

Why Every Office Should Switch To Walking Desks - ohadfrankfurt
http://techcrunch.com/2013/03/03/why-every-office-should-switch-to-walking-desks/

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goodside
Keep in mind that physical exercise and mental concentration both deplete a
common resource pool of glucose in the brain. There are robust, well
replicated experiments that show it's significantly harder to perform _any_
mental task while exercising. Daniel Kahneman has a great everyday
demonstration of this: While walking with a friend, ask her to multiply two
two-digit numbers and see if she slows down. (You can also try it on yourself
while jogging at the upper limit of your ability -- it's very noticeable.)
Check out the experiments of Roy F. Baumeister for more info.

This isn't to say walking desks are necessarily a bad idea. It's possible
that, at low walking speeds, the health benefits of exercise outweigh the
impairment of your concentration.

~~~
JohnTHaller
I'm curious if there has been any research into walking slowly on a treadmill,
though. The upper level of your ability to job is far more demanding
physically. And it's also a bit demanding mentally as your body is busy
mapping a route, looking out for stones or cracks you might trip on, etc.
Walking slowly on a treadmill with your desk in front of you could yield a
very different result.

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moron4hire
yes, but walking slowly is nearly indistinguishable from sitting in terms of
calorie burn rate.

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theootz
But maybe it's better in terms of posture for your body, over all? You may
burn the same number of calories, but you're up straight, and your joints and
muscles are doing something. I'm sure that must be beneficial on its own

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ojbyrne
"I lost 3 lbs and a percent of body fat in a week"

I always wonder when I see this - are other people's weights that stable? I
can lose (or gain) 5-10 lb in a week without doing anything different, other
than weighing myself at different times of the day, drinking more or less
water, various other things.

~~~
lotsofpulp
I'm skinny, and other than the weight of the food I eat / defecate, my weight
will not fluctuate at all. I can eat whatever I want, however much I want, and
not gain weight. I was able to gain 5 or so pounds, but only after I ate whey
everyday and did a lot of lifting.

I might be able to gain if I tried some ridiculous whey / protein diet and
workout regimen, but I don't care that much. However, for the past 5 years, my
weight and waist/hip size has not fluctuated at all, regardless of what I eat
or excercise. Though I'm sure age will relieve me of this gift.

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pan69
Let me guess, you're in or around your mid-twenties now? Don't be surprised to
find yourself waking up one day only to notice that your metabolic rate has
dropped to zero.

I used to be exactly like you, then I hit 30..

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ktsmith
Some of us are luckier. I'm in my mid 30's and while I've added a little belly
fat and an inch to my waist nothing else has really changed. If I can stick to
an exercise routine (I'm really bad at this) it all disappears very quickly.

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aggie
Walking desks are inefficient and overkill for the ergonomic concerns of desk
work.

The practical solution is to have a properly adjusted [1] workstation and get
up to walk around for ~5 minutes every hour. On a treadmill, you will lose
more than 5 minutes due to inefficiency anyway. And the 5 minute break you
take can be used productively (meet with a co-worker, make a phone call).

Having a standing desk in addition to a sitting desk and switching between
them throughout the day can also be very beneficial.

The key is movement: there is no active blood flow to your spinal discs, they
need movement or microtrauma will accumulate. There are also no nerve endings
in your discs, so you don't feel anything until there is already serious
damage.

[1] -
[http://www.stanford.edu/dept/EHS/prod/general/ergo/PDFs/self...](http://www.stanford.edu/dept/EHS/prod/general/ergo/PDFs/self_evaluation.pdf)

Make the adjustments on the second page as best you can in the order they are
presented.

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s_baby
>The key is movement: there is no active blood flow to your spinal disks, they
need movement or microtrauma will accumulate. There are also no nerve endings
in your discs, so you don't feel anything until there is already serious
damage.

That's why a walking desk is preferable. I can walk at a slow pace for hours
but standing in one place becomes tiresome after 15 minutes.

~~~
aggie
Constant movement is not necessary, hence the walking around 5 minutes per
hour.

I agree standing desks are not for everyone.

