So...desk jobs kill?

Well for me instead of emailing someone here in the office, I get up and walk to their desk. I also take the stairs every day to and from the office (every little bit helps). I know it sounds silly but they have exercises that you can do at your desk or you could just get up every so often and walk around the office for a few minutes.

I'm right there with you. Went to school for teaching, was student teaching (In Wisconsin,) graduated 3 years ago (a terrible time in education here,) and have been at a desk job for over 2 years now. Was ok when I was in roller derby but once I stopped that and had a baby, all went downhill from there. trying to get back on track! Good luck!

Cops, Probation officers, Prison gaurds, firemen, and almost any tradesmen are on their feet most of the day. The today show did a piece on a treadmil for your desk. It looked weird, but I would you use it.

I walk around a lot. I drink tons of water. I bring my lunch.

I'm also lucky at my work though, because I have a pretty flexible schedule. I can take long lunch breaks and do, and when I do I take a Pilates class 2 x a week and go running on other days or right after work. I also bought a balance ball chair for my desk which I also think helps.

I have a completely sedentary job working with computers. I sit in a windowless office for 8-9 hours a day, every day, Monday through Friday. Here's what I do to avoid all the sitting:

1) Always use the restroom farthest away from my desk
2) At 9:15, 11:15, 1:15 and 3:15 I take a ten minute break to climb 12 flights of stairs and make 2 'laps' around the perimeter hallway of my building. Some of my co-workers have even joined me in this!
3) Whenever I can, I drop paperwork off in person instead of sending it through inter-office mail. I work on a university campus, so sometimes taking paperwork in person means I get an extra 1-2 miles of walking into my day.
4) I walk to all my meetings and avoid elevators like the plague
5) I park far away

These little steps have been enough that according to my BodyMedia Fit, I'm classed as 'very active' during work. Usually by the time my work day has ended, I've taken close to 10,000 steps and have a couple hours of 'moderate' activity.

I have a desk job.....I think it is the stress that is going to kill me...not the sitting on my butt!!

There are several posts on here about:

people sitting on exercise balls instead of chairs.
little exercise routines you can do while sitting - hand weights, etc..
things you can do throughout your day to "sneak" in more exercise.

I seriously thought I sat all day...until I started really paying attention....it is amazing the number of opportunities I have to get up and move....just now I make sure I take them all the time.

Anyway, not sure if that even answers anything...I just know I have read some stuff on this before

I love the idea of sitting on an exercise ball rather than a chair. I might just do this! People might think I'm nuts, but oh well!

One of the things I used to do was ALWAYS take the stairs between floors in my office building...even all the way to the 5th floor. I would also take 30 minutes of my lunch to go for a walk.

Denise

I am a student but half of my day is spent working in the College Archives. I manage to do a few small exercises a day, and they make me feel better. Hope this helps!
http://www.lifehack.org/articles/lifehack/29-exercises-you-can-do-at-or-near-your-desk.html

It's not going to cut your life short!!!! I just make sure I get up and use my legs at a given opportunity.
Walk to get a drink
Walk to the loo
Walk to do some printing
Walk to talk to a colleague
Walk at lunchtime
Eat well and regular exercise outside of the desk job and you should be just fine. Standing around on your feet (i.e. in a static position) is not much good for you either.

As a receptionist, I make it a point to run back and forth instead of emailing. I'll run back to my Doc if I have a question rather then emailing (Drives her nuts) or I'll literally RUN down the 4 flights of staires to the basement for supplies instead of calling for someone to bring them up. Get up and walk when on a call, stand at your desk if you can, park at the back of the lot, walk on lunch (walk to GET your lunch... extra motivation!)... there's plenty of ways to squeek in movement so you're not stagnet all day.

Someone mentioned sitting on exercise balls... I LOVE mine! Great for posture and good core engagement

I have a desk job and the only times I'm 'officially allowed' out of my desk would be if I have to go to the bathroom, ask someone a question, or when I'm on my official break (2 15min breaks, and a 30 minute lunch). Numbers, numbers, numbers! =D So 8hrs of work + about an hour and 45 minutes spend driving to and from.

Anyway, I do choose to use the restroom that's farthest away from me, get up and stretch on my breaks....and when the boss isn't looking/not around I also get up and stretch/walk. =D And once I get home for the day I *try not to spend the rest of the evening in yet another sitting position.

But, there are these new computer/desk models...Just Stand
http://www.juststand.org/
http://www.ergonomic-resources.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/sit-or-stand.jpg

The part of it with the computer monitor and the keyboard can be raised so you can stand while you do your work (you can also stay seated if you want). My office has ONE of these desks....don't know how but we got one for free to 'try out'. The idea was that everyone in the office could try it out and decide if they liked it, and if they did could request one from our manager. She did get some request, which were shot down b/c there's not enough money in the budget this year, =(

From the articles I read, the exercise does nothing to change the fact that sitting at a desk job for more than 6 hours a day shortens your life span. Working at a desk job also increases your risk of certain types of colon cancer. Yes, the exercise and walking helps you burn calories and it keeps you more in shape, but it does not negate the bad effects of sitting.

http://www.cnn.com/2011/HEALTH/06/24/sitting.shorten.life/index.html

Buy or rig a standing desk.

This wouldn't necessarily be a good idea for everyone. Standing in one position all day isn't really that healthy either. Unless you can move around standing isn't likely to make much difference than sitting, except perhaps to promote varicose veins.

Cops, Probation officers, Prison gaurds, firemen, and almost any tradesmen are on their feet most of the day. The today show did a piece on a treadmil for your desk. It looked weird, but I would you use it.

I am an intern with a probation office and I wish I was on my feet more! Granted if there is a day full of home visits or something I will be walking around more but otherwise I'm up to my eyeballs in paperwork at my desk
I do get up and walk around instead of emailing or calling though and the jail is right next door so I just walk over there a few times a week.
Unfortunatley internships don't pay so I waitress to make money and I'm really on my feet all day.

I actually lost a decent amount of weight when I got my desk job (13 years in retail... switched to a Product Support for a medical software company). I lost about 30lbs since I got the job in october. I can control my diet alot easier here. I'm not tempted to run "next door" for some fast food, and I can keep a schedule easier here. Plus the stress is lower so that contributes as well.

My company encourages fitness to some degree. We have a personal trainer available to us twice a week, and there are several nice trails around the building for summer walking.