Feb 05 2009
Exercising While Working
Following on with the theme of weight-loss at work (can you tell what’s on my mind this week?), I thought I’d talk about exercising while working today.
Having started a new job this week, after not having worked for a couple of months, I’m feeling exhausted! With all the new information to take in, getting used to the earlier starts and the daily commute, I’m just a little too tired to exercise in the evenings.
While i’m obviously dismayed that my gym membership is going to waste,I’m not beating myself up about the fact that I’m not dragging myself down there each night.
The reason for this is that I’m still actually getting some exercise. In fact, I’m probably getting more exercise at the moment than I have been recently!
I have a 15 minute walk to the bus-stop in the morning and then back home again in the evening. While the bus drops me immediately outside my workplace, I do have to climb several flights of stairs several times a day, as well as fetching and carrying various items from the stores for people fairly frequently.
I’d been wondering why the muscles in my legs, bottom and arms had been aching this week. It only occurred to me today as I could feel the muscles working while I climbing the stairs and carrying boxes that this was the reason for the aches! I’d been using muscles that had been neglected a little recently.
That, really, is the key to maintaining, or even starting, an exercise “regime” while working. Office jobs can be incredibly sedentary. By making them as active as possible - walking to someone’s office to speak to them, rather than emailing or calling them, taking the stairs instead of the lift, and so on - you can begin to increase the number of calories you’re burning with relatively little effort!
Tomorrow, why not try climbing one extra flight of stairs during the day? Maintain that and gradually increase the number of stairs you take on a regular basis.
When I worked in an office I got so much exercise. I was a purchaser and had to go from office for meetings, and updates. I was never at my desk. They had to get me a portable headset so I would not miss calls. We had a warehouse too, that was down a flight of stairs, and the offices for that way way to the back of it, wow what a workout!
One thing I have begun to do since I now stay home is to make sure I walk around and do stretches instead of simply sitting on the sofa. I chase the babies around the coffee table and attempt to exercise with them. Anything to fight the pounds that have slowly been adding up since I began staying home to care for them.
Thanks for this series.
Cindy, that sounds like an incredible workout - certainly far more exercise than I’ve been getting! But so much better for you than sitting behind a desk all day, I would imagine.
Nico, you’re right, even something as simple as being actively involved in play with your children could be the increase in activity needed to start shifting those pounds. Once you start to be more active, the easier it will be to do more - and as the babies get bigger, I’m sure they’ll get harder to keep up with!