Desk Jobs

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2

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  • sykin
    sykin Posts: 1,676 Member
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    I find every excuse I can to get away from my desk for a minute - head to the printer, talk to a coworker instead of calling/emailing them, drink lots of water so I have to get up and go to the bathroom, walk on my lunch breaks. Every excuse possible, I do it. It's not much, but I try. I don't count it as exercise unless it's on my lunch break and I actively do some hard walking, but it helps me feel better.
  • LadyBuell
    LadyBuell Posts: 164
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    I second most of what everybody says with the exception of the ball. Check with your HR first. We aren't allowed to have them here anymore. I guess someone fell off and hurt themselves and filed a work comp claim and they told everyone who had one (including me) we had to get rid of them. :sad: I really liked mine and I wish I could have it back.

    If HR says it is ok, then yeah, get a ball. I used to love to bounce on it.
  • krissyarh
    krissyarh Posts: 5
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    I sit at a desk as well and I dont get a lunch break. SOO I take bathroom breaks and I do some quick exercises to get my heart rate going and it has definitely helped!
    - jumping jacks
    -aerobic 'steps' (face one direction, bring oneleg up to your chest and lower your upper body down) do this quickly, and rotate sides
    - lunges

    I do this at EVERY break and not only does it help with my 'calories burnt' but it gets my heart going, and I'm more awake when I go back to my desk.
    I try to do this at least 4x a day.
    I also bounce my leg while at my desk (keep the blood flowing), stretch your arms, and just constantly move around so you don't get 'stiff'
  • mae1020
    mae1020 Posts: 234 Member
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    I have a sit down desk job and work work 4 10hrs days. When it's nice outside I try and walk twice for 20 minutes and at lunch for at least 30 minutes. If it's cold outside and i'm feeling motivated I do stairs.
  • RachelLovesHockey
    RachelLovesHockey Posts: 37
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    I feel your pain.

    If you drive to work park as far away from the entrance as possible.

    I got this thing (no idea what to call it) that lets me pedal at my desk. It was $20-30 on Amazon - look in the fitness stuff, it should be there. Sorry I can't be more specific about that suggestion. I don't pedal all day or very fast but its better than nothing. Even if you only pull it out on breaks I'd say its worth looking into.

    I especially like the suggestion that you drink a lot of water so that you'll have to go to the bathroom frequently.
  • taso42
    taso42 Posts: 8,980 Member
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    i just fidget as much as possible. and i curse a lot under my breath. that second part doesn't really help with fitness, but it gets me through the day.
  • audra1ee
    audra1ee Posts: 56 Member
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    Drink more water so you have to constantly get up and go to the bathroom :)

    This honestly does make a world of difference. Between filling up my water bottle, and walking to the bathroom, I'm up every half hour or so.
  • jomo1113
    jomo1113 Posts: 17 Member
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    Every hour I get up and walk up and down the stairs for five minutes. In an 8 hour work day, that's 40 minutes of exercise I wouldn't be getting otherwise. It really gets my heart rate going, and I get a good sweat going on.
  • ts1122
    ts1122 Posts: 99 Member
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    Drink more water so you have to constantly get up and go to the bathroom :)

    That's what I do to get up and walk lol I'm up constantly!
  • Kany
    Kany Posts: 336
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    I get up every hour for tea and i take short walks on my breaks. I work 10 -12 hours and getting out of the office (even for a short 10 minutes or so) helps. I also go to the gym after work so I don't get that "i'm so tired from sitting all day" feeling.
  • _greeneyedgirl_
    _greeneyedgirl_ Posts: 84
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    Every time I use the ladies room, about once an hour, I do lunges, jumping jacks, squats, or something for a few minutes. I do have a private bathroom so I don't have to worry about anyone walking in. My boss did ask me once as he walked past me while I was exiting the bathroom why I was out of breath.
  • ts1122
    ts1122 Posts: 99 Member
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    It is very tricky. I'm wearing ankle weights and doing leg lifts underneath desk. During bathroom break I do 10 wall pushups each time....and I fidget ...yes it burns calories.

    I would have never thought about doing exercises while in the bathroom! That's genius lol
  • angbak60
    angbak60 Posts: 31 Member
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    Every time I use the ladies room, about once an hour, I do lunges, jumping jacks, squats, or something for a few minutes. I do have a private bathroom so I don't have to worry about anyone walking in. My boss did ask me once as he walked past me while I was exiting the bathroom why I was out of breath.

    Funny about the boss asking why you were out of breath!! I wonder what he or she thought? I work at a storage facility and take power walks throughout the units. Quite boring, but it's nice to get up and move. 2x around = a 15 minute power walk. I can always us the excuse that I'm checking out the units.
  • VANJVAN
    VANJVAN Posts: 1
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    I do 10 squats or lunges every time I go to the bathroom!
  • kaelawilliford
    kaelawilliford Posts: 41
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    When there is no one in the store (I work in a college bookstore)....a few times a day I will do 50 squats and lunges across the store - I'm hidden by my bookshelves :smile:
  • ArchyJill
    ArchyJill Posts: 548 Member
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    Drink more water so you have to constantly get up and go to the bathroom :)

    This is what I do...two birds with one stone!
  • MellyMartinson
    MellyMartinson Posts: 43 Member
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    There's a group called Cubicle Jockeys...the moderator sends out daily (every half hour) workouts of cubicle friendly exercises and even shouts out reminders...WARNING if you don't like squats, RUN AWAY!!!! Personally I love them!
    Thank you! I will have to find the group so I can join and get the updates!!
  • littlebeans
    littlebeans Posts: 36 Member
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    I've found morning workouts are the best for me. Sometimes they are only 20 minutes. But getting them in makes the biggest difference in scheduling around a 9-5 desk job especially when it comes to doing stuff after work.
  • iluvsparkles
    iluvsparkles Posts: 1,730 Member
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    I haven't read all of the replies yet, but I thought that I would mention that I used a yoga ball as a desk chair for several years and it did wonders for my core!
  • iluvsparkles
    iluvsparkles Posts: 1,730 Member
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    Get one of those large exercise balls and sit on that instead of a chair.. it's fun and engages the core ALL day!

    I see that someone else already suggested it. It takes some getting used to but really really works, and after you get used to it you will feel funny sitting on a chair or the couch! Really draws your awareness to your core all day long, and engages your posture muscles.

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