Advice for those working in an office?

ForBaacon

I've looked around and I didn't see another recent topic like this so I apologise in advance if I missed it!

I work in an office so most of my day is spent sitting down. I try to walk around as much as possible and keep myself busy (using the stairs, use a wireless headset and wandering round while talking to people etc.) Are there any exercises people suggest that I can do at my desk or on my breaks? I don't want to do anything massively strange (like tricep dips at my desk- might get a few funny looks!)

Any help and suggestions would be helpful

BWBTrish

a desk trainer Good for burning 67 calories an our

wannabeskinnycat

A great post.

I'm the same - sit down job for about 7 hours a day. I have half an hour lunch so I started going for a speedy 20 min walk. Usually round the car park and yes I looked like I lost my car every day so I stopped

I don't do any sit down exercises as I think it would look just plain wrong. It's wasted time but I do type a fair bit so I think of the calories that burns. I just try to move about my bank as much as I can - chatting with colleagues etc. I also try to drink a beaker of water an hour so that's lots of trips to the water machine and the loo.

I'd like to see other people's ideas and maybe fit them into my day too.

x

47Jacqueline

If you get up and walk around for 5 minutes every hour, you will have done 30 minutes of moderate activity over the day. Over a week that's 2 1/2 hours of exercise without even going to the gym. I always suggest taking the stairs half way up as well, but that's extra.

skullshank

get up and walk around the office once an hour or so if youre feeling lethargic.

hit the gym for more intense exercise.

farfromthetree

I try and get up when no one is around and do air squats(maybe like 20 every 30 mins) I sometimes do pushups against my desk (floor is dirty)

marinabreeze

I work a desk job too. At my office they have a walking club that walks around the building (we are in an office park so it's a decent sized building) on one of our breaks. Maybe you can do something like that, and maybe even see if your coworkers are interested in coming with you. That way it won't feel so strange.

AskTracyAnnK28

Take the stairs instead of the elevator, get up and talk to a colleague instead of emailing them, try to park far away from the building to get a few extra steps in.

But mostly - while at work focus on your job. I posted a similar thread a while back and was told to use a stability ball at my desk instead of my chair (! ?? !). So...you know...get up and move but don't break any corporate policies

Oh - and stay away from the snack room!!

veganbettie

I some times run on my lunch breaks. I take the stairs...drink a lot of water so I pee more....

segacs

Look into a standing desk and/or an exercise ball that you can sit on for part of the day. Some offices will spring for these if you ask. Helps work the core and is better for your back.

Find excuses to get up and walk around a lot. Consult with people at their desk across the office in person instead of sending them an email or dialing their extension. Walk over to the water cooler, or go desk to desk and offer to take people's dirty dishes to the kitchen. Run up and down the stairs a few times. Take a walk at lunchtime.

And avoid the temptation to snack at your desk. It's one thing if you have to spend the day sitting down (most of us do) but you don't have to munch on stuff all day.

PRMinx

I'm a desk jockey. For the most part, I rely on my morning hour workout to get my fitness in. But, when I'm tight from strength training, I make a point to get up every hour and walk around the office. Helps with DOMS.

esjones12

I have a very traditional corporate job with only a 30min lunch break and no type of shower facilities, etc. So I am stuck being boring. I walk around and take the long way to the bathroom. But for 8 hours a day 5 days a week I am pretty inactive.

I hit the gym 5-6 days a week and am active in the evenings and on the weekends. I rarely crash on the couch and do nothing.

pscarolina

I'm pretty lucky that we have a small gym in my office. I work out almost every day at lunch (weights mostly). It's a great way to break up the day & doesn't take too long since it's not my only workout for the day.

kailibertsch

If it is nice out I go for walks on my breaks. Now that it is winter I walk up and down the stairs during my break. The walks weren't embarrassing but it is slightly embarrassing to be seen huffing and puffing and sweating it on the stairs during your break. I've realized though that after I started, so did a whole bunch of other people. Doing something for your health is nothing to be embarrassed about!!

segacs

kailibertsch wrote: »

I've realized though that after I started, so did a whole bunch of other people. Doing something for your health is nothing to be embarrassed about!!

No kidding! In fact, if you see the same regulars doing it daily, why not organize a building stair-walking group or something? Put up signs in the hallways or send around a company-wide email if you get management's permission. That's the kind of thing that can help keep you motivated, as well as serve as good networking or leadership opportunities, too!

At a company I used to work at, one woman (who was also a certified yoga instructor) decided to start up a lunchtime yoga session. In the summer she'd use the building's outdoor courtyard, and in the winter she'd book the boardroom at lunch hour. She got something like 15-20 people to bring in their yoga mats twice a week and she led sessions. Great for exercise AND stress reduction!

rhtexasgal

I put on a few music videos on YouTube and march in place a few times a day. As someone else said above, it helps with DMOS. The more fit I get, the more my muscles twitch and crave activity. It is hard to stay at my desk! I have created a platform that is removable for my desk so I can put my monitor and wireless keyboard and mouse on it when I just can't stand it anymore and have to stand. I can read and type just as well standing as I can sitting.

cwolfman13

I make time for deliberate exercise outside of work. Other than that, I just do little things here and there to improve my NEAT like taking the stairs, parking further away from the office, using the facilities and break room on the first floor instead of the third floor on which I work, etc.

