Ergonomic Links Roundup: August 15, 2012

We are fortunate enough to truly love what we do. Part of that passion means following what people are talking about around the web in terms of ergonomics, adjustable-height desks, and other healthy working topics. Below are links to some of the things we're thinking about this week:Freud's office chair looks a bit like the HAG Capisco

• The most widely circulated link this week was the Chicago Tribune's piece on the switch one Groupon employee has made to a standing desk. The link includes a video that shows how the employee works and how it's changed the way he feels at the end of the day.

• Julie Deardorff, the author of the article linked above, followed up her piece with a reflection on the difficulties of writing while sitting down. She now feels compelled to stand whenever possible after noticing how uncomfortable it can be to sit all day.

• A thoughtful client sent us this link to a BBC article that highlights Sigmund Freud's office chair. The email suggested it looked a bit like one of our favorite chair options. 

• Standing isn't just for office workers anymore. Kirk Hamilton talks about a new way to play video games over at Kotaku. He explains:

It's not every day you discover a whole new way to play video games. Yet over the past month, I've done just that—I've found a way to play games that makes me feel better, more alert, healthier, and more involved. How have I accomplished this? I've started playing video games while standing up.

• Our intention is never to scare you into healthy working, but this article caught our attention: 7 Signs your Home Office is Slowly Killing You. The article looks at some of the common problems people face working from a home office, and more importantly links to ways to combat some of these issues.

Ergonomic Links Roundup: July 26th, 2012

We are fortunate enough to truly love what we do. Part of that passion means following what people are talking about around the web in terms of ergonomics, adjustable-height desks, and other healthy working topics. Below are links to some of the things we're thinking about this week:

• The Huffington Post has two features on sit-stand desks this week. The first is Chris Spurlock's take on standing desks. He has experienced back pain and feels that an adjustable-height desk is a great option if you have similar discomforts. Check out the desk he hacked together to see if he like standing here.

• We're all becoming more aware of the dangers of sitting too long at work, and unfortunately fitting in more exercise outside of work doesn't seem to fix the problem. The key is to change the way we work. From The Huffington Post's Healthy Living blog:

Unfortunately, research shows that extra-curricular trips to the gym -- running the mornings before work or hitting up a post-office spin class -- can't undo the effects of a day spent on one's behind. That means the only available option is to remake our work environments.

• Bloomberg Businessweek has a really neat slideshow of different workspaces. The photos aren't mean to be suggestions, but just a quick look at how people in New York City work. Definitely a change from our showroom. 

• We're all about staying healthy, in and out of the office. For those runners out there, here's a quick 30-second claymation video on proper running technique. Hat-tip to Lifehacker.

• Lifehacker also has a guest-post on the 10 Steps to a Healther Office. Guess what's number 3? We've mentioned this before, but one of the benefits of an adjustable-desk is that you aren't stuck at just one height. Sure, you can pile milk crates on top of your existing desk and have a standing desk, but the ability to move and vary your position is key to healthy working.

Research has shown that sitting in front of a computer all day can have negative effects on your short AND long-term health, so companies everywhere are catching on to the appeal of stand-up desks. At Boundless, most of our team rocks stand-up desks, and many have found that it makes them feel much more energetic than hunching in front of a computer all day. Standing up while working can also help prevent slouching and alleviate back problems.

• And finally, what would an ergo link round up be without another "sitting is killing you" link? Today's thanks go to CBS News.

Ergonomic Links Roundup: July 17th, 2012

We are fortunate enough to truly love what we do. Part of that passion means following what people are talking about around the web in terms of ergonomics, adjustable-height desks, and other healthy working topics. Below are links to some of the things we're thinking about this week:

• Bloomberg has become an unexpected proponent of standing desks and alternative workstations. This week their website features a new study (yes, another one) that concludes sitting less will add two years to your life expectancy:

The researchers pooled data from five studies that involved almost 167,000 adults. They combined the data with figures from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, which was used to determine how much time U.S. adults spent sitting and watching TV. Americans watch an average of five hours of TV a day, according to a June 2011 study in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

The analysis found that sitting less would reduce premature deaths by 27 percent in the U.S., while spending fewer hours in front of the TV may reduce it by 19 percent, Katzmarzyk said.

