Trying to burn calories at my 9-5 Office Job

Yanks1996

I love this website...www.fitbolt.com.

Every 30 minutes or so it gives you a stretch or an exercise to do. I have an office so I can close the door to do the more ridiculous looking ones.

mdhummel

Burning calories at the office is not an easy task, especially if you are wearing heels and dress clothes. You could park farther from the office, take the stairs instead of the elevator, walk on your lunch break, or do a few squats and lounges at your desk, but you won't be burning a fraction of the calories you could at the gym. When I first started working in an office environment I noticed I was sitting much more and tried to incorporate more exercise into my work routine.

I replaced my desk chair with a stability ball and two days later I brought the ball back home after getting strange stares from my coworkers. I've brought resistance bands to work, but never used them because it's hard to type and answer the phone when you are trying to do sets of 12 and keep losing count. The bottom line is that the office is not an appropriate spot to work out at because it's unprofessional and unproductive. If you don't have time to go to the gym try a quick workout dvd. Jillian Michael's 30-day shred is only 20 minutes long.

On days that you cannot workout at home or the gym be careful of what you eat. Avoid the candy dish at work, avoid the donuts or leftover cake in the break room, pack a healthy lunch or get a salad instead of buying lunch with your coworkers, and skip happy hour cocktails. If you know another co-worker in the office that is trying to lose weight maybe you could be workout buddies? My co-worker and I take spin class and go running after work. Even if I don't feel like working out I know I have to because I made plans to do so.

Holly_Roman_Empire

I hope this doesn't sound snotty (it may) but when I see posts about people doing exercises at their desk/cubicle I just think it sounds kind of absurd. I definitely agree with walking around as much as possible throughout your work day...I too have a standard desk job, so I know it can be a challenge at times but you can always find ways to get a BIT more movement into your day. But for me personally, buying an under-desk cycling device or doing exercises at/near my desk would just feel embarrassing and strange...why not get in a workout before work or in the evening instead?

I have absolutely no time before work to exercise because I have 2 children that I must get washed, dressed, and dropped off at school. THEN I drive 30 minutes to my office. I could walk on my lunch but I only get 30 minutes and I live in Missouri where the weather yesterday was 50 degrees and last night we had a snow storm. Could I work out after I get home? Probably, but I have MS so the evenings are exhausting for me. We do home work, cook supper, clean house...etc. Please tell me how someone like me can be more like you...LOL

PS I work in a rural area. The building I work in has not one step.

Ahh, a rural area! So you have lots of space to get out and walk when you're at work. If you're too exhausted when you get home from work, you could wake up before the kids do and do a brief workout. And what's wrong with 50 degrees outside? People are training for marathons and such in weather colder than that, with snow, rain, or blasting wind (that's what I'm dealing with today).

Besides MS, which I know virtually nothing about, it sounds like a bunch of excuses. With that said, you don't have to exercise to lose weight. But I imagine if you really wanted to, you'd make time for it.

Wow, judgmental and full of snark.

What judgement and snark? I was being serious and offering legitimate suggestions. She doesn't have to exercise at all to lose weight. I would say the exact same thing to anybody I know. In fact, I think I've said words fairly close to this to my mom before.

ETA: If I wanted to be snarky, I would have suggested kegels or something as equally ridiculous as that.

alpine1994

I drink water at my desk all day and every time I go to the bathroom I do a set of squats.

LMAO!! That's an interesting idea. That seriously made me giggle!

Interesting, and a bit like... well my job cant really be that important because I have time to do squats at work. I wonder what the boss would think....

If you have time to go to the bathroom, doing 10-20 squats takes about 1 minute after flushing. I do it too. I think that everyone's job is "important", or else there wouldn't be someone employed in that position. Also, not everyone's boss is breathing down their neck and notices when someone is in the bathroom for 3 minutes instead of two. What a miserable work life that would be.

Pirate_chick

I hope this doesn't sound snotty (it may) but when I see posts about people doing exercises at their desk/cubicle I just think it sounds kind of absurd. I definitely agree with walking around as much as possible throughout your work day...I too have a standard desk job, so I know it can be a challenge at times but you can always find ways to get a BIT more movement into your day. But for me personally, buying an under-desk cycling device or doing exercises at/near my desk would just feel embarrassing and strange...why not get in a workout before work or in the evening instead?

I have absolutely no time before work to exercise because I have 2 children that I must get washed, dressed, and dropped off at school. THEN I drive 30 minutes to my office. I could walk on my lunch but I only get 30 minutes and I live in Missouri where the weather yesterday was 50 degrees and last night we had a snow storm. Could I work out after I get home? Probably, but I have MS so the evenings are exhausting for me. We do home work, cook supper, clean house...etc. Please tell me how someone like me can be more like you...LOL

PS I work in a rural area. The building I work in has not one step.