I also get up and walk around every hour for about five minutes or so...and I walk to people's offices and cubicles rather than buzzing them on the phone and such.

ForBaacon

Thanks for all these suggestions, they're great We're in a small office and I always use the most far away water cooler.. which isn't too far away lol. Same with the toilets. I do however park 5 minutes down the road on most days (we have restricted office parking and most of the streets near us are permit parking only, so I've got to park a bit further away when I don't have an office space!)

I will however start going on walks on my lunch break and, maybe when I get a bonus, the desk trainer can be invested in XD

ForBaacon

Also, for those in office jobs, I've found this page which has some great ideas around the office: http://greatist.com/fitness/deskercise-33-ways-exercise-work

yoovie

can you not exercise except at work?

lemurcat12

47Jacqueline wrote: »

If you get up and walk around for 5 minutes every hour, you will have done 30 minutes of moderate activity over the day. Over a week that's 2 1/2 hours of exercise without even going to the gym. I always suggest taking the stairs half way up as well, but that's extra.

I try to do this, although I often forget. (I'm on the 36th floor and they don't permit us to use the only stairs--the fire stairs--so that's not an option, however.)

I really want a standing desk--a co-worker has one and loves it. It's not so much for exercise as I just think sitting all the time is bad. You can move it up and down.

I do squats and pushups against my desk and stretches sometimes, but I can shut my door. If I couldn't, I'd probably set a timer just to remind myself to get up or walk around the office (which I've thought of doing anyway).

The two most helpful things for me actually don't have to do with what I do at work itself, and may be completely useless to many, but (a) figuring out a way to combine my commute with exercise (either getting off the L early and walking part way or riding my bike on some days when the weather/my schedule permits); and (b) joining a gym right by my office, which means it's so much easier to go before or after work or at lunch--it made an enormous difference for me in how often I went.

RoxieDawn

I work at a computer all day! Can't move too much and do my job well.

I pour all my energy into one exercise session 4 - 5 times a week. If I concentrated on anything else other than my job, it would not be good do the nature of what I do.

SLLRunner

I don't know...I work at a desk job all day and there is even a lot of movement in that- restroom, talking with someone about a case, walking the stairs instead of the elevator, etc. I'm there to work so I don't think about whether I move enough or not.

RetiredNavy_CT

I actually have a set of resistance bands I keep in my office, I'm able to do some bi & tri stuff during the day.

mightygirlruns

For lunch, I pick a restaurant about a mile away and walk there. I tell myself that the only way I get to eat is if I walk to go get it.

segacs

mightygirlruns wrote: »

For lunch, I pick a restaurant about a mile away and walk there. I tell myself that the only way I get to eat is if I walk to go get it.

The trouble with that is that I'd probably eat more extra calories at a restaurant than I'd burn off walking that mile. Packing my lunch helps me stick to my calorie goals. I still allow myself the occasional restaurant lunch, but I've cut down on them a lot since starting to lose weight.

Instead, I grab my camera and bring it with me on lunchtime walks. If I eat at my desk first, I can go out for a 30-45 minute walk, easy. And the camera gives me a reason to go with a destination in mind -- someplace to take photos. Photos are calorie-free. And they offer an excuse to go out even when the weather's miserable, for the challenge of capturing snowstorm or rain or low light photos.

jackjackattck

We have a gym at my facility, yet I can't see myself working out on lunch and getting sweaty and coming back to the office. So the one thing that helps me is just reminding myself to get up as often as I can! I drink a ton of water, and both the restrooms and water cooler are on the other side of the building so I walk there frequently.

I have also noticed that a LOT of people in the office setting prefer to use emails or phone calls and never leave their desks. However, I have found getting up and going to another building or cubicle to talk to people works well, both for fitness and better communication. I would much rather walk around to consult with others instead of picking up a phone or emailing them. If it happens to be a day that I don't need to move around and talk to others as much, I take short breaks to walk around the perimeter of the facility. I am stuck inside a building with NO WINDOWS, so it is beneficial for me mentally as well to get outside and get some fresh air every few hours. I also park in the very back of the parking lot, so I have a good 1/2 mile walk each way from the car to my desk.

allanakern

I lift for an hour every day on my lunch break!

but my gym happens to be across the street, so that helps

rbfdac

TheOwlhouseDesigns wrote: »

a desk trainer Good for burning 67 calories an our

Do you actually do this at your desk?

LeenaJean

TheOwlhouseDesigns wrote: »

a desk trainer Good for burning 67 calories an our

Wow! I just looked into this little baby, I know what I want for Christmas

rbfdac

LeenaJean wrote: »

TheOwlhouseDesigns wrote: »

a desk trainer Good for burning 67 calories an our

Wow! I just looked into this little baby, I know what I want for Christmas

If somebody can give me some first hand experience with this thing, I might actually consider it!