~~~
s_baby
5 minutes wouldn't be enough for me. I've tried it and it was not comfortable.

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stevenwei
While I like the idea behind walking desks, this article does not do a great
job explaining exactly "why every office should switch to walking desks".

He spends a lot of time discussing calories burned and weight loss, but that's
really not the primary motivator for getting a walking desk. If your goal is
simply weight loss, you're probably better off going to the gym and doing
higher intensity exercise several times a week.

The point of a walking desk is that sitting in an office chair for extended
periods of time negatively affects your health _even if you exercise
regularly_ , i.e. one hour in the gym isn't sufficient to offset the eight
hours you spend sedentary. So by walking (albeit at a slow pace), you're
reducing the time spent being sedentary.

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arbuge
I personally think that walking desks are a bit impractical and rather
extreme. However I did install a standing desk in my office which has made a
noticeable difference in my (working) life. I don't use the desktop there as
my primary machine - I still have my regular sit down desk in another corner
of the room. But I like being able to get up and walk around every now and
then without interrupting my workflow.

Thing is, it's cloud technology (Dropbox, gmail, etc.) that makes it all
possible. I get exactly the same picture of my work from pretty much any
machine conngected to the Internet. That, and wifi. And cheap second
computers...

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jacquesm
Why is it that when something works for someone they immediately feel the need
to force it on everybody else?

~~~
Anechoic
In a similar vein, I'm trying to figure out why tech types keep thinking that
their experiences are comparable to everyone else's.

Hint: not every office desk job just involves sitting and typing on a computer
all day. I'm sure _some_ jobs (perhaps even many) might be suitable, but
certainly not all desk jobs at "every" office.

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egsec
An observation of a sample size of 1, is not a scientific basis for any
greater population. He did not do a study, this is an anecdote. From his
headshot he does not look like he was already out of shape. It is likely some
people could not handle this, or are more likely to get injured.

It may be good for some, but clearly he should not be giving out medical
advice based on his personal experience. Also, is it even healthy for his body
type of loose so much in one week?

Wouldn't it be better if people just didn't sit behind the desk, got up for a
while, took a mental break, and went to a gym? There are likely productivity
side effects of trying to exercise, work, and type at the same time.

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senthilnayagam
Standup desk i understand

Had customers who conf called from treadmill, not convenient when huffing and
breathing happens , had hard time

Just using keyboard or mouse in a comfortable position people get RSI, What
work would this be recommended for if it has any health benefit at all

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saman_b
What about the postman syndrome?

Relying on the results of the first week and presenting them as some
misleading charts, are not the best way to encourage people to buy these
desks. It is obvious this is an advertising article. In next few months your
body will consider this as a habit, adapt to the situation, hit a plateau,
stop burning extra calories and you start gaining weight despite the fact you
are walking everyday (The postman syndrome !!). unless you change the
intensity of your exercise, which is not possible at all while you are
working. I am sure there are plenty of researches on postman syndrome that you
could include.

So why don't you just talk about the actual benefits for body, and skip the
weight loss part?

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pimentel
What is exactly the postman syndrome? I can't find anything about it, except
for the band "The Postman Syndrome" (which is great, by the way)

~~~
saman_b
You can read about it here : [http://diet4fitness.blogspot.ca/2008/06/secret-
to-buring-cal...](http://diet4fitness.blogspot.ca/2008/06/secret-to-buring-
calories.html?m=1)

Qouting from this page: "I like relaxing runs, but if you do the same slog
every day, you can suffer from what's sometimes called "postman's
syndrome"—named for those who do the same walk every day and yet their bodies
never change. Your muscles become so efficient at a movement over time that if
you do it day after day and eat the same way, you never overtax your system
and burn more calories to lose weight."

Basically it says postmen lose weight during the first months of their work,
cause they started a new activity. But after a couple of months they start
gaining weight as their body get used to walking everyday :)

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moron4hire
I'm actually somewhat offended by your barchart. You've made a 30% increase
look like a 1000% increase. This is an inappropriate use of a barchart.

