sitting 12 hours a day job

shineyapple
shineyapple Posts: 94 Member
edited November 21 in Health and Weight Loss
Hi everyone :)

I have a job that is 9am-9pm (most of the time sitting 12 hours a day). Its a very important career for me.

Can anyone give me some tips please on how to manage both (keeping active, being fit, still maintain shape (plus lose some) and still do 9-9).

I exercise on weekends the most I can do and usually during the week, I take a 1/2 hr break walking outside getting fresh air.

Is there anything I can eat or drink that will be good for my body due to the sitting constantly during the day? some tea maybe ?!

I eat extremely healthy but I am still worried that this new job will have an impact on my weight and overall health. I am a very active person, work out when I can and do active outdoorsy things, so this job is definitely not going to help the situation.

thanks everyone in advance !! :)

Replies

  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    Losing weight comes down to calories in vs out, not a particular kind of food. The less active you are, the smaller your calorie requirements are. You would just put your stats and desired rate of loss into MFP with a sedentary activity level setting and MFP will give you a calorie target that assumes ZERO exercise. Because MFP assumes zero exercise, any exercise you do will earn you additional calories.

    Where fitness is concerned, get up earlier in the AM and carve out some workout time. You can also do other things to up your NEAT like parking further away from the office and other establishments and forgoing "rockstar" parking...taking the stairs...getting up to go over and talk to a colleague rather than emailing or calling them, etc.

    I have a desk job as well...with commute it's usually around 10 hours mostly sitting...I'm still quite lean, healthy, and fit...I make time most days for deliberate exercise to maintain my fitness. My weekday workouts are typically shorter...30-45 minutes and I have longer rides on the weekends.
  • LiftHeavyThings27105
    LiftHeavyThings27105 Posts: 2,086 Member
    Are you in a position to do - and I am just gonna ask - pushups and squats and the like in your office?

    And, for nutrition - I would suggest meal prepping. That will help you maintain your caloric intake | macros and you will have less of a chance to 'get lazy' and end up making 'other choices'!
  • shaunshaikh
    shaunshaikh Posts: 616 Member
    Can you get a sit/stand desk? May help with the NEAT calories.

    I have a similar job, I manage my calories and fit in my exercise and I've managed to lose the weight. Just takes discipline on logging everything.
  • rybo
    rybo Posts: 5,424 Member
    Try move as much as possible. Bathroom breaks, short walks away from your desk, anything to add extra movement. Exercise outside of work & on weekends. There are no foods that can counteract sitting for so long (im talking beyond the scope of weight loss ) Keep good posture, stretch your upper back and open your chest. Is there any chance you could get an adjustable desk & stand some?
  • bribucks
    bribucks Posts: 431 Member
    Get up throughout the day to take short walks, even if it's just down the hallway. If you have a conference call, for example, you could maybe walk around while you are on the phone.

    Pack your meals. I can't stress this enough! It can become so easy to order in with work friends, or to go grab fast-food because you need out of the office for a while. Eat your lunch in your car or on a park bench if you really need a change of scenery, but pack your own food. Alternatively, eat at your desk and use your meal breaks to take a walk or do some quick workouts.

    Also, invest in a nice cushy lumbar roll. Your back will thank you.
  • Packerjohn
    Packerjohn Posts: 4,855 Member
    rybo wrote: »
    Try move as much as possible. Bathroom breaks, short walks away from your desk, anything to add extra movement. Exercise outside of work & on weekends. There are no foods that can counteract sitting for so long (im talking beyond the scope of weight loss ) Keep good posture, stretch your upper back and open your chest. Is there any chance you could get an adjustable desk & stand some?

    I second the adjustable desk and standing some, it's a game changer IMO as far as how you feel. You will burn a few more calories when standing, but IMO rounding difference.
  • gabriellejayde
    gabriellejayde Posts: 607 Member
    I have a 2 hour drive, then I sit at my desk from 9am-5pm, then a 2 hour drive home. needless to say, once I eat dinner, I don't get up.... so here's how I get moving:
    I take the stairs whenever I can.
    I go to the bathroom or the printer or the water cooler as often as I can.
    I either walk at lunchtime, or I take a 15 minute break in the afternoon and walk around a few blocks. The fresh air and sun refresh me, and nobody even notices.
    If I need to talk to someone, I get up and go to their desk rather than email them.

    It's little changes, but it adds up.
  • CMNVA
    CMNVA Posts: 733 Member
    I've put in an order for a standing desk. I was recently disheartened though at a recent study I read that said they don't really help (wish I could find it). Or rather they don't give you the calorie burn you think they don. For those that do use them, can you tell me what difference you noticed. One thing I want to be careful of is standing in place for too long, which can be problematic for leg circulation.
  • CMNVA
    CMNVA Posts: 733 Member
    Ah, here is what I found from the some study:

    In fact, there isn't really any evidence that standing is better than sitting, Verbeek adds. The extra calories you burn from standing over sitting for a day are barely enough to cover a couple of banana chips.