Ahh, a rural area! So you have lots of space to get out and walk when you're at work. If you're too exhausted when you get home from work, you could wake up before the kids do and do a brief workout. And what's wrong with 50 degrees outside? People are training for marathons and such in weather colder than that, with snow, rain, or blasting wind (that's what I'm dealing with today).

Besides MS, which I know virtually nothing about, it sounds like a bunch of excuses. With that said, you don't have to exercise to lose weight. But I imagine if you really wanted to, you'd make time for it.

Wow, judgmental and full of snark.

What judgement and snark? I was being serious and offering legitimate suggestions. She doesn't have to exercise at all to lose weight. I would say the exact same thing to anybody I know. In fact, I think I've said words fairly close to this to my mom before.

ETA: If I wanted to be snarky, I would have suggested kegels or something as equally ridiculous as that.

Kegals are great! keep it tight. won't burn a calorie, but it strengthens the pelvic wall, same with butt squeezes, firm it up. You come across as snarky, borderline rude, and clearly display a lack of tact.

Holly_Roman_Empire

I hope this doesn't sound snotty (it may) but when I see posts about people doing exercises at their desk/cubicle I just think it sounds kind of absurd. I definitely agree with walking around as much as possible throughout your work day...I too have a standard desk job, so I know it can be a challenge at times but you can always find ways to get a BIT more movement into your day. But for me personally, buying an under-desk cycling device or doing exercises at/near my desk would just feel embarrassing and strange...why not get in a workout before work or in the evening instead?

I have absolutely no time before work to exercise because I have 2 children that I must get washed, dressed, and dropped off at school. THEN I drive 30 minutes to my office. I could walk on my lunch but I only get 30 minutes and I live in Missouri where the weather yesterday was 50 degrees and last night we had a snow storm. Could I work out after I get home? Probably, but I have MS so the evenings are exhausting for me. We do home work, cook supper, clean house...etc. Please tell me how someone like me can be more like you...LOL

PS I work in a rural area. The building I work in has not one step.

Ahh, a rural area! So you have lots of space to get out and walk when you're at work. If you're too exhausted when you get home from work, you could wake up before the kids do and do a brief workout. And what's wrong with 50 degrees outside? People are training for marathons and such in weather colder than that, with snow, rain, or blasting wind (that's what I'm dealing with today).

Besides MS, which I know virtually nothing about, it sounds like a bunch of excuses. With that said, you don't have to exercise to lose weight. But I imagine if you really wanted to, you'd make time for it.

Wow, judgmental and full of snark.

What judgement and snark? I was being serious and offering legitimate suggestions. She doesn't have to exercise at all to lose weight. I would say the exact same thing to anybody I know. In fact, I think I've said words fairly close to this to my mom before.

ETA: If I wanted to be snarky, I would have suggested kegels or something as equally ridiculous as that.

Kegals are great! keep it tight. won't burn a calorie, but it strengthens the pelvic wall, same with butt squeezes, firm it up. You come across as snarky, borderline rude, and clearly display a lack of tact.

Well, sorry you feel that way. You're one of the few that seem to think that.

BlueBombers

I get up every 20 to 30 minutes and do a quick walk through the office. Now that the weather is warming up (I live in Canada and where I am the winter has been brutally cold) I go for walks during breaks and sometimes at lunch as well.

When I get home I do my regular workout. In a few months I will be getting up early again and doing my morning workouts.

sunandskies

I would get completely bat**** looks if I started exercising at my desk (open office floor plans blow), so I don't.
But I also never sit still.
I spin in my chair, kick my feet, do leg raises, use a small bottle for water so I have to get up a lot, do 20 or so squats whenever I go to the bathroom, whatever I can. My coworkers probably think I have ADHD with my constant movement, but hey, they're the ones who are huffing and puffing after walking the 20 feet from their cars, up 4 stairs, and to their desks, not me.

cuinboston2014

I usually try to incorporate little bouts of movement throughout my day. Not to burn calories though but to get my blood pumping and keep me awake.

