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0 pointsjen729w5y ago0 comments

> Simply going for a 15-minute walk every day is a step in the right direction for beginners.

It is that, but that’s all. I’ve realised lately that it really isn’t enough.

Until earlier this year I was cycling about 15kms a day in the natural course of going to work, and climbing perhaps 30 flights of stairs a day in the natural course of living on the 3rd floor. Then I moved house, and I no longer do either.

I do, however, still walk a decent amount on the flat. My phone says I average about 7km/day (near enough 10,000 steps).

It’s not enough. It’s taken me a while to realise it, but I’m pretty sure that my current lower back issues are basically a result of stopping the cycling & stairs. I can’t prove it of course, but it makes a lot of sense. All of my glute/hamstring strength has just gone.

Starting tomorrow I’m forcing myself to ride about 15kms a day (~5 days/week), with some sort of an incline in there. I’m lucky that I enjoy this; I was luckier when it just happened as part of my day without me thinking about it. Making myself do it is going to be a lot harder. I need to figure out a way to “science the shit out of it” so I can at least gain motivation from the fact that it works (assuming that it does).

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djeiasbsbo5y ago

According to my physiotherapist, cycling (really any movement) is great but does not necessarily help with back problems and in some cases even make it worse (probably depends on bike, saddle, position etc.).

What's important is consistently moving. That means getting up from the desk every hour for a 5 minute walk or some stretching. Switching between standing and sitting at a desk is a first step in the right direction but really we need to be moving.

This gets almost completely ignored at most desk jobs but now that many people can work from home, the opportunity to get into the right routine presents itself.

mnicky5y ago

> What's important is consistently moving. That means getting up from the desk every hour for a 5 minute walk or some stretching. Switching between standing and sitting at a desk is a first step in the right direction but really we need to be moving.

Yeah, that's it. At least when it comes to overall health (I'm not sure about back issues).

I did a little bit of research on this theme myself and it seems that the key is to interrupt periods of prolonged sitting with any movement (even walking helps) for any period of time (even 1 minute helps). The more intensive/longer the better, obviously.

See also notes from my web-research at http://mnicky.wikidot.com/healthy-programmer (it's based on the book that got me started on this topic, but e.g. in Section 3 there's some additional reading about benefits of making pauses when sitting for a longer time and similar research).

Btw, using standing desk for prolonged time can be harmful as well, the truth is even more than sitting :) So yes, combine standing and sitting, but stand only for a shorter time (after 30min it starts to have negative effects).

toast05y ago

> According to my physiotherapist, cycling (really any movement) is great but does not necessarily help with back problems and in some cases even make it worse (probably depends on bike, saddle, position etc.).

If you stay in one position on the bike, and bike for a long time (hour+), it's probably worse for your back. But if you switch positions, you can find some nice stretches sometimes. Depending on the terrain, you might have to specifically remember to stretch your back while you're on the bike.

thirdsun5y ago

As a hobby road cyclist I can recommend doing some core / stability training in addition to cycling. And of course, make sure that your bike and its geometry (saddle and stem height, stack and reach) generally fit you. Biking should not hurt - unless it's due to the high effort you put in.

z3t45y ago

Some form of High intensity training is needed to trigger body response that is associated with health, like hormone release/sensitivity and muscle growth. Deadlifts is an excellent exercise if done correctly. But there is of course a plethora of exercies you can do, you have to find what works best for you. A 15 minute walk is not enough, humans are very good at walking, you will burn more energy doing 1 deadlift then walking for 15 minutes.

quickthrower25y ago

I’m not sure how cycling will help your lower back? Might make you fitter and lose weight. Have you tried seeing a physio?

sethammons5y ago

Lots of lower back pain is actually hip issues. Stretching and strength exercises for the win.

tcmb5y ago

I recommend getting a power meter and doing some structured training with that. You get a training plan to follow and numbers (FTP, W/kg) that you can see improving.

treeman795y ago

Search Bob and Brad On YouTube, so many great videos on Fixing specific problems.

PhysicL therapist showed me a few basic stretches that helped. YouTube helped fix decades of problems.

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