Staying active while working a desk job

MyssPhytt
MyssPhytt Posts: 51 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hello fellow Fitnesspals! I am an at home medical transcriptionist and spend most of my days sitting at a computer desk all day. I love my job and what I do, but its rough when trying to maintain a healthy and active lifestyle, and if anyone has ever worked a desk job, you know that it tends to make you lazy for the rest of the day as well. I'm trying to be as active as possible throughout the day, getting up and moving around as much as possible, going to the bathroom often, or taking my dog out to potty, etc. Also during my lunch break I typically go for a quick run or workout at my local gym (fortunately I live very close to it) and this really helps. After my work day, I also try to stay as busy as possible and have 3 kids that keep me on my toes, but sometimes sitting for so long just makes me that much more lazy! If I stay lazy, I feel lazy! . Sometimes sitting for so long is just as exhausting as a workout, but not as rewarding calorie burn-wise. So, I'm wanting to possibly add a more structured actual workout that can be integraded into my workday without taking too much time away from my work. I've seen how they have these "Comercial break workouts" for when you're being lazy and watching TV and you have to do a set of exercises during the commercial breaks. I would like to do something like that....only in between my work duties. I thought about coming up with a list of both cardio and strengthening exercises and posting them somewhere on my desk (jumping jacks, mtn climbers, push ups, crunches, planks, etc.) and then setting a timer to go off every 30 minutes to an hour (depending on how productive my day is) and when the timer goes off, I would pick an exercise from a list and do it as much as I can at my best effort for 1 minute straight and then get back to work until the next timer goes off again. It should equal up to about 15-20 exercises/minutes of activity added to my day which is better than none, but of course there may be times that I am really behind in my work and might have to skip out on an exercise or two. I think this would work good for me being that I am in the comfort of my own home so I'm usually wearing comfy clothes (PJ's or workout clothes) and I dont have to worry about breaking out into a sudden flury of jumping jacks in front of coworkers. So what I would like to know is if anyone has or is doing something like this, how it works for you, what is your method/structure, and what exercises would you suggest? Or are there any other ideas of how I could be more active or try to burn more calories during these sedentary days? Thanks for any help!

Replies

  • CoreyGDS
    CoreyGDS Posts: 10
    you'll do it, your more active in a day than I am & am loosing/gains but I think it has to do with what I liking doing and eating, I have never done those set out plans or anything. Im on disability, and can't run, jump....stand on toes sorta thing. My nutrition I s what I like. I have had help from trainers and by this lady Holly Barker with nutrition, she's a wellness coach/sports nutritionist so thats where Im getting the most help, since it virtually everything. Need to get this help do it, nothing wrong it and can assist in many ways, trainers will come to your home even....you are being a good example to 3 little ones and be surprised what they do when moms workout & kicking butt. Theres good motivation to tap into there.... I admit my parents never ran around with us etc....they weren't fit at all. So feeling lazy just look at them.......some of us never had a parent to be active with us & they were good parents but obese.
  • Veil5577
    Veil5577 Posts: 868 Member
    I used to be a medical transcriptionist as well, now I have two jobs that both require sitting, so I'm sitting all day. On the one day off and two half days off a week I have I'm trying to fit in weight lifting. I don't have time to do both cardio and weight lifting, and I think weight lifting will take less time and also help more with weight loss.
  • MelodyandBarbells
    MelodyandBarbells Posts: 7,724 Member
    My coworkers used to do push up challenges at work. Oh how I wish I was as into fitness then as I am now, I would have joined them :)

    What about one of those silly pedal thingies they advertise you could set that underneath your desk to use while you work. And sure it'll probably collect dust with the rest of the exercise equipment after about a week but it could be good for entertainment value alone. Oh yeah, you could also get a shake weight
  • wolfsbayne
    wolfsbayne Posts: 3,116 Member
    I have a desk job and I lift heavy 3 days a week during my lunch break. I rarely do cardio, but I do walk to other offices rather than pick up the phone.
  • vs_shine
    vs_shine Posts: 1,314 Member
    On an average day...

    I stand all the 8 hour Shift. ( my desk is on hydraulics, so i can raise it)
    100 Desk pushups
    300 Squats
    40 Tricep Dips with my chair

    And i go to a zumba class in the evenings once i'm off work.

    That's it. everyday. more or less.

    It would be nice if people at work were more supportive; i'm the only one who does these things (i'm pretty sure i'm the only one who actually goes home and jogs anyway) so you just have to focus and do you, because its your life, your body!
  • lewispwest
    lewispwest Posts: 498 Member
    We were looking to put a shower in at work but that plan never came to fruition. If it had I'm sure I would've gone jogging at lunch time or done sit ups in the office etc but I'm too worried about stinking the place out with BO for the rest of the day.
  • MelodyandBarbells
    MelodyandBarbells Posts: 7,724 Member
    We were looking to put a shower in at work but that plan never came to fruition. If it had I'm sure I would've gone jogging at lunch time or done sit ups in the office etc but I'm too worried about stinking the place out with BO for the rest of the day.

    I know. Like how do people jog or bike to work if there's no shower there?
  • lewispwest
    lewispwest Posts: 498 Member
    We were looking to put a shower in at work but that plan never came to fruition. If it had I'm sure I would've gone jogging at lunch time or done sit ups in the office etc but I'm too worried about stinking the place out with BO for the rest of the day.

    I know. Like how do people jog or bike to work if there's no shower there?

    Luckily the two people who cycle in constantly at my place have their own offices so we aren't subjected to their delightful odours!

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