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cincinnatus
Exactly, the type of thinking behind that chart casts doubt and caused me to
stop reading. Just getting to standing desks is a big leap for most cultures.
And I say this as someone who had their treadputer setup featured on
lifehacker 7 years ago.

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moron4hire
Especially considering that 30% is impressive enough.

~~~
jmduke
He burned an extra ~eight hundred calories with his walking desk.

I'd rather exercise for an hour and burn that amount.

Still, I think we can all agree that burning more calories is good: but I'd
rather my company emphasis physical fitness in more 'real' ways than simply
giving you a walking desk.

~~~
moron4hire
I have better things to do with those two hours of exercising plus
preparing/cleaning up after exercising. A walking desk combines work and
exercise.

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trackofalljades
I'm confused, and a little depressed, that anyone would describe four miles
per hour as "a light run." Maybe, if you're four feet tall?

Also, I agree with the "April Fools" question but I'm afraid the answer is
"no, it's just TechCrunch."

~~~
stan_rogers
I walk at a little over 4mph (never really lost the military 120 paces/minute
cadence, but my stride is naturally longer than the regulation 30 inches), and
I regularly catch and pass full-sized people who are dressed for a run and act
as if they're jogging. I can't see the point of breathing harder and getting
there later, let alone putting on special clothing to do so, but yes, for some
people at least, 4mph is a light run.

~~~
alanctgardner2
It's kind of annoying to read comments like this if you run regularly. If you
run intervals, you periodically take breaks where you jog very slowly. It's
super awkward moving slowly, but sweating to death and breathing heavy from
your last interval. Also, if you get started running long-distance (half or
full marathon), 4-5mph seems to be a reasonable beginner pace. Not everyone is
always doing speed work.

~~~
stan_rogers
If it's any consolation, I'm not taking about intervals, I'm talking (mostly)
about people who are fooling themselves utterly. There are more than a few
folks out there who _never_ get above a good walking clip (and every bit of
clothing in the kit is always sparkling like new with conspicuously-displayed
brands).

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Ianvdl
Sounds like a nice setup, but it always kills the article for me when someone
claims that everyone should use the same solution.

It's a bit expensive as well, although I guess a DIY solution shouldn't be
that difficult.

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YvesHanoulle
I have a walking desk in my home office. I personally don't care about weight.
I do care about moving more. I notice that I can concentrate much longer. (I
think it's because my blood has a better circulation.)

I don't know if it's a good thing for everyone, I know it helps me. I have
installed it 24 december and today 3 March, I have already walked 750 Km. All
of that while working.

[http://www.hanoulle.be/2013/02/im-working-from-a-walking-
des...](http://www.hanoulle.be/2013/02/im-working-from-a-walking-desk/)

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halcyondaze
This title is ridiculous, and walking desks are outclassed by simple standing
desks. You don't need to be walking for 8 hours a day to get the type of
results this guy claims to have gotten (by the way, bodyweight fluctuates
5-10lb in a day either way pretty easily). Doing a sprint style working for 20
minutes a day will give you great results and is short enough to fit into your
day.

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socalnate1
Good God that first graph is so misleading.

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joedev
I heard a good idea - the faster you walk, jog or run; the faster your
internet connection.

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bitcartel
Okay... but only if managers are required to wear the EVA (Employee
Visualization Appendage).

<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yK9Cs_UcTEE>

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4ngle
I can't help but be reminded of John Kilduff from Let's Paint TV.

<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r72zqjDNW2M>

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vincefutr23
if you are going to be walking in front of your desk it seems foolish to use
electricity to power both your computer and the "walking simulator" or
treadmill. Why not just have an non-powered treadmill that is capable of
generating electricity for the rest of the workstation with the energy you
expend?

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cwiz
What about just exercising and going to gym? Standing to be fit is like
staring to scientific papers to be smart.

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anonu
April fools comes early?

