how i snuck in exercise at work

MyJourney1960

no, i wasn't doing B*tt clenches at my desk.:laugh:

But, i do sit alot, all day. I try as much as i can to walk a bit during the day but the nature of my job is that i have to SIT.

Today, I had to prepare about 15 reports to submit for a grant (wrote, scanned etc and then I had to print hard copies to physically submit them). About half of the reports included some photos that i inserted into the forms and then printed. So - the printer in our office is black and white but the pinter downstairs (one flight) is color. SO, i decided that instead of sending the files to the color printer all at once, i sent them one by one, walked down the stairs to retrieve, walked up the stairs to put into the file and then went on the next one.

I know, it's not a LOT of exercise, but it kept me moving the entire afternoon.

So how do you sneak in extra exercise when you're stuck at a desk job?

mizpoke

That's a clever way to fit in exercise!

WaxMama

Very clever! My boss would be wondering wth I'm doing! haha I drink lots of water which forces me to take trecks to the bathroom every hour haha Keeps me moving

RobP1192

Not stuck at a desk job, but...

I do some of the lamest stuff, it's pretty silly. I work as a truck driver, and have like a stepvan truck with one of those sliding doors on the side. Well... i do this at random, but when i'm at a stop, before getting out of the truck, i'll open the door, grab the door frame and start doing pullups. I've gotten my pullup reps up by doing these. I did them a LOT last summer, i cut back this year because i strained my lower back doing it so much. I guess overtraining is for real. Sometimes i do these in bathrooms, lol. Weird, i know, but whatever. Grab the frame above the door, use paper towels to keep my hands from getting dug into from the metal. And knock out some pullups before someone else comes into the bathroom. lol. But hey, gotta get it in!

Oh and btw, last year, i actually recorded it one time and put it up on youtube. I think it's on private, but if you are REALLY REALLY interested... i'll link you. lol

KimINfortheWin

I work in an office too, and have to sit a lot.

When I go to the restroom, I walk a couple brisk laps around the building. I also do the same when I refill my water bottle.

I have another post on here where the company offered a list of "desk exercises" So I've been squatting in my office off/on for weeks now!

mytime1986

I also havea job that requires Iam at my desk all day. i work in a callcenter answering phones. I work on the fourth floor so on break I take the stairs down to the basement then walk across the building and go out a side door and around the block and back in the front door and then back up to my desk twice a day. Then on lunch I go up to our gym and do something in there for about twenty mins.

JessieNeutronGirlGenius

I work at a bank and were supposed to stand when dealing with customers because its polite and professional. For the most part I like to stand mostly throughout the day but I do like to sit down on the occasion :-P

janessanessa

My coworkers are pretty cool and understanding, so when I don't have appointments on the books and I am idle (I am a small animal veterinarian). I look for little 10-15 minute workouts I can do in a small space sans equipment on YouTube and do them in ,y office.

Whipppets

We work at an IT call center so between calls we do push ups. We do over 3000 a week in waves of 50

diana_marie8302

It might seem pretty ridiculous but I started the 30 day squat challenge last week so every time I go to the bathroom, as long as no one else is in there, I do 10 squats. I also try to get up and walk around as much as my job allows me. Walking to the printer to get each document separately than all at once, walking to a different floor to go to the bathroom, stuff like that. Sometimes I will walk around the block my building is on just to get some fresh air.

daniellemm1

What a great idea!!! I wish I could do that but both copiers are right near my office When I go for water or bathroom breaks I take the long way back to my office. That's about as good as it gets. Fortunately my company has a gym that I am able to use on my lunchbreaks so i usually walk on the treadmill and do some weights. Just enough to start to sweat but not get stinky Thank goodness for the health and wellness goals!!!

pwnderosa

That is awesome! When I worked in a large office, I used to take a walk around the whole place a few times a day holding file folders and looking like I was on a mission, stopping occasionally to talk to people in different areas of the office about small projects or questions, no one was ever the wiser!

Now I rig a standing desk occasionally in my cubicle, I just raise my keyboard and monitor on a cardboard box. It makes my coworkers nervous sometimes though because I can see what everyone is doing over our low-wall cubicles, but it's worth it!

I also do a lot of proofreading and I try to do all of this standing at a counter rather than sitting at my desk.

alexisdc

I have this contraption at my desk that actually allows me to stand at my desk and do work. I try to do that throughout the day.

michellechawner

I'm a small office manager (we have 9 total employees) and I'm in charge of dispatching and project engineering (installing and servicing business telephone systems). We have a bathroom upstairs and downstairs. My office is downstairs - i use the 2nd floor bathroom though, unless I REALLY have to go and time is of the essence!

I walk the parking lot as lunch too. I love getting back to my desk and syncing my fitbit to see how I did.

Mario_Az

i usually well go get some water and take the stairs then do about 100 pushups then get my water i try to do that at least twice a day no one is ever in the stairwell area so nice to get a quick workout

chandanista

Planking! 30 seconds the first few days, then increases.

