Any Overcoming Sitting Disease Success Stories (no kidding)

NewLIFEstyle4ME

I have this too, but some of the ideas seemed unrealistic.

"Aim for 10 minutes of NEAT each hour" - If I spent 10 minutes each hour, I'd get in trouble with my boss. I probably could get away with 30 seconds, but 10 minutes? You've got to be kidding me.

"Prolonged sitting at work can tire you out, making you zone out as 5 p.m. approaches, Comana says. "But if you take a brisk, 15-minute walk in the afternoon, you'll be far more productive in your last two hours." - Again, I get 30 minutes for lunch and that's it. If I did this I would get in trouble.

Now I certainly can do a few of the other things and I will make an active effort to do so. But I wonder who these people are that think up some of these. I've seen things like this in other articles. Those of us in the real world can't do some of these things.

{{{{ Hugs }}}} I'm thinking these types of articles are written for people in the real world, like me...who definitely can do these things for sure--I just didn't consider it at all! Here's some excerpts of ideas that may help people like you that just can't do 10 minutes or 15 minutes of intermittent activity from sitting all day I found in this other "really deep/interestingand informative" article:

..."Of course, couch potatoes and office workers don't always have thirty minutes to spare. After all, a Firefly bender might take up an entire evening. Here's the good news: you can break up that thirty minutes throughout the day. Dr. Parr continues:

This is the best part. We usually tell people to break it up into ten minute segments, but that's because it's the most practical. If I tell you that you can spread it out throughout the day, you're going to say, "Well, I stood up and walked across the room to my soda." What was that, about ten seconds? You'll start to micromanage. From my perspective, that's not how people should do it. But you could do it that way....

It's up to you how you use these micro-breaks. You don't even have to move if you don't want to, but if you want to get a little activity in that minute, here's a quick way to do it without leaving your desk area:

Stand up.
March in place for twenty seconds.
Reach down and try to touch your toes for twenty seconds.
Wander around and pick up or reorganize for the last twenty seconds (eventually your desk area may even be clean).

These are excerpts from the article (full article in link below)...you can read the whole thing here (including the super SCARY breakdown of how and what sitting for 6 or more per day, per week, and per year(s) does to the body--yikes! :sick:

How Sitting All Day Is Damaging Your Body and How You Can Counteract It
Thorin Klosowski
http://lifehacker.com/5879536/how-sitting-all-day-is-damaging-your-body-and-how-you-can-counteract-it

Here's another one that may help:

16 Tips for Desk Jockeys: What to Do About Sitting All Day
http://www.marksdailyapple.com/16-tips-for-desk-jockeys-what-to-do-about-sitting-all-day/


I hope this can help you and others a wee bit :flowerforyou:

NewLIFEstyle4ME

I definitely have it. This may sound silly, but while I'm at my desk working, I will kind of dance a little in my chair, especially when I have good music on and I try to also sit up straight and suck in my gut here and there. Every single time I go to the bathroom (I have a single person bathroom so this is easy to do without feeling weird) I do at least 20 squats and 10 wall pushups, so I usually get about 100 to 120 squats in a day and half of that in wall pushups. If I walk to the copier I will sometimes lunge walk to the copier (depends on who is in the office since I really don't want people seeing me do these silly things). While I'm waiting for my coffee to warm up in the microwave I will do jumping jacks for the 30 seconds or so. And then finally, I spend my lunch hour 3x a week at the gym doing my heavy lifting. I hope some of these things will combat the hours I sit on my duff.

Wonderful post! I haven't really purposely been doing squats, unless it's while I'm exercising. I use to hate squats, but I like them now--before reading these articles, I would have never just done squats for the sake of "moving"--but now I am...also because of this article, I'm doing "head, shoulders, knees and toes stretching through-out the day too. I discovered today about doing toe touching for at least 20 seconds every couple of hours too. What's also amazing is, before I posted this...I'd never heard of
"sitting disease" and now that I know about it--there are TONS of articles about it everywhere!

dwalt15110

I definitely have this. I have to be better. So glad you posted this. Awareness is a great catalyst!

krawhitham

Sitting Disease is the #1 reason I gained weight in my last job. I literally couldn't leave my desk to take a break or go to lunch, it was horrible.

I was laid off, so yes, I beat sitting disease by no longer having a job that requires me to sit. I get up and go to the bathroom and eat when I need to, and I also go for runs and go to the gym when I need to as well! YAY for being unemployed and finally getting healthy!

chezjuan

I have a desk job, but I make a point of walking to people's offices for meetings rather than calling on the phone. Since I supervise a few people, I probably go for a stroll at least once an hour.

danasings

I am very fortunate to have been able to overcome this. As a SAHM, I don't *have* to sit down at all. I pretty much do everything while either standing or walking around, lest I be attacked by two small boys. Lol.