• Bloomberg Businessweek also made a splash last week with their feature article Kill Your Desk Chair. We don’t see just sitting or just standing as the answer to being stuck behind a desk all day, but that a combination of the two is the healthiest option. If you were looking to make the most dramatic impact to your workstation, replacing your desk would be the first step. Next step would be to find a sit-stand chair that encourages you to move. From Bloomberg:

Like the proponents of macrobiotics and barefoot running, today’s antisitting crusaders argue that our modern lifestyle—with its roughage-free processed foods, foam-cushioned shoes, Barcaloungers, and swivel chairs—has, by cosseting the body, actually caused it to break down. When we sit our muscles atrophy, our back crimps, and our metabolism slows. As James Levine, a Mayo Clinic endocrinologist, has written, “[A] growing body of evidence suggests that chair-living is lethal. Of concern is that for most people in the developed world chair-living is the norm.”

• Mashable posted a link to a very convincing Infograhic that talks about the dangers of sitting all day. One resonant fact: Americans burn 140 fewer calories a day than they did 50 years ago. You can see the Infographic by clicking here.

• Lifehacker receives tons of great questions from readers weekly. This week they tackle how to ask your boss to consider an adjustable-height workstation. Not sticking out in an office environment is something that our clients take seriously, and Lifehacker touches on it:

If perception is an issue, offer to work with your boss so you can stand, but you're standing somewhere that doesn't draw attention or too many questions (you'd be surprised how often great ideas in workspace changes get nixed because managers are "worried about the way it looks to others.")

• Kickstarter is one of the best places to find new and innovative ideas to solve common problems. It looks like individuals are taking standing desks into their own hands. We like the idea of being able to move your entire desk top to avoid unnecessary strain on your back and shoulders, but some of these ideas are pretty neat.

See something online that we should know about? Send us a Tweet @ergodepot

Ergonomic Link Roundup: Wednesday June 13th

We are fortunate enough to truly love what we do. Part of that passion means following what people are talking about around the web in terms of ergonomics, adjustable-height desks, and other healthy working topics. Below are links to some of the things we're thinking about this week:

• Hemingway at workCongratulations to our new friend Muvman! The new sit-stand chair took home the Buildings Magazine Office Seating Innovation award in Chicago at NeoCon this week. Muvman sit-stand chair has already won a dozen design awards, check them out here. The design team behind the popular Swopper chair has once again put out a compelling, active sitting option to encourage movement Muvment.

• Our friends over at Lifehacker have come up with some strategies for surviving a work day on very little or no sleep. One of their ideas is to work standing up. Standing helps fight fatigue, plus it's nearly impossible to fall asleep on your feet.

• One of our favorite bloggers, Jason Kottke, takes a look at Ernest Hemingway's standing desk. Aspiring writers, take note!

• Forbes joins the chorus of cries against sitting all day. While the article does have some good information in terms of the health risks of sitting, some of the solutions aren't exactly what we'd suggest based on our experience with clients. We definitely can't argue with the general idea though: Sitting at Work can be Deadly.

• The Atlantic struck the same note in their piece on the health risks of sitting too much based on a different recent study:

Its most striking finding was that people who sat more than 11 hours a day had a 40% higher risk of dying in the next three years than people who sat less than four hours a day. This was after adjusting for factors such as age, weight, physical activity and general health status, all of which affect the death risk. It also found a clear dose-response effect: the more people sat, the higher their risk of death.

The health risks of sitting too much are certainly real and concerning, but we choose to use adjustable-height desks because it really does feel better at the end of the day. Standing desks are becoming more and more popular with office worker, but the ability to vary your position throughout the day makes the biggest difference in our productivity and energy.

And the experts agree...

Two years ago the New York Times published a roundtable discussion of professional ergonomists along with other experts in the field on whether sitting is really that bad for you. Their answers? A collection of resounding "Yes!" responses.

How to deal with the inevitability of sitting for eight+ hours per day, on the other hand, was not as cut and dried. The thread tying the responses together was the idea that we all need to move more throughout our day. Of course, if you've visited our blog before you won't be surprised to learn that we totally agree.

If you haven't already, check out the article here. Or, if you prefer the CliffsNotes, a couple of highlights are below.

Galen Cranz, UC Berkeley:

...some postures are better than others. The neutral body posture, as NASA calls it, is half way between sitting and standing; it balances our musculature between front and back...Also called the perch position, it requires a higher than currently conventional desk, not a standing desk, but definitely higher than 28 inches.

Jack Dennerlein, Harvard School of Public Health:

Get up and move frequently.

Peter T. Katzmarzyk, Pennington Biomedical Research Center:

The take-home message should be that the more time we spend out of the chair, the healthier we are likely to be.