Desk Jobs (help)

Options
13

Replies

  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,982 Member
    Options
    I have a friend who bikes to the train, takes that into the city, and then bikes to work.
  • elaineamj
    elaineamj Posts: 347 Member
    Options
    And - cut yourself some slack. Starting a new job is mentally exhausting. i'd give yourself a break for a few weeks to give yourself a chance to get adjusted. Chances are you won't be so exhausted in the evenings and can easily do a workout, etc.

    I just started lunchtime walks - a half hour walk and it feels great :)

    I've been debating walking to work - but it takes about an hour each way and for now, I would be home too late to cook dinner for my family. Considering readjusting my schedule - but we will see.
  • tara_means_star
    tara_means_star Posts: 957 Member
    Options
    A few things...

    1. It sounds like you just started your job. If that's true, you may need a little time to adjust. If your commute is longer, your hours are longer, or the same amount of hours over more days per week...it takes time for your body to adjust.

    2. Can you stand at your desk? Maybe turn on some music and and just kinda move around while you work? I do this alot when I have a desk job, which hasn't been in some time. I also get an exercise ball to sit on because I find that I fidget way more and will also spontaneously try to balance on it with my arms and feet in the air while I'm thinking.

    3. Create the opportunity to move more throughout your day. I used to do exercises every time I went to the bathroom. I'd do my business, then do squats or wall sits or knee highs. Walk on your lunch break, anything to stay active. It feels like this activity helps keep up your energy so when it's gym time, you are ready for it.


    4. I personally am not a morning person, so working out before 8 am wouldn't happen for me. That being said, there are many people who CAN make that happen and if you are one of them, do that. If not, perhaps, while you adjust to your new schedule you can introduce some accountability into your life--someone who looks for you at the gym or asks what work out you did that do or does it with you, etc...

    These are just a few ideas. They may not work for you but they've been helpful to me when I've struggled to adjust to a new set of circumstances and a new schedule.
  • mitch16
    mitch16 Posts: 2,113 Member
    Options
    Park as far away as possible--or, if you commute by train/bus, get off a stop early. Take the stairs whenever possible. Drink water during the day and find a bathroom that's a fair distance away from your desk (upstairs or downstairs is a bonus). Is a standing desk an option?
  • Fitwarrior7_Round_2
    Fitwarrior7_Round_2 Posts: 453 Member
    Options
    I'm in agreement with everyone else that says workout before work. I have a 40 minute commute to work and have a similar schedule and desk job. I wake up everyday at 4:45, drive 30 minutes to the gym, shower at the gym and head to work. Sure it sucks waking up that early but hell you gotta sacrifice something right?
  • t_buice
    t_buice Posts: 2 Member
    Options
    I work 8-4:30 and have a 45 min drive back and forth to work everyday. I also have two small children that require all my attention when I get home. I usually don't stop until nearly 9 pm and by that time I am spent. I get an hour for lunch everyday. I am lucky enough that my job has a gym on site, and a group of women that I work out with during my lunch break. I get in the workout that I need. I have accountability since I am working out with a group and not by myself. I think that is the biggest motivator for me is having others working out with me. I also monitor my food. It is easy to get the "spread" from sitting everyday. I understand the struggle. Good luck and I hope you find something that works well for you!
  • Dead_Darling
    Dead_Darling Posts: 478 Member
    edited February 2016
    Options
    If you've just started your job, give yourself a bit of time to adjust. Try going for a walk at lunch, find a gym nearby and go during your lunch or in the evenings, or if the gym is too expensive, then Youtube videos are free and home exercise equipment are worth the money. Keep it simple and do what's best for you, as long as you stay active and don't fall victim to the sedentary lifestyle. I feel like that at times.
    I work from home, but I start at 6:30am and finish at 3:30pm. I do my workouts at home (lifting/Youtube videos/exercise DVDs) and during the day, I'd make sure I walk around the house, do small chores or chase the cat every 45mins or 2 hours. I usually become very uncomfortable if I sit for more than 2 hours. I also try to clean the house in the evenings, but if my lifting workouts are long, then I leave it to another day when the workout's shorter.
    I also go to my boyfriend's on the weekend, so I get up early Saturday mornings and go to the gym.
    If he is taking my car to his workplace on Saturdays, then I go for a walk around the fields nearby. I feel that I have a lot more time during the day if I do that.
    On Sundays, I mainly go to the gym and do a super light workout of using the treadmill and rowing machine. Once I've showered and arrive back at his, we still have the day together. We also do our food shopping on Sundays, which also contributes to adding more steps throughout the day.
    Best of luck!
  • choppie70
    choppie70 Posts: 544 Member
    Options
    +2 to it being mental tiredness when you get home! I don't have a desk job, I get about 9K steps when I am at work (6:30 - 4 with only 1/2 hour at most for lunch). I am tired when I get home, but I still make myself go workout and it helps to rejuvenate me for the rest of my night so I can get lunches for the kids done, clothes for school and work set out, and help get my husband out the door so I can correct papers/do planning for the next day.
  • peleroja
    peleroja Posts: 3,979 Member
    Options
    It might be worth mentioning as well that if that's really what you're eating every day, your body is probably not getting adequate micronutrients (vitamins and minerals.) I see a nearly total lack of plant life in your diet, and I'd be tired too if I wasn't getting any of those vitamins.

