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Walking Desks and Translation
Thread poster: Huw Watkins
Tom in London
Tom in London
United Kingdom
Local time: 11:10
Member (2008)
Italian to English
Try the real thing May 30, 2016

Huw Watkins wrote:

..... people are reporting with daily use of walking desks really appeals


Just daily energetic walking for about 40 -45 minutes might appeal even more. I find it does me the world of good. By now if for any reason I don't take my daily walk, I feel I've missed something. In fact why not go for a walk RIGHT NOW?


 
Jo Macdonald
Jo Macdonald  Identity Verified
Spain
Local time: 12:10
Member (2005)
Italian to English
+ ...
Light exercise and eating healthy May 30, 2016

Hi Huw,
Exercise and eating are a really important part of my work day because if I don't do both in moderation I don't work well.

At 10 every day I stop work and go take the dog for a longish walk. At 12.00 another break to do some natural body weight exercise, then lunch. At 4.00 another break and a run in the woods with the dog.

One good way of gradually losing weight is just to eat a little less than you are now, just enough for you to feel slightly hungry sti
... See more
Hi Huw,
Exercise and eating are a really important part of my work day because if I don't do both in moderation I don't work well.

At 10 every day I stop work and go take the dog for a longish walk. At 12.00 another break to do some natural body weight exercise, then lunch. At 4.00 another break and a run in the woods with the dog.

One good way of gradually losing weight is just to eat a little less than you are now, just enough for you to feel slightly hungry still, like there's still space in your stomach. If you eat so much you're feeling bloated, that's when you'll end up storing it as fat.

Also check how much sugar you're eating because nowadays even supposedly healthy foods like muesli can have as much as 40% sugar in them which is way too much. I recently eliminated anything with over 10% sugar in it from my diet and feel much better for it. Alcohol is also a non-starter for me nowadays and not only because of the calories but because it really slows me down at my age.

Light exercise and eating healthy will make you feel great.
Go for it.
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Huw Watkins
Huw Watkins  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 11:10
Member (2005)
Italian to English
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
Because May 30, 2016

Tom in London wrote:

Huw Watkins wrote:

..... people are reporting with daily use of walking desks really appeals


Just daily energetic walking for about 40 -45 minutes might appeal even more. I find it does me the world of good. By now if for any reason I don't take my daily walk, I feel I've missed something. In fact why not go for a walk RIGHT NOW?


I'll miss my deadline if I do (it's really starting to loom). The perennial problem. Walk planned for straight after though in the lovely Ukrainian countryside here.


 
Anna Sarah Krämer
Anna Sarah Krämer
Germany
Local time: 12:10
Member (2011)
English to German
+ ...
Bike desk May 30, 2016

Huw Watkins wrote:

Finally someone who is actually trying this/a similar idea out! So tell me, do you use this as your main desk for the greater part of the day for your translation work? Is it difficult to concentrate/type/cut and paste/do general keyboard stuff? Is translating easier to do than proof reading, or both the same? Any other experiences?



I haven't managed to use the bike as my main desk yet - my bottom won't let me (that could probably be improved with a different saddle, but I haven't had time to take care of it). It might be one of the disadvantages when compared with a walking desk. Unfortunately I had to stop biking to recover from knee surgery - before the surgery I used the bike desk for about two hours in the morning and then worked the rest of the day on my sitting desk. (5-6 hours total work per day in average). Currently I am not allowed to use it for more than 15-20 minutes - but I should be good to go again in a couple of months.

I sometimes pedal slower or even stop when my brain has to work harder - using Dragon speech recognition helps with not having to type so much.

I don't do much proofreading these days, but I imagine it would be a little easier to manage than translating.

Diets are not really helpful, I agree. Jo MacDonalds advice is good - going slightly hungry, not painfully hungry, is the way to go. Big painful changes of our eating habits are usually the first virtues to go overboard when life gets complicated...

I wish you success for your endeavour!

[Edited at 2016-05-30 13:38 GMT]


 
Huw Watkins
Huw Watkins  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 11:10
Member (2005)
Italian to English
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TOPIC STARTER
Thanks Jo May 31, 2016

Jo Macdonald wrote:

At 10 every day I stop work and go take the dog for a longish walk. At 12.00 another break to do some natural body weight exercise, then lunch. At 4.00 another break and a run in the woods with the dog.


I think you are right about the feeling a little hungry at the end of a meal and waiting 20 minutes for it to hit the stomach. Smaller plates sizes etc. Light exercise and eating less is definitely on order.

Also took Tom's advice yesterday evening and went for a 1.5 hour walk. Nice and refreshing and my step counter was happy.

According to S Health I burned just shy of 400 calories over 3 and a half miles (it takes into account my weight and height profile so I burn more than a thinner person on a walk). I'm convinced that daily walking is the way to go.

Out of curiosity, with regard to the above, what time do you start work? For me that sounds like a lot of breaks.

