“Make it a rule to never sit down more than 30 minutes at a time. Then you must get up to stretch, go smoke, get coffee, go chat to someone in the next office, whatever”

I’m not sure smoking while standing constitutes a healthy alternative to sitting down and not smoking!

Anyway, I couldn’t live without my adjustable desk. And instinctively I’m always pacing the floor when I’m on the phone.

9:00 – 10:30 a.m. : answer emails, work on projects, articles, etc. (aka desk time)
11:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.: serve cheesburgers, fill ice bins, haul high chairs, etc.
5:00 – 9:00 p.m.: back to the computer and “think” work

Sometimes I alternate, spending an entire 8-hour day at the office, followed by an entire 8-hour day at the restaurant. Now matter what the exact breakdown of hours is, I find that my body and mind are feeling sharper, energized, and more productive on all fronts now that I’m mixing mental work with physical work. The physical work gives my mind a chance to chew on problems and solutions for my “desk” job, and the mental work gives me the creative challenges my brain craves (along with a break from being on my feet). The added bonus is that I can fit into a pair of jeans I haven’t worn in years!

I know not everyone has the option to pick up a physical side job job, so I highly recommend looking into a kneeling chair, which can be found at http://sitincomfort.com/kneechairs.html. On days that I do work at my computer for an 8-hour clip, a mix of standing, kneeling, and sitting seem to keep my back from getting too tight. (A yoga class afterwards helps too!)

Also, Alex, thanks for the bday wishes! :)

Simon Kuper wrote a good piece on this subject in the FT at the end of January. Here’s the link

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/20a5cb1a-078f-11df-915f-00144feabdc0.html

When I use the stepper, it is quite astonishing, how many calories you may burn.
I testet it with a watch from polar.
In 30 minutes I burned 300 kcalories, not bad …

I just got up for the first time today.. I’m resetting my timer!

Thanks man

Dan

Jörg: That’s amazing!! How often do you use it and for how long typically?

Michael: What a cool thing to do and nice of you to include other companies!

DC Jobs: Let me know how that goes, will ya :o)

Dan: Yep, your chair has it in for you! Thanks for the link to the timer app!

Greg: And thanks for the link to the online timer!!

Phil: That is the way to do it. And yes, it takes discipline.

Christine: That’s great. And not that you mention it, I’m surprised that the NY Times article doesn’t mention neck and back pain at all…

I try to avoid too long in any one place. I work on the phone and often walk around during calls. I also try to get a walk or run into the schedule every day. It takes discipline but I cannot bear sitting in the same place for more than about 45 minutes.

Great post – thanks

Phil