    Other than that, I have a desk job too. I go to the gym at 6AM before work twice a week (I run 6-8 miles these days), on my lunch break twice a week (for strength training), and do one long run and one recovery run on the weekends. I walk on my lunch break on the days I'm not at the gym. I walk to and from work as well. I walk/run about 12 miles total most days combining all these things.
  • jdhcm2006
    jdhcm2006 Posts: 2,254 Member
    Options
    I workout after work at home. I don't sit down, I change directly into my workout clothes, and workout. I know some coworkers who change into their workout clothes at work and then head to the gym or go for a run. I used to workout in the morning before work and evening after work, but then I got lazy and stuck to after work workouts. It's just a matter of doing it. Once you do it for a while it will just become habit.
  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 25,038 Member
    Options
    kshama2001 wrote: »
    I have a friend who bikes to the train, takes that into the city, and then bikes to work.

    I used to cycle to and from work just about every day year round. Unfortunately, it's a bit too far at the moment, but I am toying with the idea of doing it once in a while.
  • leahcollett1
    leahcollett1 Posts: 807 Member
    Options
    FitnessLover001 wrote: »
    Hey guys! I've recently started a new job, it's 40 minutes from my house, 8am-4pm, and it's a desk job. I literally sit for 8 hours and while I love what I do, I HATE the fact that I sit all day. Does anyone have any tips on how to stay active? I never thought I would say this (i've always been one to think and believe I'll be able to work out every day forever), but when I get home at 5, I just want to crash. My eating habits are usually on target. I had a piece of steak and cheese for breakfast, plain greek yogurt, fruit and honey nut cheerios for lunch, and steak and cheese for dinner, then wheat thins and a scoop of pb during snack time. What are some tips to staying healthy when you have a desk job?

    yep i too have a desk job - i try to go to be early.. normally when the kids are tucked in, i have an hour to myself then i go to bed, so i can get up at 6am and do a workout. painful i know but if you really wanna fit it in you will x
  • vczK2t
    vczK2t Posts: 309 Member
    Options
    jemhh wrote: »
    It's not really all that difficult to have a desk job and still stay in shape. I have to admit that people who seem stymied by this mystify me. Especially when there seem to be no other big demands on time outside the office (i.e., school, second job, children, eldercare, etc.) There are 168 hours in a week. Work 40, commute 7, sleep 60. You still have 61 hours left for everything else.

