strongmaker » Better health

Standing is better than sitting

Justin — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 21:17:30 +0000

Guess what? Sitting down for long hours, every day, will kill you. That’s what the Journal of Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise says. Apparently it will kill you even if you exercise regularly. This is bad news for the millions of office workers who sit at a desk, using a computer all day.

The solution is an adjustable desk. This desk by Andy Fitz looks perfect:

This company also sells them: Ergo Desktop.

Better time spent at work

Justin — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 14:41:05 +0000

When faced with a problem, which is better:

Staying at your computer for an hour, and grinding until you figure out the solution?

Going for a 40 minute walk and figuring out the solution?

North America has a “sitting paradigm” for doing work. If the boss sees you staring at your monitor he might assume that you’re working. But sitting at your computer isn’t the best way to focus your mental energy. This Fast Company article suggests that the unfocused mind is the key to real breakthroughs.

Better problem solving involves getting out of the office; standing, walking, or laying down. It could include nature, exercise, or closing our eyes. Food, color, sound and textures could also stimulate creative solutions.

Sitting at a workstation doesn’t equal working hard. Stand up, get out. Problem solved.

Better doctor visits: house calls

Justin — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 20:57:57 +0000

This is H1N1 scare is havoc on a parent’s nerves. Our 2 year-old son recently became sick with a serious fever. It was the weekend, and the first question that entered my mind was: when should I take him to the hospital?

Taking a sick child to emergency is the worst: putting them in an uncomfortable car seat, being jerked around during the drive, and then sitting in a crowded waiting room with other sick people is completely unsettling. And if you think about it: it doesn’t make sense.

Why are unhealthy people driving themselves to the hospital? Why are they driving at all? Let’s think of all the things that are prescribed when you’re feeling ill. You know: lots of rest, don’t move around, no additional stress, stay away from other sick people. Driving yourself to the hospital exposes you to all these things.

What happened to house calls? A mobile doctor, visiting a person in need of care in their home is a better way to do things. Why are we having all the icky, bacteria infected people congregate together in one place? Let’s stop this madness. Let’s give our doctors a cell phone, a Honda Fit, and the directions to our homes. We’ll all be better for it.