Trying to burn calories at my 9-5 Office Job

Calves- I tend to work on these when I sit at my desk with some weights on my knees.

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

In the same boat, I work an 8-5 desk job AND I have a 60 minute commute as well (adding an additional 2 hours in my day that I am sitting down).

I thought about going outside for a walk on my lunch break, but I am in a shady part of the city so I don't want to chance getting mugged or raped or kidnapped.

I use bathrooms on different floors of the building. I'm on the top (third) floor. If I'm crunched for time, I'll walk down to the second floor; if I'm OK on time, I'll go to the first floor or basement. In all cases I take the stairs both down and up. To help ensure enough bathroom breaks throughout the day, I aim to drink at least 35 oz. of liquid throughout the day -- not much by some standards, but for me, it's fine.

I admit that I do have an under-the-desk cycle. During slower work periods, where I'm reading background material or something not terribly serious, I'll cycle for maybe 20-30 minutes. It helps that I have an office, though I did the same when I had a cubicle.

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?

+1, also maybe walk at lunch? It's simple, you probably won't get sweaty, and it's pretty good for your all around health.

+2

Take the stairs if you work in a multi-level office building. Lunchtime walks, and walks during your breaks are beneficial too.

I park my car on the top floor of my parking garage, take the stairs all 6 floors down, take the stairs up to the tenth floor of my building, take stairs down and up when I want a snack down at the cafeteria, walk during lunch, and take the stairs back up to the 6th floor of the parking garage when I leave.

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.

Desk jockey dad of an 18 m.o. and 4 y.o. here with a 60 minute each way commute to work. I make time for exercise and if that means I go out and ride my bike at lunch when it's cold and the wind is blowing so be it; I do that three days out of the work week...the other two I make sure I get out for at least a 30 minute walk; rain, snow, wind, or shine. My wife and I also alternate evenings at the gym two nights per week and we both go on Sundays and take the kiddos with us. On the nights I go to the gym my wife picks up the kiddos and gets them home and fed, etc...on nights she goes to the gym I reciprocate; our health and overall well being is important to us and we're also setting an example for our kids in RE to how important this is. We're actually to the point now where we are considering dumping the gym and converting our garage so we don't have to bother.

Beyond that, I just make every effort to improve my NEAT (Non Exercise Activity Thermogenesis)...even though I'm the CFO, I take the furthest parking spot from the office. I work on the third floor and always take the stairs (even when I have my bike, I just shoulder it and haul it up the stairs). When I need to use the restroom or re-fill my water bottle I do so using the 1st floor facilities which requires me to go down stairs and then back up. When I go to the grocery store, I forgo "rock star" parking and seek out spots further away from the store. Little things like this go a long way.

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

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.