved, and I'm not sure whether this is a result of standing or walking barefoot but I've definitely noticed that I walk ... better and though it sounds super conceited, I feel like I walk "prouder", taller, my footsteps are shorter but determined.

I first noticed when I was walking my gf's dog, he's usually doing dog things such as trying to smell everything, etc. This time though, he was walking alongside me, just looking around, not pulling, the leash was loose. I then realized, perhaps it was that I was just walking more purposely? I used to watch "The Dog Whisperer" quite a bit and he always asked the clients to walk with their shoulders back, relaxed, etc and that's what I was doing only I hadn't really noticed.

The oddity is that it's different when I wear shoes, even though they're pretty damn flat and I can feel the ground. I guess I step more carefully when barefoot.

I should be getting a stool relatively soon and will probably do less standing as a result, but will still keep my back straight which is one of the major benefits I've gotten from standing.

[JKC]

I posted a similar thread a few weeks back, and someone suggested I use the tadasana yoga stance, which is basically a way to stand straight with yoga rules. Tadasana I don't always stand all day - but when I am standing for a while, if I get uncomfortable, I check to see if I am close to the stance, because it is much easier to maintain than the normal way I stand.

[scotchncoffee]

Just converted my desk at work this Monday, and it feels great so far. I typically take a few steps back and forth when I'm just reading something, and have also taken to intermittantly stretching to keep myself from being too stationary.