Desk Job Problems

BrittanyBryde

Hey I sit at a desk all day and don't do a lot of moving around until I get out of work. I want and need help to get motivated to go after work to the gym! And I also want to help hold friends accountable!

ninerbuff

If you're COMMITTED to go, you'll go. If you have to be forced to go, then it's likely not something you'll keep up with unless you want to do.

To help with keeping active at your desk, get an stationary pedal bike.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

lauraislovely3

I have the same problem! I am usually so tired by the time I get off work I don't want to go to the gym.

TakingBackForever

I try to workout before work. Even if it's just 10 minutes. That way I get it out of the way.

If I have an early morning I just do jumping jacks and some body weight exercises before my shower. It makes me feel good and gets me energized for the day!

Kevin_Rex

I've a desk job too... I drink a lot of water and liquid through the day which forces me to get up and head to the can... and I take the long way to get more steps in... and usually go a couple floors up to add some burn to the legs. I don't do the gym thing due to life stuff, but dedicate 30 minutes per day for me and my exercise at a minimum. Throw me an Add if you'd like to co-motivate Cheers!

Troutsy

I work a desk job (I'm a nurse, but case management means mostly at a desk ) I find it easier to work out if I go to the gym before going into work. I'm usually at the gym by 6am. It's kind of peaceful that early in the morning, plus I don't have to worry about there being a lot of people all over the equipment I want. I also make it a point to take a walk around outside on my lunch break just to keep moving.

cariduttry

i bring my gym bag with me and change here at work. i know if i go home first, there's no going back out. now, i do not pass go and do not collect $200...i go straight to the gym! (hope you get my monopoly joke)

TR0berts

cariduttry wrote: »

i bring my gym bag with me and change here at work. i know if i go home first, there's no going back out. now, i do not pass go and do not collect $200...i go straight to the gym! (hope you get my monopoly joke)

That's me. I used to lift in the morning, before work. Then I changed gyms to one without a shower. As such, I go after - I change at work, then go.

And if anyone didn't get the above Monopoly reference, (s)he needs to go directly to jail.

fanceegirl75

This is my struggle. I try to use at least one breaks a couple times a week to go walk the stairs for 15 mins. My building has 4 flights. I also packed a gym bag last week and put it in the trunk of my car. I haven't used it. But today after waking up feeling so terribly bloated and up 2 lbs I promise myself I'm headed to the gym straight from work.

rsclause

After a stressful day I am wiped and usually pour a drink the moment I get home, bad habit I know. I find that if I get my workout done first thing I can't get lazy or procrastinate later. That said I get up at around 4 am and hit the street til 6 am. I enjoy watching the city come to life. As a runner I like how little traffic there is and rarely need to wait for the lights to change. In the summer it is also a way to beat the heat.

hlltwin

I also work a desk job and I've not yet gone to the gym (there being none in my area - no really, I live in a somewhat rural area). I use my 15 minute breaks (they make me take 2) and my lunch (20 minutes of it anyway) and the time I arrive before work (my carpool gets me there about 20 minutes early) to get over an hour of walking in throughout the day. I'm at least doing a lot of cardio. I also take the stairs since the elevators are so slow it's crazy.

KatieJane83

cariduttry wrote: »

i bring my gym bag with me and change here at work. i know if i go home first, there's no going back out. now, i do not pass go and do not collect $200...i go straight to the gym! (hope you get my monopoly joke)

I do the same exact thing. I don't just leave it in my car, it sits under my desk and I change before I leave. I also do some of my shorter weekday runs during my lunchbreak, since my office is in a nice suburban setting and a lap around our grounds is almost exactly 1 mile, so I'll just go out and do 3 or 4 laps.

lisahebert186

I understand, I have a desk job and an hour and half commute one way. Its really hard to find time to get a workout in. I'm working on making time because I know I have to and I want to.

jdhcm2006

If you're able to, get up every hour and take a 5-10 minute walk around the office. I do this b/c if I sit for too long, my hip flexors start to get tight.

Find a workout that you really enjoy that you'll be excited to do so it won't seem like a chore, go before work, or change at work and go directly to the gym.

I used to workout in the morning, but then I decided that the extra hour and a half of sleep was more beneficial to my overall well being than the workout b/c I could easily do that workout after work. I also had a lot of issues controlling my appetite while doing early morning workouts.

So I moved my workouts to right after work and I'm much better for it. If I workout at home, once I get home I change into my clothes and workout. If I'm going to a class, I already paid for it, so I'm not missing it, plus they're classes I really want to take.

You just have to find your groove.

jadelyndsey

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Packerjohn

ninerbuff wrote: »

If you're COMMITTED to go, you'll go. If you have to be forced to go, then it's likely not something you'll keep up with unless you want to do.

To help with keeping active at your desk, get an stationary pedal bike.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

This ^. Most of the US population has sedentary jobs.

