Stand up!

Recently I had read several things which spoke of how unhealthy sitting really is.  Whether or not this is just another health fad, I knew it was something I had been wanting to change for a while now.  Just from my own experience I knew sitting made me feel sluggish and Jabba-like.  I have never been much of a sitter, but in the past few years all my writing has tied me to the computer more than I liked.

So, on New Year’s Day I decided to do something about it.  Something concrete.  I didn’t just “decide” to sit less; resolutions don’t work well enough for me.  I made it impossible for me to find the time to sit as much as I had been.  I took my (disabled, formerly) “laptop” computer off of my desk and put it on a shelf I installed especially for it- one that I had to stand in order to use.

This is a picture of my work space as I write this.  (Yes, I probably should have cleaned up before making it public, but I didn’t.  I just shut off my monitor, stepped back, and took a picture.  Feel free to analyze me by what you see.)

Anyway… For the first couple of weeks I really noticed the difference in my legs and feet.  I ached.  I have gotten used to it now and it doesn’t bother me.

I am more able to do “drive-by writing” and respond quickly to the urge to be in another part of the house.  Funny how even the simple act of having to stand up from a chair made me hesitate to go do something I thought of.  I also lost all the extra weight I had put on in the past few years, even though this is the fat time of the year.  Who would have thought I would feel better by making one simple change?  Well, Dogbert, apparently.

So, it’s just something you might want to consider doing.  I know I’m liking it.

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