Thanks everyone for all the great advice. Diet, deadline control, walking and exercise seem to be the core elements to look at. I still believe that if I can hit a leisurely 10000 to 15000 steps (or more) while walking 6 to 8 hours at work, it can help a number of things, so I'm not abandoning the idea just yet. I'm in Ukraine for a few months anyway so I'll look at some of the other stuff first I think.

P.S. Really like the Pilates ball and Saddle seat ideas!

[Edited at 2016-05-31 07:11 GMT]


 
Tom in London
Tom in London
United Kingdom
Local time: 11:10
Member (2008)
Italian to English
Again May 31, 2016

Huw Watkins wrote:

......

Also took Tom's advice yesterday evening and went for a 1.5 hour walk. Nice and refreshing and my step counter was happy.


I hope you were happy too - not the step counter. Go for another walk today. Build it into your routine. Throw away the step counter - you'll only become obsessed by it, which is not good for your blood pressure.

Speaking of which - consider eliminating salt from everything you eat. I did it years ago. You get used to it. Anyway there's a lot of salt already in many things we eat.


 
Merab Dekano
Merab Dekano  Identity Verified
Spain
Member (2014)
English to Spanish
+ ...
Don't buy unhealthy food May 31, 2016

Tom in London wrote:

1. Eat a balanced, healthy diet, in moderation.



I too was prone to eating unhealthy food, mostly towards the end of the day, when working on a tight deadline. It's easy to surmise that it's not good for us, but it gets more tricky when you actually have to apply the change.

"Don't eat unhealthy food" approach does not work for me. What did work for me was "don't buy unhealthy food" one.

On the other hand, cooking healthy food, while I am working, proved to be much easier than I initially though.

If you are too heavy, please don't try to run; you will strain your joints in no time. Try swimming instead. Start with 15 minutes a day and get to 45 minutes or an hour gradually. You will never look back!


 
Preston Decker
Preston Decker  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 07:10
Chinese to English
Really depends on the person May 31, 2016

Tom in London wrote:

Huw Watkins wrote:

......

Also took Tom's advice yesterday evening and went for a 1.5 hour walk. Nice and refreshing and my step counter was happy.


I hope you were happy too - not the step counter. Go for another walk today. Build it into your routine. Throw away the step counter - you'll only become obsessed by it, which is not good for your blood pressure.

\


I've never got into the whole Fitbit/step counting craze, but I do think step counting can be useful for some. One of my best friends is a US Army Ranger, uses a Fitbit, and is in great shape. On the other hand, I think some people use these, say "Wow, 15,000 steps*, I can go get a tall 800 calorie milkshake" and wonder why they don't lose weight.

But Tom's right, go for another walk today!(and after a few days/weeks maybe start throwing in a bit of light jogging along the way)


 
Jo Macdonald
Jo Macdonald  Identity Verified
Spain
Local time: 12:10
Member (2005)
Italian to English
+ ...
What works for you May 31, 2016

Huw Watkins wrote:

Out of curiosity, with regard to the above, what time do you start work? For me that sounds like a lot of breaks.



I wake at 7, drive to work, eat breakfast, start work at about 8ish.

I do most of my work in the morning and tend to slow down in the afternoon, but everyone is different so find what works best for you. Personally I find that if I sit working for too long I tend to get bored and start getting distracted, that sort of thing. A quick siesta in the afternoon if tired is great too.


 
Huw Watkins
Huw Watkins  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
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It's just an app on my phone May 31, 2016

Preston Decker wrote:

Tom in London wrote:

Huw Watkins wrote:

......

Also took Tom's advice yesterday evening and went for a 1.5 hour walk. Nice and refreshing and my step counter was happy.


I hope you were happy too - not the step counter. Go for another walk today. Build it into your routine. Throw away the step counter - you'll only become obsessed by it, which is not good for your blood pressure.

\


I've never got into the whole Fitbit/step counting craze, but I do think step counting can be useful for some. One of my best friends is a US Army Ranger, uses a Fitbit, and is in great shape. On the other hand, I think some people use these, say "Wow, 15,000 steps*, I can go get a tall 800 calorie milkshake" and wonder why they don't lose weight.

But Tom's right, go for another walk today!(and after a few days/weeks maybe start throwing in a bit of light jogging along the way)



Nothing to get too excited about. It sits there and stares back at me when I check the time etc. I find it does give a good indication of how much movement you are doing during the day though. The whole S Health app thing can get really complicated if you want it to - measures oxygen in the blood, heart rate and various other things (such as track your food intake, fitness coach) when paired with my Galaxy Note 4 (there are sensors on the flash on the back). I rarely use all that though. Yesterday I did look at the steps and the calories burned and the idea of setting a 10000 step goal each day does appeal I must admit. I will definitely go for a walk again today.

[Edited at 2016-05-31 09:13 GMT]


 
Tom in London
Tom in London
United Kingdom
Local time: 11:10
Member (2008)
Italian to English
No phone May 31, 2016

And another thing: when you go out for your walk don't take your phone. The world can wait.

