I love my job as a writer. I get to sit in a room and make stuff up, and sometimes people pay me money to do it. What's not to like about that?
Of course, like anything else, there are some disadvantages to this lovely vocation. One of them is that I wind up sitting a lot while I'm spinning my tales. According to doctors, too much sitting is bad for you. My scale seems to support their statements, at least when it comes to my weight. So I have to figure out a way to counteract this effect.
The marketplace has caught on to this, and provided a number of solutions to the problem. One is a standing desk, where instead of sitting down you do your work standing up. I have a number of writer friends that swear by this idea, and I have flirted with it from time to time. The fact that long periods of standing results in incredible pain in my feet keeps this idea just an idea.
Then there's what is called an "active workstation." One version of this is a treadmill desk, which gives one the opportunity to walk and surf the Net at the same time. For someone who's really into fitness and using their laptop, this appears to be a match made in Heaven.
But, according to an article at www.market
watch.com, using a treadmill desk is not all sunshine and cupcakes. Reporter Jen Wieczner cites a 2011 Mayo Clinic study that shows medical transcriptionists speed and accuracy suffering while walking and typing. Then again, the study only involved 11 transcriptionists so it's possible they found the most uncoordinated of the lot.
If the treadmill isn't to your liking, they make machines that let you cycle the pounds away. Or, you can strengthen your abs by sitting on (I am not kidding) a giant rubber ball while working on your computer.
According to the article, the jury is out on how effective these devices are. Some sing their praises, while others say they don't deliver as promised. The comments section had a couple of people who felt the article was too negative. One of them actually blogs about his treadmill desk experience at www.treadmilldeskdiary.com.
I have to admit that I'm somewhat leery of these newfangled gadgets. I have experience with treadmills - it's the piece of equipment I use when I make myself go to the YMCA. I'm the gal who usually has her ear buds plugged into her Ipod while she has a death grip on the treadmill's handrails.
And that is my top worry. Yes, I know that you go much slower when you are on a treadmill desk. I'm still not certain I could walk on the thing without holding on to something. If I'm holding on to something, then I can't be typing or moving my mouse. This defeats the whole purpose of the contraption.
Cycling might work, but I've tried reading and cycling and find myself often distracted by the movement of my legs and the resulting knee pain. It seems to me that you need to have some coordination to pull that off, something I am not blessed with a lot of.
Then there's the big rubber ball. While I'd love to strengthen my abs, I'm not sure I have the balance to pull this one off. I'd probably spend a lot of time on the floor, where it would be very hard to type from.
So I don't think I'm investing in any of these gadgets any time soon. Instead, I am going to try to find a way to exercise apart from my writing. Maybe I'll get to the Y today. Save a treadmill for me. I'll try not to put dents in the handrails.
Sunday, February 03, 2013 - www.newssun.com/col-ware