I read an
article in The Chronicle recently about a professor who bought a treadmill desk
to use while she is at work. It’s pretty self-explanatory: a treadmill attached
to a desk replaces a chair, so you walk (instead of sit) while you work. Her
story inspired me; the idea of incorporating some kind of movement into
an otherwise very (physically) inactive long work-day was alluring.
I love the typical experiences of life in academia—reading, writing, thinking,
discussing—but, it has always bothered me that every single one of these activities
involves sitting. Academics tend to live completely in their heads, and that means often living in a chair. I’ve always found it very frustrating that I’ll wake up, sit
at the office, come home, sit at my computer and write, and then go to bed; if
I’m lucky, I'll take the stairs instead of an elevator, or there will be some kind of work-out thrown into my day, but it’s
certainly no more than an hour. That can't be good for anyone. Even putting strenuous exercise aside, I've read so many articles that suggest how just moving—in any kind of way—is so valuable. A recent scary essay--entitled something like, "How Sitting Is Killing Us"--talked about the simple benefits of just being on your feet instead of your ass (for a lack of better words).
This awareness combined with the article from The
Chronicle, inspired me to spend some of my work-day out of my chair. Despite
doing Yoga and even dancing ballet for many years, I’m somewhat clumsy, and I
thought typing while also walking on a moving machine seemed a bit complicated.
I decided to go the less extreme route and set up a standing-desk at my
apartment. I’m not walking while I work, but I am at least out of my chair; in fact, about 4-5 hours of time typically spent sitting, I am now standing.
I've only been doing this for a week, but so far I've already seen its benefits: I have a bit more energy while I am writing. I feel more tired by the time 3 a.m. rolls around (a plus for someone who struggles with some mild insomnia). It gives me a good opportunity to work on posture. My neck and back hurt less. And, according to a handy online calculator, I burn about 50 more calories (relatively effortlessly) an hour standing than I would if I was snuggled up in a recliner in my living-room.
Academics often forget that we are more than a brain. We especially forget that in order for those brains to function as well as we want them to, we need to take care of the bodies in which they are housed. In this world of multi-tasking and deadlines, what better way to do that than by combining our cerebral work with some physical activity? My plan was that this blog would be a place I could explore issues related to writing/the writing process. While a topic such as standing vs. sitting might seem insignificant, how I write—even on the most
basic physical, bodily level—is an important part of that conversation. So, here's to more standing, and the hope that a more active and mobile existence will add some life to the page as well.