 
Kay Denney
Kay Denney  Identity Verified
France
Local time: 12:10
French to English
people on foot staring at their phone May 31, 2016

Huw Watkins wrote:

Nothing to get too excited about. It sits there and stares back at me when I check the time etc. I find it does give a good indication of how much movement you are doing during the day though. The whole S Health app thing can get really complicated if you want it to though - measures oxygen in the blood, heart rate and various other things (such as track your food intake, fitness coach) when paired with my Galaxy Note 4 (there are sensors on the flash on the back). I rarely use all that though. Yesterday I did look at the steps and the calories burned though. The idea of setting a 10000 step goal each day does appeal I must admit. I will definitely go for a walk again today.

[Edited at 2016-05-31 08:53 GMT]


As a cyclist, I find people on foot staring at their phone absolutely infuriating, you never know if they might not suddenly step into your way, oblivious as they are because they're talking, listening to music or checking up on their fitness tracking system.

I've translated tons of stuff about tracking software, and I know that they are not at all reliable for food intake, calorie counting, oxygen levels and even altitude. They can just about count the amount of distance you have covered, the rest is approximative to say the least. I don't remember why they can get altitude wrong, something to do with weather changes, fog and rain in particular.

I do totally relate to needing some sort of goal to spur you on though. I count my lengths at the pool using my good ole brain, after all you don't need it for anything else and a chance to focus on something other than whatever I'm obsessing about is a welcome break too. I do sometimes forget to count, especially if some (expletive) tries to barge past me when I'm clearly a stronger swimmer. Then I simply go as fast as possible until the time I would normally have done my 60 lengths

And as Merab said, if you're overweight, swimming is a gentler introduction to exercise than running. You don't suffer from impact and can go at your own pace. You have to control your breathing properly in the water and simply keeping warm also burns calories. My partner has been swimming and cycling and fitness freak for years and years, just started running recently and now has a dodgy knee.


 
Huw Watkins
Huw Watkins  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
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Agree May 31, 2016

Texte Style wrote:

I've translated tons of stuff about tracking software, and I know that they are not at all reliable for food intake, calorie counting, oxygen levels and even altitude. They can just about count the amount of distance you have covered, the rest is approximative to say the least. I don't remember why they can get altitude wrong, something to do with weather changes, fog and rain in particular.



There's nothing on earth that is accurate about calorie counting apart from one's own body, lets face it. It's just a useful pointer and actually more of a tool for comparing one day to the next than anything. I think the step counts are reasonably accurate to be fair through. I was walking off road yesterday (not looking at my phone too much either you'll be glad to know), so it won't have take into account the fact that I walked up and arrived at the top of mini hills (panting I might add). At least I doubt it. I think it ties in with google maps and various GPS locators, but to be honest I have very little how it actually works.

I sympathise with you regarding cycling. They get it from all angles, angry cars, pedestrians, prams, buses (!!), and if you live in Holland I am told, other cyclists!

I gave up cycling around Cardiff when an irresponsible driver knocked me off my bike writing it and almost me off. It's just too dangerous and life is too short for all the adrenalin-fuelled road rage you experience. I'm placid as anything in a car, but put me on a bycicle and I'm banging car rear windows in no time! It makes you realise how rubbish most drivers are on the roads actually, especially the ones with mobile phones

[Edited at 2016-05-31 09:42 GMT]


 
Lingua 5B
Lingua 5B  Identity Verified
Bosnia and Herzegovina
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Member (2009)
English to Croatian
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Dependence on devices. May 31, 2016

I agree that people can get too much dependent on their devices to "guide" them. One time we were driven by a friend on a holiday and he was just following his GPS system in his car blindly (voice guidance). At one point he asked "we are we now?", oh let me consult my GPS. I just asked him: and why don't you read the road sign, it's right in front of you LOL! Unbelievable, he totally ignore the existence of road signs in terms of orientation re. the location.

IMO, in terms of weight
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I agree that people can get too much dependent on their devices to "guide" them. One time we were driven by a friend on a holiday and he was just following his GPS system in his car blindly (voice guidance). At one point he asked "we are we now?", oh let me consult my GPS. I just asked him: and why don't you read the road sign, it's right in front of you LOL! Unbelievable, he totally ignore the existence of road signs in terms of orientation re. the location.

IMO, in terms of weight loss, I don't think any exercise is as effective as running (but do not try until your weight goes down to some acceptable level). I have seen professional swimmers with hanging tummies, after they stopped the practice and couldn't swim as much any more, due to their age. Walking or energetic walking is enough, it's also most natural and practical but at the same time you need to watch your diet, which has already been mentioned in this thread.

[Edited at 2016-05-31 10:15 GMT]
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Gabriele Demuth
Gabriele Demuth  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 11:10
English to German
Another idea May 31, 2016

Take a break to do some chores, e.g. clean the bathroom, hoover the house, gardening ... instead of reading these threads.

 
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