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Getting Back Into Shape While At The Office?
rhuntley12 writes "Personally, I sit at a computer desk for 10 hours a day with very little actual work. I've also started to get a little belly and out of shape. I know it's real bad in my office, especially with all the beer I consume. What do you do to stay in shape? Any secrets? Recently I've started to do sit ups, push ups, and running up and down the stairs. I get a lot of odd looks, and would prefer something that doesn't make the whole office stare at me.
I've looked through some websites with equipment, but it's all serious equipment I can't/won't lug into work. Any suggestions?"
The key to losing weight with a non-active lifestyle is to EAT LESS. Exercising only burns off so many calories at a time, and you'll have a hard time catching up to a Big Mac when you're full time job isn't to run all day.
I've lost about thirty five pounds by reducing my caloric intake every day. I don't watch carbohydrates or meat or fat or any of that; I just eat less than I normally would and pay attention to the calories printed on the sides of packages, opting for less.
For example, I switched from a 300-calorie bagel to a 70-calorie apple every morning. I switched from a God-knows-how-many-calorie lunch every day to a single sandwich.
I let myself eat what I want on some days as long as the average intake is lower than normal.
I do also exercise (I walk up 12 floors of stairs), but the real weight drop occurred when I stopped eating as much.
Fidget. People who fidget a lot are in measureably better shape than those who don't(and are otherwise similar exercise/diet wise). Just make sure not to do this at a meeting with the boss to discuss a raise/promotion:).
Try lifting your desk while sitting at it. You don't actually need to lift it off the ground, just put a lot of force into it as if you meant to, do many repetitions of that.
Volunteer for any odd jobs around the office that involve physical labor.
If you live close enough, walk or ride a bike to work whenever weather permits. If you have enough time during your lunch break, take a walk or bike ride somewhere.
Get up and stretch regularly.
Situps/pushups and the like can help, don't worry about what other people think. When you are in shape to pull that vital bit of overtime that gets a product out in time, and they arent, guess who is employee of the month?
And lay off the carbohydrates too. This might start a flame war (Atkins diet arguments and such.) You should lay of the bread, chips, orange juice, and other things that have a lot of carbs. This stuff gets absorbed by your body and makes you fat. Actual fat is more or less just passing through and makes it into the toilet with your centrum multivitamin.
Cutting back on the carbohydrates and stepping up on the exercise is really what makes the difference.
Now, would anyone with a better understanding of dietary values care to correct me?
He's got a good point. Bike ride to work.
It works for me. Saves me money in car gas and parking and depending on how far you have to go, takes the same amount of time as driving.
Also, you make the earth cleaner, or some crap like that, but who cares. This is about YOU.
If you don't feel like exercizing, there are some things you can do... STOP drinking all soda/pop. These things are emtpy calories that just leave you wanting more. Don't drink it at all. Ever. Beer will also pack on the pounds but if you are moderate and just have a couple beers no more than 2 times a week, you will be fine.
For things to suplement your non-excersizing. Park as far out in the parking lots as you can wherever you go. I don't care if you are just stoping at the local Quiky Mart - park across the street. And also, stairs are your friend. Take those puppies whenever you can.
I havn't read what other people have suggested, but doing butt crunches while you are sitting in a chair isn't going to drop one pound. Be realistic. Eat better, and exercize more. Thats all there is too it, if you truely want to lose weight this is a no brainer.
Do you ever wonder why you don't see etheoipians that are fat? Its becuase they don't have all the sugary foods we do and they constantly are working. Simple math here... can you do it? :)
If you like video games, Dance Dance Revolution might be the answer for you. It's working for me, (ie, I'm losing weight and feeling better) and in the past I've only been able to stick to an exercise schedule if I was paying for gym access. "Better go exercise, I can't let the monthly fee go to waste!"
The basic set up for DDR is a pad on the floor with arrows pointing front, back, left & right. The game has over a hundred songs to choose from, with difficulties ranking from 1 to 10 feet, and basic, trick, and maniac modes for each song. There's an immense amount of replay value.
During the game, arrows scroll up the screen and you hit the arrows on the pad with your feet, in time with the music. For fast songs on difficult settings, this is very challenging, but more to the point: it's exhausting.
The key to DDR is learning how to keep your balance while hitting all of the arrows. I found that at first, I would bounce my whole body up and down in time with the music. This was exhausting, even on the easy songs. Nowadays, 5 months later, I am playing some fairly hard songs (6 foot songs on basic and trick), and while I am moving significantly more efficiently, the game is still pushing my physical limits of endurance and dexterity.
Because it is a video game with a scoring system and several levels of difficulty, there is a built in incentive to achieve the next level of ability, whether that means getting an A rank on a song, or trying a 6 foot song for the first time. This keeps me going, as I set goals and attempt perfect runs of my favorite songs. I can easily keep playing for an hour or more, and afterwards I jump right into the shower and cool off.
