Standing For It

I'm not going to link to anything, because, you know, I basically just don't feel like looking up an altogether good article. But it's ok, because you've probably read this sort of thing, assuming you're the sort of person who does read these sorts of things. If you're not, then ok, this is new, but Google knows more about these things than I do.

Anyway, standing. It's good for you.

Take a second to soak that in, really drink in the implications. There's a fair body of research that suggests even such low intensity activity can improve insulin sensitivity, cognition, and all sorts of other good stuff. No need for crossfit, bro.

This is something baristas needn't worry about. Our job requires us to engage fully and frequently with our bipedal nature. This is cool, I think, and yet it's something I here a bit of bitching about, now and then. There are the usual complaints of sore feet, ankles, knees, and just generally lethargic legs.

Which, yeah, I understand. Shit happens, pain happens, and sometimes things don't feel great. That's life, welcome to it.

But I don't think it's quite that simple, really. I don't think standing all day has to suck, by definition. It can, I think, be rather effortless. If I'm being honest, it should be.

Small sample size, sure, but let's take my workplace as an example. We have 3 full time baristas. All of us stand for the length of the shift, and never mind doing so. Let's see if we can detect a theme.

Barista 1: Runs 50-70 miles a week in really light shoes, and does all the cross training stuff that goes along with.

Barista 2: Won a triathlon on a whim once, since she swims/bikes/runs for fun. Also competes in various martial arts tournaments - basically always wins.

Barista 3: Spends 2-6 hours outside of work at a dance studio, doing evil things to various tendons and ligaments.

Baristas 1/2/3: Get awkwardly excited about vegetables.

So there's that. Things to consider.