Treece68

I too have a desk job so I bring my tennis shoes to work and walk on my 2 20min breaks. It is a start to a workout!

rosetigger

I also have a desk job. I don't get breaks except lunch. I go for a 20 min walk at lunch and then eat at my desk. I also do squats 10 every time I go to the washroom. Sometime jumping jacks as well. I know it's weird but I get something done.

AlisonH729

I'm in the same position. I start at 8, so I really don't want to drag my butt out of bed early enough to workout before work. But lucky because we start at 8, I get out at 4:30. I get home around 5 & immediately take the dog out and then get dressed and head to the gym. I'm lucky again here because the gym is like 3 minutes away. My husband usually gets home around 6ish, so I have about an hour to workout and then get home & start dinner. I try to go 3 times a week (sometimes adding in a nice long weekend morning session) which allows me to rearrange my schedule in case I have to go food shopping or if it's just too nice out. Long puppy walks usually happen on those days.

haleylhagin

Desk job here as well. Luckily, my work is huge on health and fitness and buys a Varidesk (adjusts to standing or sitting position) for anybody who wants one. I go to the gym on my lunch hour for weights, drink a lot of water throughout the day, and walk around the building in the afternoon. I get my steps in during a longer walk in the evenings. See if your work will spring for a Varidesk! It helps me move (I put in headphones and dance a bit while I work) and gets me through that 2:00 brick wall I always seem to hit.

Zoe678

I have a desk job too, and used to clock very few steps through out the day. What I have been doing recently is forcing myself to go for a walk on my first coffee break. At least 15 minutes worth, and that helps to boost my energy the rest of the day and reduce the amount I need to work out later.

RoxieDawn

As you can see you are not alone on the desk job and being sedentary during the day while at this job. Because you want to some motivation, I can't bottle that up and submit that through this post, but I can say, if you take 15 minutes a day before or after work to do a little something for yourself in the way of exercise or an active activity, you will be able to find another 15 minutes and so on.

Take advantage your weekends.

Unknown

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rosetigger

Here are a couple of workouts you can do at your desk.

Derek_McC

Only two things work for me:
1. Go before work
2. Change at work take care of it before I go home

If I go home, there is virtually no way I can get back out and exercise.

camoballerina91

Having a sedentary/desk job is no excuse not to work out. I'm up at 5:30 every morning getting ready so I can be at work by 7:30 (that includes making breakfast for my husband and me, doing my hair, makeup, and showering if I need it), and I usually work to 5 or 6 each day. When I get home I clean up the house, cook dinner, and make time to workout. I workout at home so I don't have to worry about driving to a gym, but I do need a push sometimes, especially if I've had a long day, and that's when my husbands there to help encourage and (sometimes literally) push me into the rec. room to go work out. I do my best to get in at least a 20 minute workout, longer if I've got the time but 20 minutes is my minimum.

I like the idea of bringing a gym bag to work and changing before you leave for the day and heading straight to the gym from there. Throughout the day I make myself get up for something. If I need to tell someone something, or I answer the phone and it's for someone else, instead of paging them I get up and walk to their office to let them know. I take every chance I get to get up and move around throughout the day, whether to ask someone for a favor or help, to get supplies, or to just walk around the office for a few minutes, I make sure that I'm not sitting all day.

Weekends are the best though. I can get a lot of exercise done on the weekends along with my usual routine of cleaning up the house and grocery shopping. It's not really about finding time to go workout, it's about making time. Watching t.v. or movie? Do jumping jacks/burpees/lunges/run in place during commercials or when they say a certain word or phrase. Do squats in between your different tasks to make dinner. Stand up and walk around while you're folding laundry. It's little things like that that can make a big difference .

kenyainez

I ask everyone this: What is your "Why"? Why do you want to go to the gym after work and why do you want friends to hold you accountable? There's something beneath the surface that's encouraging this desire so whatever that is, hold on to it and let that be your fuel to head to the gym after work. It's a daily decision and a daily commitment you have to keep with yourself. And the more you make this a habit, the more it will become your normal and it won't appear to be a chore.

amymurray12282

I have a desk job. I walk on my breaks. This morning, I got here about half an hour early and used that time to walk too. Is that something that is an option for you? (Sorry if you have answered this, I have not read all the responses!)

abitofbliss

I work a desk job and I have two 15 minute breaks that I walk, and I walk 15mins on lunch. I also bike to work 10 miles each way.

Gizziemoto

I joined a gym and that is where I go on lunch now. I also have a reminder to get up every hour and move. Not the best at that one but trying.

BrittanyBryde

abitofbliss wrote: »

I work a desk job and I have two 15 minute breaks that I walk, and I walk 15mins on lunch. I also bike to work 10 miles each way.

I have thought about biking to work... But with how hot it is I don't want to get super sweaty and then have to go sit in a conference call or meeting. B/c I have to dress up for work....Do you change or just deal?!