I try to drink lots of water so I have to keep getting up to refill it
I sometimes take a 5 or 10 minute break to walk up and down the four flights of stairs (if people take 10 minute smoke breaks I will take 10 minute walk breaks...)
When it's nice I will usually save my extra time for like 15 minute spurts and walk outside
I ALWAYS walk on my lunch. If it's too cold outside I go to the mall - which is convenient for me as I can see it from my office window....
I have a job where I'm tied to my desk but not always needing both hands for typing, etc. I have used my lower desk for tricep dips, done squats etc. We also have an open office. I don't care if anyone thinks I'm crazy.
I also have taken extra time on bathroom breaks for lunges or squats. As another poster said, if your boss hunts you down for peeing for an extra minute that's absurd. And when do they know when you might just be pooping instead?
When it's not soaking wet outside, and I usually have a 20 degree minimum, I run 3-4 miles on lunch. I get a one hour break. I don't have showers but I do bring things to at least freshen up so I don't smell. I also avoid running on days where it's over 80 and humid and I will be too drenched to clean up. I don't smell - I might look flushed, etc when I come back - but nobody cares.

I do still work out either before or after work all but one week night for my actual calorie burn.

bradXdale

I hope this doesn't sound snotty (it may) but when I see posts about people doing exercises at their desk/cubicle I just think it sounds kind of absurd. I definitely agree with walking around as much as possible throughout your work day...I too have a standard desk job, so I know it can be a challenge at times but you can always find ways to get a BIT more movement into your day. But for me personally, buying an under-desk cycling device or doing exercises at/near my desk would just feel embarrassing and strange...why not get in a workout before work or in the evening instead?

I have absolutely no time before work to exercise because I have 2 children that I must get washed, dressed, and dropped off at school. THEN I drive 30 minutes to my office. I could walk on my lunch but I only get 30 minutes and I live in Missouri where the weather yesterday was 50 degrees and last night we had a snow storm. Could I work out after I get home? Probably, but I have MS so the evenings are exhausting for me. We do home work, cook supper, clean house...etc. Please tell me how someone like me can be more like you...LOL

PS I work in a rural area. The building I work in has not one step.

Ahh, a rural area! So you have lots of space to get out and walk when you're at work. If you're too exhausted when you get home from work, you could wake up before the kids do and do a brief workout. And what's wrong with 50 degrees outside? People are training for marathons and such in weather colder than that, with snow, rain, or blasting wind (that's what I'm dealing with today).

Besides MS, which I know virtually nothing about, it sounds like a bunch of excuses. With that said, you don't have to exercise to lose weight. But I imagine if you really wanted to, you'd make time for it.

Wow, judgmental and full of snark.

What judgement and snark? I was being serious and offering legitimate suggestions. She doesn't have to exercise at all to lose weight. I would say the exact same thing to anybody I know. In fact, I think I've said words fairly close to this to my mom before.

ETA: If I wanted to be snarky, I would have suggested kegels or something as equally ridiculous as that.

Kegals are great! keep it tight. won't burn a calorie, but it strengthens the pelvic wall, same with butt squeezes, firm it up. You come across as snarky, borderline rude, and clearly display a lack of tact.

Well, sorry you feel that way. You're one of the few that seem to think that.

I work an 8:30-4:30 desk job as a full time Graphic Designer at an advertising agency. I do get a bit of movement throughout my day when I run the wide format printer and have to cut, fabricate and organize sign runs...but I do agree it's EASY AS HELL to make excuses not to do something.

Can't workout in the evening? Wake up 25 minutes earlier, it won't kill you.

Can't workout in the morning? Hit the gym the second you get home...it's what I do. Don't set your stuff down, sit down on the couch, think about dinner, etc....walk in, turn on a workout DVD and get to it. Maybe that's something you should try since it's hard for you to get out and walk (saying it's too cold) maybe you should try a less intense home workout DVD like Cha-Lean or modify Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred. They're both basic movements with light dumb bells...anyone can do it.

Even when I get up to go to the bathroom at work I can add in a few lunges, stretches, squats, knee/quad/calve pulls.

It's effort & planning vs. life & excuses. We all have a life to live & things to do, we all have excuses & reasons why we can't/shouldn't/won't workout or eat right. It's about fighting those feelings back. It's about being a beast and giving 100% everyday.

/endrant

redwoodkestrel

I also have a 9-5 (well, 7:30-4, actually) job that has me sitting at my desk most of the day. I decided to get a Fitbit to track my steps throughout the day, to get a better understanding of how much I was actually moving during the day. When I first got it I was regularly coming in at 2-3000 steps for the ENTIRE day. Now I'm usually over 10K by the time I leave work at the end of the day, and add in another 2-5000 with a walk after work.

Just taking walking breaks at work makes a huge difference. I usually try to get up and walk for about 15 minutes every 2-3 hours, which usually nets me 1-2000 steps, depending on how fast I can get going (I work at a museum so I often have to weave between some SLOW groups ). We also have a single-person staff bathroom that isn't used very often - so occasionally when I head over to use it, I'll also do some running in place. With all the water I'm drinking now, it usually adds to up to quite a few bathroom breaks, and I'll run after 2 or 3 of them.

