Desk job motivation

mr_electrician
mr_electrician Posts: 64 Member
in Motivation and Support
Ok peeps,

I am pretty active and am use to active jobs on my feet as an electrician.

Now I am doing more programming work amd have a desk job.

I need encouragement that it's not the end of me lol.

I workout every morning and run 20 minutes at lunch.

I also usually hit min 10K steps. Is this enough or do I need more activities?

Does anyone have success story's from the desk?

Replies

  • Ant488
    Ant488 Posts: 372 Member
    Walk and take the stairs vs.the elevator if possible.
  • mr_electrician
    mr_electrician Posts: 64 Member
    Ant488 wrote: »
    Walk and take the stairs vs.the elevator if possible.

    We have no elevator. .....ground level building. I take a walk around the building in the morning and in the afternoon.
  • tulips_and_tea
    tulips_and_tea Posts: 5,741 Member
    jamesgashton wrote: »
    Ok peeps,

    I am pretty active and am use to active jobs on my feet as an electrician.

    Now I am doing more programming work amd have a desk job.

    I need encouragement that it's not the end of me lol.

    I workout every morning and run 20 minutes at lunch.

    I also usually hit min 10K steps. Is this enough or do I need more activities?

    Does anyone have success story's from the desk?

    Seems like you're doing quite a bit already, depending on what your workouts consist of. What are you currently doing? Were you working out like this when you were more active at work?

    I'd say just track your weight and energy levels and if you see issues then maybe make some changes. Diet is most important so if you're in an office that has treats and food all the time just try to stay away from those as a daily habit.
  • mr_electrician
    mr_electrician Posts: 64 Member
    Yes I eat really healthy!

    I seem to be working out more as I refuse to become a desk worker body!

    My workout is weight lifting for mass. Running at lunch for 20 minutes. Walking at night.
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
    Eat for your activity level. I work a desk job and rarely get up from it during the day. If I don't exercise before work, I get maybe 2500 steps between the time I put on my Fitbit first thing in the morning (so before any morning running around getting ready for work) and the time I get home at night. If I make an effort to walk around my building at work a few times, I'll get around 4000 steps. Clearly the vast majority of my activity happens between 5:30 pm and 8 am. There's no reason for a desk job to cause problems. You just have to eat appropriately.
  • tulips_and_tea
    tulips_and_tea Posts: 5,741 Member
    jamesgashton wrote: »
    Yes I eat really healthy!

    I seem to be working out more as I refuse to become a desk worker body!

    My workout is weight lifting for mass. Running at lunch for 20 minutes. Walking at night.

    Haha! I'm a desk worker and no "desk worker body" here, either. It just takes a bit more effort but it sounds like you're doing everything right so far. Good for you for being proactive about it!

    My printer, scanner, and fax machine (yes, we still send faxes) is in another room down the hall from my office and it's quite temperamental. I don't keep track of my steps but I'd imagine I get a good number daily just traipsing back and forth getting the machines to function properly.
  • adoette
    adoette Posts: 181 Member
    I'm stuck on a desk for 12 hours a night at the hospital. I frequently get up and do push ups off the edge (it's more a counter than a desk and the floor is nasty). Beyond that, make sure your activity settings are for sedentary or lightly active.

    There's lots of ways to get a little extra movement in. I like random bodyweight exercises like the aforementioned incline push ups, squats, and certain standing yoga poses (tree pose for as long as I can stand it on one leg and then the other).

    I do my moves, and then get back to work. Repeat in an hour or whenever I remember it next. I'm starting from a position of no/poor muscles, so YMMV as to whether that helps you.

