Using a Standup Desk Today to Live a Healthier Retirement Tomorrow

Using a Standup Desk Today to Live a Healthier Retirement Tomorrow

Ruth Hollard

Many of us think of our retirement in terms of beach vacations, hiking, biking, golf, skiing, etc.  But are we really working actively towards our golden years or just hoping that we’ll get lucky?

We translators have sedentary jobs.  Many interpreters have also become more sedentary now since a lot of their work has moved online. Most of you are probably reading this article sitting down… We all know that having a sedentary lifestyle is BAD. It doubles the risk of cardiovascular disease, obesity, and diabetes, in addition to all sorts of other scary diseases. Sitting also tightens your muscles and can hurt your lower back. But you can make a small change today that will improve your future quality-of-life: switch to a stand-up desk.

For years I had wanted a stand-up desk, but they were not widely available in Brazil. I wanted the fancy one that came with a slow-moving treadmill so that I could stalk mammoths and forage for berries all day while I typed, like my non-sedentary ancestors. Instead, I had to resort to the piles-of-books-on-the-stationary-desk method, but this meant constantly moving to a different table when I got tired of standing, and that meant moving the external monitor too or doing without. It worked, but it was far from ideal.

When I moved back to the USA a few months ago, I immediately purchased a simple stand-up desk. I opted for one without the treadmill since walking outside in the fresh air is so much nicer than walking all day on a treadmill (so glad I dodged that bullet). My new desk moves all my work equipment up and down at the touch of a button. I alternate my workstation a few times a day between standing on an anti-fatigue board and sitting on a Pilates ball; both keep me moving and stretching all day, meaning improved circulation and zero back pain at the end of the day.

What are you waiting for?

Make this one small change today to live a healthier retirement tomorrow!

 

Ruth Hollard is an American translator specializing in Portuguese-to-English (and French-to-English) business and financial translations and our current PLD Assistant Administrator.  She has over nine years of translation experience, in addition to her prior corporate experience at Citigroup, DDB Needham Europe, and Goldman Sachs. Ruth holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration, with a major in international trade and finance, and a minor in German. She has lived abroad for over three decades in Austria, Switzerland, France, and Brazil. She currently divides her time between the USA and Brazil.