Exercise and Desk Job???

2

Replies

  • BlahBlaBlah
    BlahBlaBlah Posts: 33
    I'm curious about this whole "sitting on a stability ball" thing. I have a ball at home, and I'm tempted to bring it to work and try it, but where I sit everyone walking in and out of the room would see me sitting on a ball! I have no problem telling people I'm doing it for exercise if asked, I'm not embarassed by that, but I would be embarassed if it had absolutely no affect after having explained that to everyone!!
  • nettie23
    nettie23 Posts: 44 Member
    Bump for later
  • MyTime1985
    MyTime1985 Posts: 456 Member
    Bump
  • cfriend71
    cfriend71 Posts: 207 Member
    A lady in our office sits on an excercise ball instead of using a desk chair. I don't do much as far as working out at work, but I do stretch a couple of times a day.. especially back, neck, and shoulders.

    LOL really? I don't think I am balanced enough for that! Sounds like fun though haha
  • Lizabee84
    Lizabee84 Posts: 353 Member
    I have a semi-private office (in a lobby away from all workers)

    *walk around *march or run in place
    *do inverted pushups *dance around
    *squats *knee lifts
    *I sometimes take packs of paper (20 pounds) and use them as weights and do some of my strength training excercises
  • Metsfn4life
    Metsfn4life Posts: 125 Member
    Go to the bathroom and do some squats. Go to the stairwell and run up and down for 2 minutes. Go outside and walk around the block really fast for 3 minutes. People go on cigarette breaks all the time, so take "exercise" breaks instead :-)

    I'm sitting most of the day as well, but luckily I work from home, so I just get up and start doing jumping jacks and then sit back down and continue working. lol.
  • Kristy_Elizabeth
    Kristy_Elizabeth Posts: 435
    I sit on my butt typing all day. When my workday is over I get in a workout. Then when my guy gets home we hit the gym in the evening. I would love to add a morning workout, but that doesn't currently work with our schedules.
  • prismperfect
    prismperfect Posts: 24 Member
    You know what's great, I installed a free program on my work computer called Big Stretch, you can set it up to give you a popup at timed intervals, just a reminder to get up. It's helped me immensely with neck/back problems, as I sit 8 hrs at work, it just gets the blood flowing. Lots of my coworkers have asked me to install it on their computers too, they love it!

    You could use those breaks as a reminder to do the exercises everybody suggests too :)

    http://www.monkeymatt.com/bigstretch/
  • jacmachud2011
    jacmachud2011 Posts: 7 Member
    Another idea is to do stairs in sets. We work on the fifth floor in our building and there are several folks who actually take the stairs down to the first floor and all the way back up to the fifth floor. That is one set. People have done as many as 10 sets!!!! Ouch! Hope that helps you. If that too much or time is tight, only go down a few flights and back up for a few sets. Works your glutes for sure!:glasses:
  • Prettylittlelotus
    Prettylittlelotus Posts: 239 Member
    I work in an office in downtown Seattle--and I take a walk every day. Rain or Shine. No matter how busy I am. A coworker and I try and walk as briskly as possible, if we're too busy with meetings, emails or what have you, we walk for 15 minutes. It's nice to walk through the city, except for the occasional pee smell and transient encounter.

    By the end of the 2.5 mile walk we are both a little sweaty and have way more energy. I eat a little protein after--almonds or a salad with chicken breast.
  • cfriend71
    cfriend71 Posts: 207 Member
    I'm curious about this whole "sitting on a stability ball" thing. I have a ball at home, and I'm tempted to bring it to work and try it, but where I sit everyone walking in and out of the room would see me sitting on a ball! I have no problem telling people I'm doing it for exercise if asked, I'm not embarassed by that, but I would be embarassed if it had absolutely no affect after having explained that to everyone!!

    I'm curious too, what exactly does it do? How does it help? Legs? Core?
  • salzej01
    salzej01 Posts: 125 Member
    Bump.
  • cassietpa
    cassietpa Posts: 1
    They actually make chairs that have the exercise balls and a back to them, we have them at my office. I'm debating on using one 2-3 a week just so see if i notice a difference.
  • mccollumse
    mccollumse Posts: 84 Member
    I have just started a new "program" over the last two days. I work on the 10th floor. I timed how long it takes to walk up the stairs. It only takes about 3 minutes! I looked up a calculator and it says that I burn ~23 calories per 3 minutes going up stairs.

    In addition to walking up in the morning, I have been taking the elevator to the bottom floor, then walking up during the day. I am trying to do it twice in a row sometimes. Like I said, you are only away from your desk for 3 or 4 minutes.

    It is tough, so it is good exercise.
  • GasMasterFlash
    GasMasterFlash Posts: 2,206 Member
    I have a friend that picks up boxes of paper at work, then does Tae Bo at home. How much does your purse weigh?
  • Ekai83
    Ekai83 Posts: 16 Member
    Great post! There's so many of us in this situation. I try to take a walk at least once a day, even if its only for 10 minutes, but usally manage to get in 15-30.
    I do leg lifts: lifting my foot as high as I can under my desk and holding. No one will notice that!
    I do a bit of dancing in my chair as well, but have also coerced myself into being a fidgiter! I've heard so many times that those who fidgit burn more calories than those who sit.. so encourage yourself to be that annoying person who's legs never stop!!

    Good luck to all my cube people!!

    Also, we have a guy that sits on a balance ball instead of his chair. Everyone refers to him as the wierdo on the ball.....
    I get the point of it, but clearly few others do, lol.
  • cfriend71
    cfriend71 Posts: 207 Member
    I work in an office in downtown Seattle--and I take a walk every day. Rain or Shine. No matter how busy I am. A coworker and I try and walk as briskly as possible, if we're too busy with meetings, emails or what have you, we walk for 15 minutes. It's nice to walk through the city, except for the occasional pee smell and transient encounter.

    By the end of the 2.5 mile walk we are both a little sweaty and have way more energy. I eat a little protein after--almonds or a salad with chicken breast.

    The walk is a great idea. I had gastric bypass in Oct 2007, and that was one of the MAIN things both the surgeon and the nutritionist told me I must do.... even at work. Get up once an hour and take a walk, even if it's only 10 minutes.
  • JessieArt
    JessieArt Posts: 275 Member
    You could . . . .
    Walk around the building during lunch or a break.
    Do wall push ups in the bathroom when no one else is in there.
    Tighten your stomach muscles for 10 seconds at a time.
    Wear pants and put weights around your ankles. Do leg lifts under your desk.
    Stretch your arms everyone once in awhile.
    Leave and actually take a break at lunch. Go to the park and walk around.

    I'm usually left here alone during lunch. I dance my booty off for 20 minutes. :glasses:
  • hiker282
    hiker282 Posts: 983 Member
    Grab a telephone book, place it on your shins and flex your feet so the book stays in place. Do leg raises. Take a gallon of water (fill an empty milk cartton that's been rinsed out) and do bicep curls and tricep and shoulder presses. Take a walk and do some walking lunges. Do body weight squats. Lots you can do.
  • IndyInk
    IndyInk Posts: 212
    I pick my feet up off the floor and use my ab muscles to swivel from side to side in my office chair. If it's a slow day, I grab a towel and wash windows. We're a bit understaffed at my part time office job. :)

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