Even just running in place at home for a bit before leaving for work is good. Just MOVE as much as you can. :happy:

Eric_DeCastro

I walk .8miles during my first and second break and walk 2.4miles during lunch.

I round my day off with a 4mile run in the evening.

jennycita

I drink water at my desk all day and every time I go to the bathroom I do a set of squats.

This is actually a simple and awesome idea!! I will do this!:drinker:

queenjane1023

I'm going to go with: 1) no excuses, 2) sitting at your desk and moving yr feet or something is not exercise, 3) figure out a schedule. Everyone is busy and has other things to do. Figure it out. Get up early, go to bed late. Suck it up. No excuses.

Agree.

When I was finally fed up enough, I found a class that met at 5:30am and joined. It was the only time in my day I could get out, while my family were all still sound asleep in bed. Did I want to be comfy under the covers too? Hell yeah, but I made the commitment to get my butt out of bed and get to the gym, still be at work on time, and still have the evenings to spend with my kiddo after work. Prioritize.

Chillyfrog

I hope this doesn't sound snotty (it may) but when I see posts about people doing exercises at their desk/cubicle I just think it sounds kind of absurd. I definitely agree with walking around as much as possible throughout your work day...I too have a standard desk job, so I know it can be a challenge at times but you can always find ways to get a BIT more movement into your day. But for me personally, buying an under-desk cycling device or doing exercises at/near my desk would just feel embarrassing and strange...why not get in a workout before work or in the evening instead?

I have absolutely no time before work to exercise because I have 2 children that I must get washed, dressed, and dropped off at school. THEN I drive 30 minutes to my office. I could walk on my lunch but I only get 30 minutes and I live in Missouri where the weather yesterday was 50 degrees and last night we had a snow storm. Could I work out after I get home? Probably, but I have MS so the evenings are exhausting for me. We do home work, cook supper, clean house...etc. Please tell me how someone like me can be more like you...LOL

PS I work in a rural area. The building I work in has not one step.

I feel ya. I've been in your position and it's hard. My kids are older now which allows me time to get to the gym, but before it seemed impossible. I'm also right there with ya on the exhaustion of an autoimmune disease. Some days it's hard just to function! But... I've found if you want to improve yourself you just have to do it. You can't think about it, you can't think about how tired you are or how much pain your in (well not all of the time), you just have to push through and do it. Even if it's just for 20 or 30 min and you can't even give 100%. You'll be glad you did. Since you live in a rural area and you have to work out at home, maybe you can get your kids involved and they can work out with you (which would help keep them occupied if they're younger)?

djshari

You can try looking up HIIT workouts - some are only 5-10 minutes and it depends on if you have enough space to do so (without people getting weirded out). They are usually pretty basic but again, you might have to check out several before you find one that will fit into your day.

Don't worry about the people getting snarky/rude and telling you to workout before or after - there are many of us that do already. My goal when moving through out the day is not calories - I don't count workday exercise unless it's nice out and I'm able to go out and walk on my lunch. My goal is to KEEP moving. When I'm at my desk all day, not moving much, I feel like a slug. It makes it harder to motivate myself for after work activities. When I make small efforts through out the day they are contributing to my overall activity level and helping motivate me - it's not just about losing weight. It can mean the difference between going home and turning on netflix or going to the gym or out with friends.

I will definitely check out some of the links you helpful people have posted.

Here are a few I keep bookmarked.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/special/health/workout-at-work/
http://entrepreneurs.about.com/od/lifebalance/a/deskexercise.htm

grimelle59

no i completely agree with you i just decided to take smaller breaks and walk around more often instead of staying seated for hours straight

nitadances

Do as much work as you can standing up instead of sitting down. I had an adjustable keyboard tray which I could raise up and I'd raise my computer screen and stand. You burn more calories just standing. If you can't adjust your keyboard tray, you can organize your desk so that some tasks can be performed standing instead of sitting. Also try sitting on an exercise ball instead of your desk chair. Not one of those ones in a frame...a real one that rolls around. That will work your abs automatically. Instead if emailing or phoning coworkers, walk over and speak in person. Volunteer to be the person in charge of doing the mail.

jlynnm70

The Mayo Clinic actually did a study that states that people who fidget actually burn up to 350 calories more a day than those who don't.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A41897-2005Jan27.html

Anything you can do to increase movement is good. I too work at a desk all day - in the midwest where walking outside on a 30 minutes lunch isn't always weather conducive. I do when I can - and get a little over a mile in. I do have pedals under my desk and use them on long conference calls.

I use reams of paper for weight (they weigh 5# each just for information) and do squats when I get up to use the restroom and stuff.

Anything is better than nothing.