I have a fitbit which helps me track my steps, and I aim for 15,000/day M-F and 10,000/day on weekends. Staying very active has helped me maintain within 6-8 pounds for over a year.

feelin_gr_8

I work from home....sometimes I won't even leave my little apartment for 2 or 3 days at a time...yep, I've got a problem here My boss has a treadmill desk at the office, I am jealous! (Though frankly I don't know that I'm coordinated enough to be able to handle that...)

NewLIFEstyle4ME

Sitting Disease is the #1 reason I gained weight in my last job. I literally couldn't leave my desk to take a break or go to lunch, it was horrible.

I was laid off, so yes, I beat sitting disease by no longer having a job that requires me to sit. I get up and go to the bathroom and eat when I need to, and I also go for runs and go to the gym when I need to as well! YAY for being unemployed and finally getting healthy!

You go girl!!! I love the way you've made lemonade out of lemons (so to speak) and looking at the bigger picture and the brighter side of so-called "trouble and woe" You ROCK, period.

DianeinCA

I resisted the idea of a standing desk, because I know I have terrible posture -- I usually stand in stork pose :laugh: or with one hip cocked out. I also didn't think I'd be able to stand on my feet for too long -- I know what standing around is like, I cook.

I got a Lifespan treadmill desk, and it has made all the difference in the world. Not only is a 10,000 step day my baseline now, but the light strolling pace takes some pressure off my lower back.

(I know a treadmill desk isn't possible for everyone, but I have definitely joined the cult and recommend those who can get one!)

skrlec70

im plagued by it! I loooooooooooooooooooove to lounge! lol ies cheaper then going out spending money and I have no choice right now, oh I walk and run around all day, but if being active you mean roller blading or tennis um no , I go to the gym, life is as follows, work all day, yes I get to sit there also lol come home take out doggy, play with doggie, prepare dinner, do laundry or housework, take out doggy again, shower and ahhhh back on my duff

milliwatha

I started standing at work. I recently found a site that calculates the calories you burn standing while working. I lost 1 lb in two weeks and that encouraged me to get back on my workout plan. http://www.standingclock.com/

NewLIFEstyle4ME

I definitely have this. I have to be better. So glad you posted this. Awareness is a great catalyst!

:drinker: :flowerforyou: :drinker:

LozPenguin

bump for later

jdr999

I'm actually finding it easier to walk while I work than to stand. At least for me, standing in one place for a long period of time is tedious. You shift your weight back and forth, prop your leg on something, lean on something else, and generally just exhibit poor posture.

My treadmill desk is a very different animal altogether. I've had it a few months and generally only walk at 1.2 - 1.4 mph, but over a few hours it adds up quickly. I can easily rack up a few miles of walking a day while still being productive.

Sure fresh air is nice, but just think of all the time we spend at a computer.. Imagine doing the same thing you normally do -- working, surfing, youtube, etc. - but also being able to add a few hours of exercise to MFP for free!

NewLIFEstyle4ME

I resisted the idea of a standing desk, because I know I have terrible posture -- I usually stand in stork pose :laugh: or with one hip cocked out. I also didn't think I'd be able to stand on my feet for too long -- I know what standing around is like, I cook.

I got a Lifespan treadmill desk, and it has made all the difference in the world. Not only is a 10,000 step day my baseline now, but the light strolling pace takes some pressure off my lower back.

(I know a treadmill desk isn't possible for everyone, but I have definitely joined the cult and recommend those who can get one!)

"Stork pose" :laugh: :drinker: :laugh: You rock...gonna have to try that "stork pose" for sure!

youngamber82

I'm slowly trying to win. First thing was I got a Fitbit. I realized that on a normal day I actually walked less than 1000 steps.

So I decided to stop calling if I could get up and talk face to face instead. I did that and my steps jumped to 5000 a day. Then I worked on getting them to 7500 everyday. Then 10 flights of stairs.

How fabulous of you...thanks so much for posting. :drinker: I saw a fitbit just yesterday and I've been talking about getting one for a couple of years now--but that tiny thing, with the big price...I keep passing it up.

Trust me, the price is worth it. I paid $50 for mine and I have added so many steps to my daily routine. It ends up being fun. it is like a game: How Many Steps Can I Do Today?" and I love when I beat the previous days amount of steps. It is way worht it and you can even sync it with MFP.

ktaylormusic

have to vouch for the fitbit too as worth it. way better and more motivating than other pedometers for its online dashboard and community, ease of use, and integration with MFP.
best little gizmo ever.

