Gadgets...

I have to admit it, I'm a bit of a gadget person. Ruby Wax once referred to me as The Geek Girl. The last gadget I got was a Fitbit which I wear all the time (except in the shower) to measure how many steps I take, how many miles I walk, and how many active minutes I have in a day. when I first got it it was quite scary how little exercise I got on some days. Now if I haven't reached my target when I get home, I go for a walk. Headphones in, music or audiobook on and off I go. Much to the amusement of my neighbours, given that I live in the city centre. Made a real difference to how much exercise I take.

But, I've been looking recently at whether sitting down for long periods of time, which I often do, is good for me. The simple answer is, it isn't! I often get pains in my neck and shoulders, and I know I hunch and tense my shoulders when sitting over a keyboard. So, a few days ago I got a Varidesk - allows me to stand up when I want to, and sit down when I don't. Interestingly, in the 3 days I've had it, I've barely sat down. Don't feel the need to, and feel so much more comfortable. And no shoulder ache. Also, my step count has gone up considerably, presumably because it's very difficult to stand still.


I can't write a post about gadgets without mentioning the latest addition to the department  today -
Google Glass. Given us all much amusement today,  and it was quite weird when one of the Assistant Directors appeared at my door looking like The Borg and said - "I can take a photo of you by slowly winking"....


And this is the picture -  my standing up desk, taken with Google Glass.