    Good luck!
  • lauranewman130
    lauranewman130 Posts: 36 Member
    I'm a writer and sit all day- commute for an hour each way too! I'm active. - run, HIIT workouts and circuit training. Sounds like you're active but it certainly wouldn't hurt to kick it up a notch. Take it from a gal- your buttocks are in danger ! Lolol. Seriously - all that sitting doesn't help with aging buttock muscles and cellulite, circulation. I take the stairs at work and do two steps at a time to work my glutes and legs. Are you doing hills at lunch or anytime?? That would be good. I also get up every freakin 20 minutes -30 minutes to walk around and stretch because I can't stand it!! . Consider adding more glute and leg workouts into your routine. Squats and deadlifts, kettle bell swings rock too!!
  • mr_electrician
    mr_electrician Posts: 64 Member
    lauranewman130 wrote: »
    I'm a writer and sit all day- commute for an hour each way too! I'm active. - run, HIIT workouts and circuit training. Sounds like you're active but it certainly wouldn't hurt to kick it up a notch. Take it from a gal- your buttocks are in danger ! Lolol. Seriously - all that sitting doesn't help with aging buttock muscles and cellulite, circulation. I take the stairs at work and do two steps at a time to work my glutes and legs. Are you doing hills at lunch or anytime?? That would be good. I also get up every freakin 20 minutes -30 minutes to walk around and stretch because I can't stand it!! . Consider adding more glute and leg workouts into your routine. Squats and deadlifts, kettle bell swings rock too!!

    Yes I do alot of leg routines on leg day and when I run at lunch I set the dread mill to random so the elevation changes.

    My butt looks great lol and is staying that way!
  • mr_electrician
    mr_electrician Posts: 64 Member
    I have lost 8 pounds since starting my routine. I no longer believe that because you have a desk job that you cannot lose weight.
  • Marss86
    Marss86 Posts: 33 Member
    Sounds like you are doing all the right things! Perhaps try a sit to stand desk with anti fatigue mat. It's getting popular for people who work in the office all the time. Sitting is one of the worst things to do to your body for long periods of time, esp if you have any back problems.
  • mr_electrician
    mr_electrician Posts: 64 Member
    mchuc wrote: »
    Sounds like you are doing all the right things! Perhaps try a sit to stand desk with anti fatigue mat. It's getting popular for people who work in the office all the time. Sitting is one of the worst things to do to your body for long periods of time, esp if you have any back problems.

    Yes I have an adjustable desk and stand for an hour or so at a time.
  • shinycrazy
    shinycrazy Posts: 1,081 Member
    I have lost 119lbs with a desk job. I get to work early and walk the trail around the building twice. I often go at lunch as well. I get up once an hour and walk the length of the building, go downstairs and come back the same way and back up the stairs. My family and I go for walks in the evening outside or at the mall (since it's humid/hot this week). The desk job is not a death sentence! It sounds like you already are moving a lot, I think you'll be fine!
  • Joanna2012B
    Joanna2012B Posts: 1,448 Member
    Sounds like you have it all under control!!!

    I also have a desk job. My office is upstairs and everything else is downstairs. I make it a point to get up once an hour and go downstairs or do a little yoga! I run 3 to 4 times a week in the morning before work. I also cycle and do HIIT classes. I have lost 34lbs since January, so it is doable!!

    Way to go @shinycrazy 119lbs is SUPER IMPRESSIVE!!!
  • shinycrazy
    shinycrazy Posts: 1,081 Member
    Joanna2012B wrote: »
    Way to go @shinycrazy 119lbs is SUPER IMPRESSIVE!!!

    ;) Aww, you're making me blush! Thank you!

  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    If you were active at work before and doing the same workouts, you're going to have to eat a little less...even with the workouts, your activity level is going to drop. Your best bet is probably going to be a combo of upping your exercise a bit and eating a little less.

    I'm a desk jockey and I spend about 8-10 hrs per week working out to help make up for that...although right now my cycling stints are a bit shorter but more aggressive as I'm training for a time trial series...but in general I spend about 6-8 hours per week on the bike on average and 2-3 hours in the weight room. I'd definitely recommend getting into the weight room as part of your overall fitness program.
  • mostein
    mostein Posts: 200 Member
    I have a desk job as well, isn't it boring? In the last few months I make a point to do 2-4 little walks during the day instead of taking coffee breaks. Typically I walk to the end of the hallway, up the remaining flights of stairs, all the way down to the basement, all the way back to the top and then down to my floor and back to my work space. Takes about 7 minutes. Other than that, sounds like you are doing pretty much all you can!
  • RoseTheWarrior
    RoseTheWarrior Posts: 2,035 Member
    I have a desk job and have lost over 80 lbs since Sept 1/15. Weight loss is about calories in being less than calories out. Exercise because you like it and it's good for your overall health, but you can lose weight laying in bed all day as long as your CI<CO. Good job on the 8 lbs lost so far!

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