    "The idea you should be standing four hours a day? There's no real evidence for that," he says. "I would say that there's evidence that standing can be bad for your health." A 2005 study in Denmark showed prolonged standing at work led to a higher hospitalization risk for enlarged veins.
  • starryphoenix
    starryphoenix Posts: 381 Member
    Get one of those giant balls that doubles as a chair.

    Also there are under the desk bikes.
  • missperfectpitch
    missperfectpitch Posts: 620 Member
    CMNVA wrote: »
    I've put in an order for a standing desk. I was recently disheartened though at a recent study I read that said they don't really help (wish I could find it). Or rather they don't give you the calorie burn you think they don. For those that do use them, can you tell me what difference you noticed. One thing I want to be careful of is standing in place for too long, which can be problematic for leg circulation.

    I have a standing desk and typically alternate between standing and sitting throughout the day, about half and half for each. While the additional calorie burn from standing may be minimal, it's still more than just sitting all day, and every little bit helps! Personally, the greater benefit I've found is that I tend to move around more while standing - I walk in circles around my desk, walk in place, and fidget more (which may also help to minimize issues with leg circulation), and that all adds to your NEAT calories.

    To the OP, I would agree with others to try to find ways to move more throughout the working day, whether it be taking a 5 minute break every hour or so to walk around, walking up stairs if possible, taking the longer route to the bathroom or when walking to meetings, standing up/walking in place when you're on a phone call at your desk, etc.
  • rybo
    rybo Posts: 5,424 Member
    CMNVA wrote: »
    Ah, here is what I found from the some study:

    In fact, there isn't really any evidence that standing is better than sitting, Verbeek adds. The extra calories you burn from standing over sitting for a day are barely enough to cover a couple of banana chips.

    "The idea you should be standing four hours a day? There's no real evidence for that," he says. "I would say that there's evidence that standing can be bad for your health." A 2005 study in Denmark showed prolonged standing at work led to a higher hospitalization risk for enlarged veins.

    I think the greatest benefit isn't calorie burn or that standing only is better than sitting only, but just the fact you are able to bounce back and forth between the two positions never staying in one too long.
  • RandJ6280
    RandJ6280 Posts: 1,161 Member
    Great question I fully understand your plight. I too sit all day long any where from 8-11 hrs a day. I have just started trying some I/F (Intermittent Fasting). I'm still very new to this, but for the past 3 weeks I pick one day and I'll eat dinner, then not eat the next day or just wait sunset (basically 24 hrs without eating).
    In the past 3 weeks I have lost 4 pounds... hey, it's a start.

    Rules I've Adopted -
    I have also greatly worked on my portion control.
    Don't eat past 7pm
    Limiting myself to 1 soda a week (I used to drink 3-4 a week)
    When I go to the printer, I'll do 10 squats (all the way down)
    I'll tighten my abs as I walk the hallway
    Drink 4 liters of water a day

  • happyauntie2015
    happyauntie2015 Posts: 282 Member
    In use a standing desk not for calories burned but for other medical issues I have it seems to help with my joint stiffness and such. I also do squats, I purchased a little bike type thing for under my desk, I walk during lunch and breaks if I can as well
  • cs2thecox
    cs2thecox Posts: 533 Member
    I'm at a desk all day too, although I do get longer for lunch.

    But my strategies...
    - 750ml water bottle on my desk which I found is the best compromise between actually being hydrated, but still having to walk to the kitchen to fill it a few times a day.
    - Use the bathroom on another floor to get in a flight of stairs each way.
    - Take my snacks with me to avoid the vending machine.
    - Keep my snacks in the fridge so I have to walk over to the kitchen to get them.
    - Have a wireless headset so I can pace when I'm on conference calls (unless it's really boring, then I'm on here... :p )
    - If I need to talk to someone, walk to their desk instead of calling or emailing.
    - Take documents to people rather than using the internal mail.
    - Try not to use the printer nearest my desk.

    I guess I'm lucky that I take public transport to work, which involves a mainline train and two Tubes, so the steps associated with that, plus almost a mile each way between home and the station, add up to about 10,000 a day.
    I also manage to get out at lunchtime which normally gets me up to about 12,000.

    I like the function on my fitbit to show me the hours in which I take more than 250 steps. It makes it seem manageable to break it down that way - 250 isn't really so many.
  • Meghanebk
    Meghanebk Posts: 321 Member
    It's a desk job, any chance you can make it a standing desk job? If you can raise your desk and add a stool to sit when necessary that may help. It's not like you need to do jumping jacks at work, just being on your feet helps a lot. I work a hybrid job - the weeks I'm mostly at my desk makes me feel a lot stiffer/less fit than the days I'm walking around on the floor. Don't forget good shoes and a decent floor mat!

    There are a handful of websites on how to convince your boss standing desks are worthwhile. You could even offer to pay all or part of the cost.

    Outside of that, try to add small chunks of exercise to your long days - walk to the furthest restroom, take stairs inside the building, whatever small ways to increase your activity.

    Add some simple isometric desk exercises that won't look weird to your office mates.
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