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Assuming a standard office layout, there are a few things you can do to tweak your fitness quotient a bit, but it's mostly through harm reduction rather than positive benefits. Don't smoke, avoid junk food, stand and walk around. Consider a standing desk, use stairs, manage your stress, work sensible hours, walk somewhere for lunch. Incorporate walking in your commute, consider moving to where a healthier lifestyle is a matter of course, not a decision to be made daily.

But the realities of human physiological response to training stimulus means that intensity matters, and you're simply not going to reach appropriate levels of stimulation at the office without radically changing your workspace and creating a considerable distraction and disruption for those around you.

The good news is that an effective workout can be packed into a short time -- 20 - 60 minutes -- and a few workouts a week can make a significant difference in health and appearance. The biggest hurdle for most people is sorting out good information from bad on diet, exercise, and lifestyle. Pointers I like to put in front of folks include Liam Rosen's "Beginners' Health & Fitness Guide, the Reddit Fitness FAQ, and books such as The New Rules of Lifting. A healthy diet and a solid 8 hours of nightly sleep are your foundation. A good a strength training routine, and HIIT cardio can fit inside a 20-60 minute workout period.

The best tools are relatively simple: a barbell, plates, rack stand or power cage, and a basic piece of cardio: your body, a barbell, kettlebells, a jump rope, a rowing machine (and if you're going to row, that's among the best technique videos out there).

That said, few offices are optimized for deadlifts, kettlebell swings, Oly lifting, or Tabata erging sessions. Whether you build it or buy it, a gym is a worthwhile investment. Consider it a workshop for improving and sustaining your body.

Get a concept II rowing machine - it hits most of your muscle groups while giving you an aerobic workout at the same time, and it folds up against the wall while not in use. http://www.concept2.com/us/default.asp [I'm not affiliated with the company]

The answer to weight lifting vs cardio is to do both.

Absolutely...they're both important. I row on an indoor rowing machine (a Concept II...can't recommend it enough) three times a week for 20 minutes (a pretty rough 20 minutes usually covering about 2.8 miles) and lift weights extensively two to three times a week.

I read that the average male, between the ages of 50 and 70 looses a full third of their muscle mass. You can prevent that with enough weight training. I'm 54 and have about 10% body fat and am still gaining muscle mass (though somewhat slowly).

So yes...they're both important, and the weight training gets more important with age.

The World record for 2 km on the Concept II is 5:37.0

I am inexpert in on-water rowing. I've been unable
to find any 2000m results in the 4:00 range. Could
you please point me at some?

Mail order for $800.00 from Concept II

Rowing is low-impact, aerobic, and you can start
as slowly as you like. 30 mins a day while you
listen to the radio, watch TV, or just ponder your
latest bug.

The unit I mentioned above is suitable for
beginners through elite athletes.

Definite nerd appeal with a USB connection and
a wireless heart monitor. Lots of builtin
stats and uses a plug-in memory card.
Regenerative power means a D-cell lasts years.

I'm on my 2nd rowing machine (the first was
a competitor but it did last a dozen years
and thousands of kms). I'm about to hit 1000
km on this one.

No other $800 piece of exercise equipment will
dissipate enough energy (without self-destructing)
to give you a decent workout. You'd have to
drop more than $3K to get a treadmill anywhere
neare as durable. And getting on your feet to
walk/run requires a lot more motivation than
sitting down on the rower.

My own personal favorite machine is a rowing machine like these. You don't need one near as expensive though, just make sure its got the fan. It builds the body and acts as a cardio machine. The only thing better than it is swimming.

This morning I spent some time on this "Liferower" at the local gym (dive) I go to. I rowed an awful lot in college to am used to real rowing machines (not this one). But this one, while it has no resistance, has a little (circa 1982) EGA-esk computer screen where I row against this "olympic" opponent. And every time you pull on the handle, the red of the monitor aligns and then disaligns. Crazy little thing. But I don't think these things are that new, in the end.

Still, I'd trade it for a Concept 2 any day.