*Physical work roles* Has your job helped you tone up?

shantireddo
shantireddo Posts: 43 Member
edited November 26 in Fitness and Exercise
I am curious to see if anyone here moved into a very physical based work role while on their weight loss journey?

I've lost 25lbs so far and am 5lbs away from my goal - current weight sits at 8 stone and 5lbs (at under 5ft, i'm very short!).
For the last year and a half while I have been calorie counting and losing those 25lbs, I've been stuck in a 9-5 office job, sitting at a desk doing magazine design. Clearly - not getting much exercise apart from dog walks!

Having always been an 'outdoorsy' person this last position was the hardest I've ever had to endure - offices just are not for me!!

Last week I started a new role working on a horse training yard - I now work around 3 hours daily 5-6 days a week doing solid fast paced mucking out of stables which includes the obvious mucking out part, dragging tonne bags of haylage and straw and very large water buckets full of water across the yards - sometimes up to 18 horses there! Lots of carrying and brushing etc..Then sometimes further physical work, lifting large panels of wood, metal fence panels, tools, chains, bagging straw into tonne bags blabla etc.
I am absolutely thrilled with with this position and am loving the exercise aspect of it and being around the animals again ofcourse!
I don't know if anyone else in a physical role does this but I seem to relish any opportunity to burn more calories! If I get asked to do anything I cant help but think - 'oo that'll burn some calories'' or ''yep dragging 9 large and full water buckets across the yard will help my thighs!!'' Haha They must think I'm a bit odd!!

Going from hardly any exercise to at least 3 hours, 6 days a week, will be a big help with toning I know - but it got me thinking, I wonder if anyone else took on a physical job during their journey and how that daily exercise helped their progress. What is it you do, what does your role involve and do you enjoy it?

I'm really enjoying the hard work and looking forward to seeing changes! If you have before and afters of new work roles (highly doubt it as its an odd one I'll admit, but worth a try!!) do share! I'll pop mine up once I see changes!

Replies

  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,463 Member
    Congrats on your new fun job! Remember to reset your activity to a higher level and make sure you're eating enough to fuel your new lifestyle.
  • 14apfigley641
    14apfigley641 Posts: 30 Member
    I am a waitress at two jobs. I walk an average of 25,000-30,000 steps a day about five days a week. Before that I worked an office job and was steadily gaining weight. Waitressing has kept me from gaining weight, but didn't help me lose any. The problem was all with my diet.
  • Momepro
    Momepro Posts: 1,509 Member
    It did for a while, but then I reached a plateau and didn't rrally see any more progress without actually taking food and exercise seriously.
  • AmandaDanceMore
    AmandaDanceMore Posts: 298 Member
    I have a new job that’s a bit more physically demanding than my last (lifting, more walking, on my feet a lot) and I will say I’m at least maintaining despite struggling with my habits while I get used to a new schedule.

    I spent 12 years working in the horse industry and definitely maintained a baseline of fitness that was much higher than my baseline is now. Even without mucking, I was walking or riding constantly, still moving heavy things around, and it “helped” that I was often too busy during the day to eat much (lived on peanut butter and coffee) and too tired in the evening to cook (dinner was often hummus and pretzels and a beer). I don’t recommend that! All that aside, I found I still RODE my best (I competed professionally) when I added in something else, so often tried to get on my bike a few days a week.
  • sophia162
    sophia162 Posts: 115 Member
    You're so lucky, I'd be thrilled to find a more active job. The more demanding the better. I've always loved the look of people who workout because of their job/lifestyle --as opposed to those that simply hit the gym. (Which is silly, I know, but still, ha.)
  • C_M_S_
    C_M_S_ Posts: 1 Member
    I am a flight attendant and routinely earn about 10-12K steps during a flight between Europe and North America. While there is some lifting involved, it is mostly just light work but with constant movement- restocking carts, pushing, pulling, walking, etc. What I do find however is I am too busy to eat much so aside from sipping water, I don’t eat much during those 10-14 hour shifts.
  • jefamer2017
    jefamer2017 Posts: 416 Member
    3 days a week I work and walk 25k steps on most days. Plus lift tons, literally tons of boxes for shipment. I work in a grocery distribution center. I lost 14lbs over 5 months without changing my diet. Now that I've changed my diet and added exercise I've dropped 29lbs in 3 months. It helps.
  • Cbean08
    Cbean08 Posts: 1,092 Member
    The extra activity is a nice bonus, but I wouldn't count it in your diary as "exercise." Instead, change your activity level to account for the extra work and continue eating well! You might see an increase in hunger for the first couple weeks so having a few extra calories to play with will help.

    It's also likely you'll see an increase in your strength and endurance as you continue to work. So, overtime, the work will get easier.
  • rheddmobile
    rheddmobile Posts: 6,840 Member
    Your job is why I could eat whole boxes of Oreos and not get fat when I was a teenager! I used to climb on a bus to the barn to feed and turn out before sunrise (in the summer, long days!) and finish polishing tack after sundown. Plus I got paid - I would have paid them!

    Today I'm a video game developer, so I have to make an effort to stay active.

  • AmandaDanceMore
    AmandaDanceMore Posts: 298 Member
    sophia162 wrote: »
    You're so lucky, I'd be thrilled to find a more active job. The more demanding the better. I've always loved the look of people who workout because of their job/lifestyle --as opposed to those that simply hit the gym. (Which is silly, I know, but still, ha.)

    Yeah, but, which is healthier? Working yourself to the bone so that you’re too tired to eat properly, or making time for some structured exercise as well as trying to eat a half way balanced diet? I may have been pretty skinny and definitely had some muscles, but I constantly suffered from headaches, slept lousy, and was constantly hurting something. I am now working to get back to that size and, more importantly, that baseline of fitness, but without the mental and physical stress and fatigue.

  • HoneyBadger302
    HoneyBadger302 Posts: 2,085 Member
    I never struggled with my weight until I got the desk job - before that, if things started to creep up, I'd just back off on the fast food and soda, and bam, right back where I wanted to be. Getting a desk job was the downfall of my weight.

    Now in order to lose I have to weigh, track, and be far more concerned about everything that goes into my mouth :( No more just "trim back on the bad stuff." Working out is great, but doesn't make up for the eight hours I spend sitting/standing at a damn desk every day.
  • WanderingRivers
    WanderingRivers Posts: 612 Member
    sophia162 wrote: »
    You're so lucky, I'd be thrilled to find a more active job. The more demanding the better. I've always loved the look of people who workout because of their job/lifestyle --as opposed to those that simply hit the gym. (Which is silly, I know, but still, ha.)

    Be a pharmacy tech at a hospital. My bestie is one and she does 5 miles a day minimum just running meds.
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