Get the home version, a cheap dance pad, and a PSone, and you're set up for $100 (including the PS1!!)
Run through the lesson mode, and you will learn the basics. If you stick with the game and play at least a couple times a week for 4 months or so, you will definitely lose weight and gain some footwork skills. Not to mention it's fun to show off in the arcade!
for more info on DDR: http://www.ddrfreak.com/
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First, cut out all soda (pop). Like another poster said, the sugar accumulates. I was in a similar dilema, cut out the soda, and I was down 10 pounds inside of a month without much exercise at all.
Eat healthier. With every meal, you must have a vegetable. They are low-calorie, fill you up (so you eat less else), and they're good for your digestive system.
Eat less. A simple rule, but hard to follow. Cut back on snacking first, then cut back on portions. No matter how well you're eating, seconds are out of the question.
Avoid starches. Starches tend to trap fat and sugars in your stomach and prevent them from being properly digested. As such, you have to eat more to get the energy you need to keep going, and the extra gets converted to fat later. Basically, less breads, less potatoes, will do you good. Remember: beer is liquid bread.
Any activity is better than no activity. If you're unhealthy, it can be hard to exercise because you don't have the stamina, and you probably have a lot more weight to move around. But still, if you get out every day and do some walking, you'll lose weight much more effectively. Also, DDR is a great solution for those of us addicted to video games. It may not be all that amazing of a workout (by workout standards) but remember that every little bit of exercise helps.
Stick with it. Even if you don't meet your weight-loss goals, don't give up. Re-adjust your goals and keep trying. Gradually, you will get used to the smaller portions and exercise, which will make it easier to push yourself harder. Remember that you're not trying to lose a few pounds for a date or something... you're making a slow transition to a healthier lifestyle.
That being said, I'm no weight loss guru... I'm a web-page designer. I sit on my bum all day typing, and I don't wanna be a gigantic fat-ass. I used to be about 300 lbs., but using the above methods, I've worked myself down to 250 in about 6 months. It's not a radical change, but it's been slow, steady progress. My situation was a lot like yours is. There are no secrets to weight loss, but there are some tricks you can use to make it a little easier. The secret isn't that you have to take in less calories, the secret is learning to do that every day.
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I'd rather be flamed than ignored.
podBiking? Get real, my friend. If you're dumb enough to go biking on public roads for 2 hours a day listening to your iPod, don't be surprised when someone like me accidentally swipes you off the road in my '84 Cutlass hoopty. Honestly. There's absolutely no place for people to be biking while listening to music. Nada. Since /.'ers seem to love analogies, podBiking would be the close equivalent of being on a motorcycle while listening to music at full blast and talking on a cell phone. Dangerous, stupid, and setting yourself up for failure.
And just because you don't like mountain bikes, doesn't mean they're for "sissies". I mountain bike on singletrack TRAILS, where mountain bikes are SUPPOSED to be ridden, and it's great and at least as exhausting as road biking. Trust me. I've done both for a looong time.
However, your point about not stuffing yourself is a good one. There's a world of difference between eating and being content, and eating and being stuffed. Hence why more frequent smaller meals are better for you than 3 pig-fest buffets. The diabetic diet works for a reason.
"Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned for SEGA. ..."
I'm not going to argue the point, because you have a good one, but I'll add a warning:
If you're one of the 800 out of 100,000 people who are susceptible to gout, you'd better stick to a high-carb, low-protein diet or you'll be in a world of hurt in no time. I went on Atkins and lost thirty pounds. So far, so good, right? But, one morning I woke in agony. The high protein brought on a horrible attack of gout, which is a form of arthritis affecting the large joints of the foot, and often comes on overnight with very little warning. I felt like someone was driving red hot spikes through my big toe's largest joint, and within a few days I couldn't even walk. It's about a week and a half later, and I'm hobbling around, yoda-style with a wooden cane, but at least the pain has gone way down (I'm a vegetarian now, and I'm drinking huge amounts of water, cranberry juice, and cherry juice, which seems to be helping).
GOUT. And, I'm only 32!!!
Anyway, you won't know you're susceptible until you have an attack, and if you have an attack, you'll wish you were dead for at least a week or two. It's really, really horrible. The pain is really intense.
Farewell! It's been a fine buncha years!
This guy (and any other who asks for advice on how to stay in shape) won't bike ride to work, because he's looking for an easy solution.
There isn't one. Excercise (outside the office of course, you'll never get in shape running up and down the stairs once a day), or change your diet, or both. It's a simple choice - do it or don't do it. Not having time is not an excuse. Make time.