    I am one of those that you would be mystified by. LMAO. i often "dance" in my chair. I don't have a cordless headset, so walking around like that isn't possible. I take incoming calls all day for an insurance company, so i am literally tethered to my desk. so, i stand up and do some stretches. i take bathroom breaks just so i can get away from my desk and walk.
  • mweckler
    mweckler Posts: 623 Member
    Options
    Can you get a standing desk? Or they make a bike pedal thing for under your desk, or replace your chair with a balance ball. Also take the stairs if at all possible, I have an Apple watch that alerts me every hour to stand up and move for at least a minute. Utilize space if you can use a bathroom on a different floor, walk to the other side of the office for water. On lunch breaks weather permitting go outside and eat and walk (if you pack a lunch with things you can eat on the go). I am constantly moving my feet under my desk it is not much but it helps.
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
    Options
    vczk2t15 wrote: »
    jemhh wrote: »
    It's not really all that difficult to have a desk job and still stay in shape. I have to admit that people who seem stymied by this mystify me. Especially when there seem to be no other big demands on time outside the office (i.e., school, second job, children, eldercare, etc.) There are 168 hours in a week. Work 40, commute 7, sleep 60. You still have 61 hours left for everything else.

    I am one of those that you would be mystified by. LMAO. i often "dance" in my chair. I don't have a cordless headset, so walking around like that isn't possible. I take incoming calls all day for an insurance company, so i am literally tethered to my desk. so, i stand up and do some stretches. i take bathroom breaks just so i can get away from my desk and walk.

    You're literally tethered to your desk 168 hours a week? My guess is that you aren't. I'm not mystified by people who can't exercise at work. That is normal IMO. Being able to get up and walk around, etc. is a great bonus but not required. I'm mystified by people who, presumably, are not literally tethered to their desks 168 hours a week, or close to it, and can't figure out how to exercise or stay in shape.
  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,574 Member
    Options
    You get home at 5. That's early. Go right to the gym. I would LOVE to be able to be at the gym by 5 every day.
  • susanmc31
    susanmc31 Posts: 287 Member
    Options
    I get up at 4 everyday and get to the gym for a hour and a half then get home in time to get my daughter up and ready for daycare. It can be done, just sucks waking up that early some days. You do what you can.
  • Clobern80
    Clobern80 Posts: 714 Member
    Options
    I wake up at 4:00AM on lifting days and 4:20AM on cardio days and exercise for 30-60 minutes. During the day at my desk job, I find any excuse to get up that I can (get water, go to the bathroom, go to the printing room, etc.) For my two breaks, my friends and I walk the entire building (3 floors) from one side, down one floor, across, down one floor, then back up the same zig-zag way. We then do the same thing on our lunch but extend how far we walk. At the end of the day, I am normally between 10,000-12,000 steps just from the time I get to work until I get home.

    It isn't ideal for everyone. Some can't eat at their desk (I can), some can't get up whenever then want... but if you really want it, you find a way.

    Good luck.
  • Ketzalitzli2
    Ketzalitzli2 Posts: 38 Member
    edited February 2016
    Options
    I'm in the same situation. Desk job and I just want to go home and crash. So here's what I've been doing and it helps. You have to get up and move around during the day. Use your breaks to take walks. I have a coworker that goes with me and we power walk for our 15 minute break. :) Or sometimes, honestly its more like lets see if we can leisurely walk around the block for 15 minutes, but either way we are moving. lol.. When you're at your desk do some upper body stretches from time to time. If you can find a gym that's close by your office and go for 20 minutes on your lunch hour. Make sure to drink a lot of water. Then right when you get home, do NOT sit down or turn on the TV! Change into your workout clothes. Get 15 - 20 minutes in. Have supper and then go for a walk after. But if you sit down even for a "sec" your down for the count. Believe me I know. :)
  • chaoticdreams
    chaoticdreams Posts: 447 Member
    Options
    I park as far away from the doors as possible. I take the stairs. I walk a mile on both breaks (am and pm) and I walk to wherever my hubby and I eat lunch. In spring and summer I walk to work since I only live a mile away. It's just too dark in winter for me to feel safe. I use the downstairs bathroom. I walk up and down the hall while the coffee percolates. After work, I walk my dogs and/or plug in a Dance game for the xbox one and shake it like it's nobodies business for 30 min while dinner cooks. I'm quite sure I look like a drunk moose having a seizure, but it's fun and even if I'm tired I still want to do it.

    Now, granted, I live in a super small town and this makes my situation easier. I am not a morning person. Getting up earlier to work out just won't happen for this girl. I either incorporate it into my day or I don't do it.

Categories