Sitting vs. Standing Experiment
Late July or August, I was working on the computer as usual and went to bed at around 11PM. My working environment at the time was that I used the edge of my bed as a chair, so I didn't have a back rest and I used an old computer table, which wasn't level with my elbow (it was a little high). I would sometimes sit on my legs just to get myself to move around.
Then one day, I woke up with a sharp pang on a spot a little above where my heart's supposed to be right through my back. It was so sharp that I shot up breathless, grabbing on to whatever I could grab on to. It was a familiar pain. Last time I had it was when I was still in college. I was graduating and I pushed myself so hard then that I'd only sleep one or two hours a night. I got the rest of my sleep in class.
With the type of environment that I set myself up with, I always ended up with a sore tailbone, and a sore neck. It was often so uncomfortable that getting up became so tasking and that all I wanted to do was sit back on whatever chair with a back rest that I could find. At the office, I couldn't even get anything done. Even leaning forward just a little would cause so much discomfort that I actually felt like crying. At lunch break, when our Assistant Head would go and take his time, I'd sit in his chair, since he was the only one who had a chair that size, and would feel comfort---until my tailbone starts giving me problems.
I was going to go see a doctor, possibly get an X-Ray done and hopefully get a proper diagnosis, but seriously, with what I'm making in the government, even getting time off to go to the doctor was going to be a problem. There's just plenty of stuff I can't afford the luxury of having, unless I just skip work.
Anyway, a couple of days ago, while randomly looking around the Internet for possible causes as to what's been triggering this back pain, one of the possible causes pointed to working conditions. Even a Google search of sitting kills can get you 27,700,000 results. Apparently, in Western countries, standing while working is the new trend. Well, standing while working isn't really a new thing, but try suggesting that to people here in the Philippines and we can come up with a hundred reasons on why not to do it.
That's right, a hundred reasons why not to do it, even if we haven't even tried doing it. That's how pessimistic we can be.
Well, I was desperate and I wanted some extra space in my room, so I did some redecorating. I took out the HUGE headboard that my dad got me for me bed, it was the most lavish part of my room, and totally useless, not to mention, and turned my bed 90 degrees. I took the coffee table from the living room, and put a small kid's table on top of it to make a standing table. Standing tables cost a fortune, so I just made myself one. It's not that pretty, but it definitely serves its purpose!
Voila!
This is actually my third night standing while working. You might be asking, "So, what's it like?"
The first time I tried it, I was like "Holy $#!!!!!!!+!!!! My lower back's killing me!" And a bunch of profanities that I wouldn't dare publish. Being overly positive and I noticed that the pain that I usually experience while working was strangely absent, I decided to give it another go.
Maybe it just needs a little getting used to, I thought. So I did squats to get some movement in my legs, I'd walk in place, try to reach my toes with my fingers, do some stretching, and every now and then, I'd sit on the stool for a few minutes. When I'm standing again, I'd get some stretching done, and then I realized that my mind was more alert, and I was having little to no dozing off at work.
The second night, the lower back pain wasn't as bad as the first night. And again, I got more activity done with my body, than when I sat, nursing my muffin top. While standing, I can actually feel that I have a waist line.
On the third night, tonight, I barely feel the lower back pain. But my feet kind of hurt. My back must have hurt that bad that I didn't even notice the pain my feet were feeling. Actually they hurt because I'm bare footed, standing on tiled cement floor. Nothing that a pair of padded bedroom slippers can't remedy.
And so, I'm hoping that I get good results in the long run.
Then one day, I woke up with a sharp pang on a spot a little above where my heart's supposed to be right through my back. It was so sharp that I shot up breathless, grabbing on to whatever I could grab on to. It was a familiar pain. Last time I had it was when I was still in college. I was graduating and I pushed myself so hard then that I'd only sleep one or two hours a night. I got the rest of my sleep in class.
With the type of environment that I set myself up with, I always ended up with a sore tailbone, and a sore neck. It was often so uncomfortable that getting up became so tasking and that all I wanted to do was sit back on whatever chair with a back rest that I could find. At the office, I couldn't even get anything done. Even leaning forward just a little would cause so much discomfort that I actually felt like crying. At lunch break, when our Assistant Head would go and take his time, I'd sit in his chair, since he was the only one who had a chair that size, and would feel comfort---until my tailbone starts giving me problems.
I was going to go see a doctor, possibly get an X-Ray done and hopefully get a proper diagnosis, but seriously, with what I'm making in the government, even getting time off to go to the doctor was going to be a problem. There's just plenty of stuff I can't afford the luxury of having, unless I just skip work.
Anyway, a couple of days ago, while randomly looking around the Internet for possible causes as to what's been triggering this back pain, one of the possible causes pointed to working conditions. Even a Google search of sitting kills can get you 27,700,000 results. Apparently, in Western countries, standing while working is the new trend. Well, standing while working isn't really a new thing, but try suggesting that to people here in the Philippines and we can come up with a hundred reasons on why not to do it.
That's right, a hundred reasons why not to do it, even if we haven't even tried doing it. That's how pessimistic we can be.
Well, I was desperate and I wanted some extra space in my room, so I did some redecorating. I took out the HUGE headboard that my dad got me for me bed, it was the most lavish part of my room, and totally useless, not to mention, and turned my bed 90 degrees. I took the coffee table from the living room, and put a small kid's table on top of it to make a standing table. Standing tables cost a fortune, so I just made myself one. It's not that pretty, but it definitely serves its purpose!
Voila!
This is actually my third night standing while working. You might be asking, "So, what's it like?"
The first time I tried it, I was like "Holy $#!!!!!!!+!!!! My lower back's killing me!" And a bunch of profanities that I wouldn't dare publish. Being overly positive and I noticed that the pain that I usually experience while working was strangely absent, I decided to give it another go.
Maybe it just needs a little getting used to, I thought. So I did squats to get some movement in my legs, I'd walk in place, try to reach my toes with my fingers, do some stretching, and every now and then, I'd sit on the stool for a few minutes. When I'm standing again, I'd get some stretching done, and then I realized that my mind was more alert, and I was having little to no dozing off at work.
The second night, the lower back pain wasn't as bad as the first night. And again, I got more activity done with my body, than when I sat, nursing my muffin top. While standing, I can actually feel that I have a waist line.
On the third night, tonight, I barely feel the lower back pain. But my feet kind of hurt. My back must have hurt that bad that I didn't even notice the pain my feet were feeling. Actually they hurt because I'm bare footed, standing on tiled cement floor. Nothing that a pair of padded bedroom slippers can't remedy.
And so, I'm hoping that I get good results in the long run.
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