Sitting on the Job

Raleigh has its major snow storm of two inches with some ice following, and we all did what one does under those circumstances: stay home and hope that the power does not go out and that it gets warmer soon.

Our hopes were realized, and we are now gingerly walking around the icy patches left in neighborhood streets while all major roads are clear. Bright sunshine and temperatures around 55⁰ are working away on the rest of the ice and snow.

Since I had an entire day off yesterday AND I also recently got a new computer. This was the perfect day to re-install, modify and generally get acquainted with the new operating system. It also meant that I did what most of my clients do all day long: sit at a computer.

I use an exercise ball as a chair, and that is the way for me. I have a hard time sitting still, and a ball clearly accommodates that need to move. So as I bounced and shifted, it meant that my pelvis and lower back were never locked in any one position. Slouching is also rather difficult on a ball which means that I was sitting pretty much in good posture. I prefer a desktop over a laptop so that my screen and the keyboard are the right height for me.

With all that good setup, I still felt a need to get up and walk around, do something else for a while and went to my studio to MELT a few times in the course of the day. So by the end of the day, I was no worse for wear. Today, I will return to my normal use of a computer.

It gave me an appreciation, though, of the challenges of many people who have to stay at their desk all day long and can only take short breaks.  Here is a link to a very interesting illustration to the long-term health hazards of sitting all day long http://apps.washingtonpost.com/g/page/national/the-health-hazards-of-sitting/750/.

Sitting is the new smoking.