Can my new iPad help me live longer?
Posted by Dave on April 7, 2010 | 13 Comments
If you follow me on Twitter or read my personal blog, you probably know by now that I bought myself an iPad this week. The main reason I got it is because I’m a sucker for shiny new technology, but I also wanted to see if I could use it to help myself become a little less sedentary.
As I mentioned in my first two posts about fitness this month, there’s a growing body of research suggesting that a sedentary lifestyle is harmful to your health. I was interviewed about one such study a few months ago on the PRI show “The Takeaway,” and the evidence is fairly convincing: People who spend more hours watching TV also have a higher mortality rate than those who watch it less, even after accounting for exercise. Granted, it’s only a correlation, but the evidence converges quite well with several other studies.
But what am I supposed to do about it? My job requires me to spend long hours in front of a computer screen. If exercising a 30 or 40 minutes a day can’t prevent me from getting heart disease or cancer, what will? Some researchers, including David Dunstan, the lead researcher on the TV-watching study, suggest that just standing periodically, rather than sitting all day, can help a lot.
That’s where the iPad comes in. I’ve decided that during the workday, I should only use my iPad while I’m standing up. But it’s awkward holding the iPad with one hand and typing with the other, so I need some sort of a stand. But where would I put it? Fortunately, if it lives up to the hype, my iPad should be making one piece of furniture in my office obsolete:
To make my stand, I took a couple of old two-by-fours from my garage, and cut them on the bias, like this:
Then I attached one of the shelves from the bookcase to it, adding a stopper so the iPad won’t slide off the edge, like this:
Then I installed it in my bookcase, like this:
The iPad is already in place, logged in to my favorite web site. Sure, the setup’s a little rough, but it’s quite functional. Here’s the whole spread:
The plan is to do all Twitter activity and recreational web surfing on the iPad, standing up. The computer will be work-only. So if I want to take a little Twitter break during the day, I have to stand up and use the iPad. I’ve been trying it during mini-breaks as I write this post, and even though I’m a little worn out from a very hard morning run, I’m quite comfortable standing and reading. The angled stand actually makes the iPad easier to use than when it’s flat on the desk.
Over the course of the next month, I’ll let you know how the standing-at-the-iPad plan is working. Maybe it seems fine today because of the excitement of a new install, but will end up being a pain in the long run. Maybe I will decide I’d rather sit than tweet. For the record, I tweeted an average of 24.6 times per day for the week ending April 6. Let’s see if that rate goes down if I have to stand to use Twitter.
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April 7th, 2010 @ 4:06 pm
Congratulations on your decision to begin standing instead of sitting; health research does seem to be pointing in that direction. But as for the ergonomics of your new set-up (not dissimilar to something I recently attempted for my MBP), I think you’ll find that your back is going to take the brunt of this hit. Your arm position is much too high for natural movement or comfort. Ultimately, this is the big (and right now) physically insurmountable problem with placing screens at the correct visual height–it moves the keypad to an undesirable arm/hand height. What we all need is a wall mounted screen with a portable keyboard. I’m guessing that this will be coming down the Apple pike soon, and when it does, I’m buying it. Until then, make sure to take lots of breaks (which you’ll find yourself doing anyway since you don’t have to get up to go anywhere anymore) and remember to do some back stretches in the interim. And good luck!
April 7th, 2010 @ 4:22 pm
I agree, the hand position isn’t ideal. But I’m not planning on doing a lot of typing here. For the most part it’s a reading station, and it’ s perfectly positioned for that.
April 7th, 2010 @ 4:45 pm
My Powerbook G4 has been mounted like that for years for websurfing. Do you even need the iPad? ;)
April 7th, 2010 @ 5:47 pm
Bravo!
15 years ago, I modified a bookshelf at my office in just such a manner for my computer keyboard, and have stood to work ever since. The biggest benefit I noticed is that I’m quick to walk throughout the office to get what I need, instead of calling people. I am constantly amazed that people will phone coworkers 30 feet away to ask a question.
Helps posture, too. Good luck!
April 7th, 2010 @ 6:08 pm
This is almost the same idea I had just last weekend. Mine differs in that I tried to set up my notebook on a treadmill. I figured my time spent online could as easily be spent walking as sitting.
April 7th, 2010 @ 6:41 pm
Good idea, but for serious calorie burning, you need something like the Walkstation.
April 7th, 2010 @ 6:51 pm
Charles:
Of *course* I nned the iPad. You think I could do this with just any computer? Preposterous! ;)
John:
The point isn’t to burn calories. I burn plenty in my morning run. I think the theory is that standing rather than sitting requires your heart to do more work pumping blood the full length of your body, thus reducing your risk of heart disease. I’ll be exploring this in more detail next week.
April 7th, 2010 @ 10:29 pm
Well done, Dave! Great decision to include the Do-It-Yourself pictures as well.
As for the health risk associated with sitting vs standing, it seems to be mostly due to changes in lipoprotein lipase activity in skeletal muscle, and likely glucose transport proteins as well. I don’t *think* it has as much to do with your heart or blood flow… not that it’s impossible, but I don’t know of any likely mechanisms.
Really enjoying this month’s topic, can’t wait to see what you discuss next week!
Travis
April 8th, 2010 @ 1:31 am
As mentioned by at least one other commenter, this setup could easily be done with a notebook or desktop — and for cheaper. I do the same thing when I go online at home, except my computer is an Asus netbook and my stand is a large water tank outside. I am still dumbfounded why you would find the need to use an iPad (and initially imply that the iPad is the reason for your better fitness) for this purpose.
April 7th, 2010 @ 2:18 pm
Can my new iPad help me live longer? http://goo.gl/fb/Oj1rr
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April 7th, 2010 @ 2:23 pm
@kdrum new blog post explaining my Twitter iPad plans http://dailymonthly.com/?p=386
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April 7th, 2010 @ 8:38 pm
Can my new iPad help me live longer? http://bit.ly/dvYzsc
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April 7th, 2010 @ 10:29 pm
Reading: Can my new iPad help me live longer? http://bit.ly/dvYzsc
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