Oh, and squats--I time how many I can do in 3 minutes. It's amazing the difference a month ago and now!

norahwynn

Hey, anything helps! Great job thinking of something like that.

Fortunately we have a full fitness center where I work, and it's open from 5am to 8pm (even though the average workday for most people here is 8-5). We have a 24hr manned security desk, so that people can come and go pretty much anytime they want, even on the weekends.

But, prior to this job, I had another desk job and we had pretty large cubicles. I, along with a few other people that worked there, was able to get in pretty decent 'workout' sessions right in my cube (push ups, crunches, chair dips, I kept 5 lb weights in my desk, squats, planks...)

Anyway, just moving burns calories, so the more you move, it's a win-win situation!

Songbirdcw

Love that idea. I usually do some of the challenge of the day exercises in the bathroom. I use the last stall or wait and go to an empty bathroom. Lol. I told a co worker and she did like 30-50 squats in the bathroom yesterday. I also take the stairs during my errands, and try to do chair dips when no one is around.

jaz050465

My coworkers are pretty cool and understanding, so when I don't have appointments on the books and I am idle (I am a small animal veterinarian). I look for little 10-15 minute workouts I can do in a small space sans equipment on YouTube and do them in ,y office.

I hate you! ???? I would have LOVED to have been a vet but wasn't clever enough- became a teacher instead. I REALLY, REALLY envy you!

ks4e

Very smart!

I have a desk job too. I look for ways to hand delivery mail nearby when I can. I walk briskly to the post office when I need to. I take the stairs. I do squats in the lunch room. Today I did goblet squats with my coworker's box of soda cans.

Wienerbua

Always take the stairs.

Get some hand grippers.

You can do incline pushups using the frame of your desk if it is sturdy enough.

You can use a door frame to practice "beginner pullups." This is a beginning step on a path to doing full pullups. It basically entails standing with your feet close to the edge of a door frame (the one without the actual door hinges), holding on with bent elbows, then let your upper body fall gently back while holding on, then pull yourself back with your arms. Try doing 50 reps with a 2-1-2 cadence.

Do deep knee bends or lunges.

Google "How to get stronger at work when your boss isn't looking" by Josh Hanagarne, title says it all.

MyJourney1960

oooh squats in the bathroom! now why didn't i think of that?

alisonlynn1976

I work at a university and go to the university gym, so I'm able to go at lunchtime sometimes. That's very convenient! I'm also committed to always take the stairs rather than the elevator, something I did NOT do before I started trying to lose weight.

RobP1192

A lot of you guys opt to take the steps when possible, which is great! NOW... who is just walking up the steps? and who is hustling up the steps with quick feet? Maximize the opportunity to get good work in!

elaine_des

I do the bathroom squat as well, 10 squat everytime I need to pee, but I switch in between squat and push up. I should start planking on my lunch time. While waiting for the copier I stand on my tiptoe

SkinnyMozza

:flowerforyou: I have elastic stretch band in my office, so I do that whenever I can... gets biceps, shoulders, tris, legs... very versatile

misifer

We have a vertical workstation (which I'm on right now) where I can walk on a treadmill while working. I sign up for an hour every day. You can't walk super fast, but it's movement and I usually end up walking a couple miles. Actually I get SUPER restless now if I don't walk while working.

I will also sometimes run up/down the stairs (4 flights) after a bathroom break. Or go to the bathroom at the other end of the building. Or take a quick lap around the building (inside). We also take a quick walk around the block after lunch (10-15 minutes) instead of sitting and chatting for the rest of our lunch. We just chat on our walk instead.

And lately I've been walking from our remote parking lot (2 blocks away) instead of taking the shuttle bus. That's an extra 15 minutes of walking per day round trip.

It all adds up!!

KimINfortheWin

I work in an office too, and have to sit a lot.

When I go to the restroom, I walk a couple brisk laps around the building. I also do the same when I refill my water bottle.

I have another post on here where the company offered a list of "desk exercises" So I've been squatting in my office off/on for weeks now!

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1004318-desk-and-sitting-exercises - here is the original link with a full list of idea.s

MinnieInMaine

Wonderful way to get some extra movement in!

I take the stairs as much as I can. Get up to get my printing as soon as I click the button (at least 2 or 3 times a day). Walk to the bathroom and/or kitchen a few times a day. And I work out at the gym in my officel I know, that's cheating.

runningjen74

Google "How to get stronger at work when your boss isn't looking" by Josh Hanagarne, title says it all.

Thanks for this, I did. Everyone should read the first story - it's funny!

This is a link to the book: http://worldsstrongestlibrarian.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/getting-stronger-at-work.pdf

I'm going to start my foam rolling + planks at lunch time. I've been thinking about the pistol squat and how I can't do it, I think I'll add this in to the mix too.

Thanks again for suggestion - worth reading.

rose228822

Every little bit of exercise is great and I have a desk job too but during my lunch hour I will take a walk or I used to workout at a local gym but now do it before I come to work...my desk though is in a different office than my other coworkers so I will go back and forth quite often in a day and each time I go in that direction I fill up my water bottle at the water cooler:)