[gregdoesit]

I would put stay healthy and invest in your health (chair, standing desk, exercise, food) as the #1 for any programmer for next year, and the years after. It's all too easy for us to forget about the long lasting effects of sitting in front of a computer that are hard to later undo.

[henrik_w]

Get ergonomic keyboard and mouse (laptops are terrible ergonomically), and get a break program to remember to take breaks.

I didn't, and was fine for over ten yeares, before I started to have bad RSI problems. I managed to get well, but it took a lot of effort and time: http://henrikwarne.com/2012/02/18/how-i-beat-rsi/

[clessg]

> get a break program to remember to take breaks.

I really like Awareness[0]. Stand[1] is good too, but I prefer having 5 minute breaks every 15 minutes, which Stand doesn't allow.

[0] http://iamfutureproof.com/tools/awareness/ [1] https://getstandapp.com/

[oAlbe]

What about EyesRelax[0]? It allows you to personalize your breaks the way you prefer, and also personalize what happens to your computer when it's breaktime.

[0] http://themech.net/eyesrelax/

[clessg]

Looks useful! Only problem is Windows. :(

[innocentoldguy]

I used to have to wear a brace on my right wrist and had pain in my right shoulder from typing all day. Ergonomic keyboards helped, but the two things that virtually eliminated the problem for me were switching to a rollerball or trackpad, and learning the Dvorak keyboard layout. Using a trackpad eliminated the motions that were causing pain in my shoulder, and learning Dvorak made it so my fingers didn't have to move around as much, which helped my wrists a lot.

Some other ergonomic changes that I have found helpful are to use a standing desk with a monitor arm and placing my monitor so I'm looking slightly up.

[T-zex]

Save by not investing in standing desk.

[dpweb]

Build a standing desk.. Two resolutions - a hobby (learn carpentry) and health benefits!

[eggman]

high stakes carpentry - build a desk and put expensive devices on it.

[codyb]

Maybe it's just because my pops built most of the furniture in my house, but building a desk which can support a computer and last doesn't strike me as a particular project prone to failure. A lot of us are engineers who work on much more complex problems (although it's true that you must measure twice and cut once with wood working).

[CaptSpify]

Remember though: A lot of computer-engineers are good with ideas, not their hands |;)

[jacquesm]

Lots of computer engineers are good and some even great with their hands. And with the older generation that skews even further towards being good with both (after all, you needed a soldering iron + skills first if you wanted to learn how to program).

[FLUX-YOU]

Bah, can't be any worse than the particle board crap at most places.

[pc86]

The health benefits are at best questionable.[0] [1] [2] [3]

[0] http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/standing-desk-sitting-da...

[1] http://health.usnews.com/health-news/health-wellness/article...

[2] https://www.bostonglobe.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/2014/1...

[3] https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/stand...

[maroonblazer]

>The health benefits are at best questionable.

Not based on any of the articles you cited.

[0] is simply a study that compares mortality rates of sitting vs standing behaviors, and is counter to a number of other studies that found the opposite.

[1] and [2] suggest that ONLY standing can be harmful, and that one should combine sitting and standing for the best outcomes.

[3] is similar to [1] and [2] but points out that poor posture while standing - not standing itself - can cause problems.

[jmilloy]

Keeping in mind also that you can find fluff articles supporting nearly any position...

* First one is only about sitting/standing and mortality.

* Second one is about using standing desks wrong, and has nothing to do with whether using a standing desk correctly can improve your health.

* Third one seems to support getting a standing desk (...?)

* Fourth is a) anecdotal and b) also seems to support getting a standing desk.

[dpweb]

Anything is questionable, but (in the USA at least) https://www.google.com/webhp#q=how+many+obese+people+in+usa

burning more cals is better https://www.google.com/webhp#q=how+many+calories+burned+stan...

[dzhiurgis]

And rent local tools while you do.

[henrik_w]

Huh? Your health isn't worth more to you than the price of a standing desk?

[T-zex]

No, of course. I have a standing desk and I don't think it was worth it. Simply a chair with elbow support allowing to have a relaxed shoulder line is good enough for me. I work in short stints alternating with short walks around the room (for some reason this happens naturally). This helps to relax your body and most importantly eyes.