Since I was a kid, I’ve had cold feet. It’s been very bothersome in winter, but luckily, in my hometown, the weather gets cold only in January and February. To be more specific, by cold I mean nothing like many other Western countries. I’m now checking with Gemini, and it’s about 17º/8º for maximum and minimum temperatures in January. My cold feet only become a problem if I remain seated for several hours. At first it’s uncomfortable, then it becomes very unsettling and, in the end, if I don’t take measures, I usually catch a cold.
Through the years, I’ve tried wearing two pairs of socks, winter-specific socks, and I even bought winter boots, but that last measure proved counterproductive. My final solution was to buy an electric blanket, put it on the ground, and place my feet on top. As I don’t really need warmth on the upper part of my feet, but I don’t want them uncovered either, I place a towel over them. This has solved the problem and lets me enjoy my coding sessions comfortably, but you can guess this is a drag anytime I need to stand up for any reason: to go to the bathroom or answer someone ringing at the main door. By the way, you can tell I’m a remote worker, since such a setup is not really workable in an office away from home, but I’ve been working remotely for many years now.
Thinking about my work experience over these years, another topic that quickly comes to mind is tiredness. I usually end the working day exhausted. I usually blame the mental load (as if many other professions didn’t require focused thinking), but I find it doesn’t always relate. Plus, after talking to many other developers, it seems to me they don’t experience the same condition. People go to the gym and do many other activities after work, but for me such things become a tall order. From time to time I try, but I usually end up failing. I’m getting close to my 50th birthday and this issue remains unsolved. It makes me sad to think maybe I’m just weak or lazy; in the end, an individual can only really know his own condition.
Shamefully, it has only been this year that I’ve come to think these two problems might really be the same. It’s not just that remaining seated for many hours makes your returning bloodstream slower, it’s that the position presses the femoral vein continuously. This might add up over the hours and affect blood pressure. Staying with altered blood pressure for a long time might really affect your whole body, as blood circulation really determines the quality of many bodily functions. This could be the reason why I feel so bad at the end of the day.
But if that is the case, the problem won’t be solved by just warming up my feet; this doesn’t make any sense in summer. Come to think of it, my mom has also had circulatory problems all her life, but they showed up in a different way. She had a major condition, had to be medicated, and was prescribed special leggings. What she did all her life was keep her legs extended while watching TV before going to bed. I don’t know why I’ve never thought about doing this while working at a desktop. Maybe I just saw it as an unnatural or uncomfortable position.
To lift my legs, I’d just need an adjustable stool with no backrest or any other impediment around the seat. I’ve ended up purchasing a small piano bench and so far, the results have been good. I really think I’m feeling much better after the workday is over. If this carries on for the coming days and continues after winter, this could become an impactful purchase for me.
For a moment, let’s assume this simple purchase works and my circulatory problems improve. What other minor changes could make such an important improvement in my lifestyle? What if I had done this when I was 20? I don’t think it’s an understatement to say that, through a butterfly effect, had my physical condition been better after a working day all these years, my life could’ve been very different. I could have enjoyed more leisure activities on weekdays, not just weekends. Maybe I’d be more sociable and thus have more friends.