BusyRaeNOTBusty

I have an exercise ball at work that I use as a chair (not all the time but I should). I try to make myself get up and walk around as often as possible and often take laps around the building. At home I have my laptop on the kitchen counter and stand while using it. I very rarely watch T.V. as I don't have time. When I do things like take my kids to the park or soccer practice I don't sit and watch, I walk around or play with them. And yeah, I lift and ride my bike when I can.

sillygoosie

I converted my desk into a standing work station. Problem solved! I've been standing to work for almost a year.

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ShellyAnn46

thanks milliwatha for listing http://www.standingclock.com/ - had never heard of that & now will keep track at my motorized sit/stand desk.

ShellyAnn46

bump - want to reread - people have great suggestions

kittybenn

I'm a Fitbit Zip person and it's definitely helped me be more conscious of how much I'm sitting. I work at home and just sit, sit, sit. One thing that helps me is setting a timer on my phone to go off every 50 mins to 1 hour. When that happens, I try to get up and put 1,000 steps on the Zip. Do that faithfully during the work day and I've racked up some steps. Sometimes, though, if I'm busy or on the phone, I ignore the timer and forget to reset it. Not good. I'm a whole lot better than I used to be, though. The other thing I do is set a timer for 10 mins and do upper and/or lower body resistance training, like curls, presses, etc.

Left4Good

Sounds alot like me.

EvenThatNameIsTaken

Jealous of you treadmill deskers! hehe. Does anyone want to recommend any particular treadmill desks or treadmills that work well with desks? Someday I'd love to have one, but definitely curious which brands may be better and/or lower cost than others. I saw an adjustable height desk at a furniture store the other day but it was almost $800!

Great thread with lots of great info, thanks all!

NewLIFEstyle4ME

I have it!

But my post at my job is changing in April! My new post, while more stressful, will require me to be and moving and even outside part of the day. I am thankful for that because I am not at ALL looking forward to me post change !

YAY :flowerforyou: Don't you just LOVE how bad news can equal good news (making lemonade outta lemons in life)...if you have the right attitude? I'm discovering that more and more all the time!!!

NewLIFEstyle4ME

I've been standing more for the past couple of weeks than I have in years. :drinker: Also doing squats more (I'm standing while surfing the web more daily too and even while and typing this). It's a HUGE difference and I definitely feel it in my back and legs and in my tummy--kinda feels like my body feels after moderate exercising. Standing while surfing the web and lounging/bumming around is also really making a difference than sitting and surfing too--for the past couple of weeks instead of dropping a percentage of pounds (as I've been doing forever--well, at least for the past year or so--like down .02, .04, .06, .08 pounds) whole pounds are coming off instead for the past couple of weeks--I LIKE THAT :drinker: . Is this due to purposely standing more than sitting? I dunno, but I'm going to keep at it--how about you?

Here's some other ideas that may help us:

Rise Up Against Sitting Disease
22 easy ways to add healthy movement to your everyday routine.

http://www.rd.com/health/healthcare/rise-up-against-sitting-disease/

NewLIFEstyle4ME

thanks milliwatha for listing http://www.standingclock.com/ - had never heard of that & now will keep track at my motorized sit/stand desk.

YES! Thanks milwatha and YOU too for posting this....I missed this link somehow, and am just seeing this link too and I love this and need it too--perfect help for me!

http://www.standingclock.com/ :drinker: :drinker:

bikermike5094

hmm... let me sit down and think on that one...

DianeinCA

Jealous of you treadmill deskers! hehe. Does anyone want to recommend any particular treadmill desks or treadmills that work well with desks? Someday I'd love to have one, but definitely curious which brands may be better and/or lower cost than others. I saw an adjustable height desk at a furniture store the other day but it was almost $800!

Great thread with lots of great info, thanks all!

I got the Lifespan 1200, which IS expensive BUT:

1)it's built to be a walking treadmill, so it has a tiny motor designed to go for hours and hours at a slow speed. (In my case, btw 4-6 hours a day at 2.0 miles an hour.) Bigger, hardcore treadmills are designed to go faster for much less time. So you CAN burn out the motor on a bigger treadmill.

2)It's designed to be a desk. And it's a big, awesome, sturdy desk at that. No problem putting my Macbook and a giant 27" screen on here, with room left over for the papers I'm letting pile up.

3)It's easy to adjust to the proper height. This is IMPORTANT. Please take the ergonomics of your work setup seriously!

4)I'm not crafty. I'm not the person who buys the clothes-hanger treadmill off someone on Craigslist and then whips up a desk to go over it. If I had to rely on my carpentry skills for anything, I would have died 20+ years ago of starvation. And I wouldn't have walked the couple of hundred miles I've walked since January.

5)Lifespan has TERRIFIC customer service. I'm not affiliated with them or getting kickbacks, I'm simply thrilled with them.