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Ask Slashdot: How To Stay Fit In the Office?
Kochnekov writes "This week I started my first co-op job as a chemical engineering student. I work in an R&D lab, but in between daily tasks there is a lot of downtime, which I spend at my desk, staring at my computer. I know Slashdot is used mostly by IT professionals and desk jockeys, so chances are you've all encountered the draining effects of sedentary office life: joint and back pain, weight gain, heart health risks, etc. What are some ways to counteract the negative health effects of a desk job, both during and after work?"
I have an expandable lapdesk placed on top of my desk, elevating the laptop about a foot, and I sit on a mid-height stool so that I sit-stand all day. It makes a big difference in my legs and back.
Sent from my ENIAC
and a bottle of water. Problem solved!
sysadmins and parents of newborns get the same amount of sleep.
Seriously. Regardless of what your working situation is, it's as simple exercise and diet. Take your lunch to work and be active on weekends. This makes a huge difference. If you're lucky enough to have a gym at work, use it.
I see the glass as full with a FoS of 2.
Ask your colleagues, I bet a good number of them go there during lunch or at some other predetermined hour, several times per week. And don't feel even a little bit bad about leaving your desk - it's a great way to network within the company and develop camaraderie, which can ultimately lead to full-time employment and higher moral.
Alternatively, if you are working some place fairly isolated, you can bike to/from work one or many days per week, weather permitting.
Push-ups, sit-ups, plank, and jogging. There are also lots of stretching exercises that you can do during the day.
Burpees at your desk. Do 25 at a time, every hour on the hour.
Doughnuts, plenty of doughnuts. They contain all the nutrients you need and help keeping you in shape.
Those yoga ball things used as office chairs seem to be effective. After a while, you don't feel like you're making any effort at staying stable.
I've seen recumbent bicycles used with custom desk solutions as well. Need plenty of cooling for that, though, and fans tend to be noisy.
In a world of the blind, the one-eyed man is king--and the two-eyed man is a heretic.
Ergonomic chair that part of your weight rests on the knees and either join a swim club (indoor preferred) or racketball buddies to burn off the calories. The object is not to stay fit at the office, but while out of the office.
If you are Libre, then whatever you choose in the Office will be OK.
If you are Open, then you have a few choices, usually dealing with the Sun.
In the remaining case you are. you have to sign the EULA first.
Sent as ripples into the electromagnetic field. No single photon has been harmed in the process.
Juggling. A bunch of people are going to mention a bunch of really boring exercises which will make you smell bad. Juggling is fun, calming, and actually somewhat physically rigorous, but not the extent that your coworkers will wish you didn't do it.
Get strong. There are really good 3x a week strength training programs targeted at beginners. Starting Strength and Stronglifts 5x5 are two of the most widely used and effective examples.
Join a team sport to keep you motivated about strength gains.
Switch to a standing desk. At the least, this will prevent slouching and keep your hip flexors more loose than they are right now.
I thought programming was a risk free career until I developed chronic back problems. I wish I would have added more exercise to my daily routine when I was younger. My advice is to make sure you get up and move around for a few minutes every hour and do at least 15 minutes of physical exercise per day. My advice: stay active.
... walking believe it or not. Walking steadily for multiple half hour to one hour stints over the entire day adds up. I lost 40lbs walking 4 hours a day/7 days a week for 4 months. It's all about commitment, don't make excuses when it comes to your health. Without your health nothing else matters. Take it from someone fairly aged, as you get older you're not as energetic as when you're younger so get it done ASAP. People tend to under-estimate how important it is to prioritize health over everything else. IMHO health should come even _before_ your job because without it you're just digging yourself a whole that is harder to climb out of as you get older.
But before you even begin to exercise DO find out how much you are eating or exercise is pointless. A great site is fitday, for the first week or so monitor religiously and input data on everything you eat including days you over-eat.
http://www.fitday.com/
In my opinion if you eat a lot of unhealthy foods you should start to remove some of the worst from your life and replace it with something healthy. You don't have to go all health nut but eating better goes a long way when coupled with exercise. Take it from someone who has been there, done that.
Sitting is bad for you.
Get up frequently and walk somewhere.
Better yet... get a desk where you can stand and work.
I don't read your sig. Why are you reading mine?
If you have a printer in your cube, get rid of it -- use one that makes you get up and walk.
Use stairs rather than elevators -- use a loo on a different floor to get more use of stairs,
If you drive to work, don't park next to the building, park where you get to walk some.
Rather than eating lunch one or more days during the week, take a walk locally instead.
But that shit is boring. Don't stay up late watching Colbert Report and get up early and ride a bike. And ride it like someone is chasing you that wants to kill you. I've lost 75 lbs and have turned myself into an elite amateur athlete (won a few races here and there on the road bike and mountain bike) by getting up early and riding. It works big time (I'm proof) and it's WAY more fun than calisthenics or going to a gym to work out. I work in front of a computer all day long. Cycling is literally saving my life.
Adjustable ankle weights are a great way to keep in shape. Start with a one pound on the first day and see how it goes, if you feel like you can do more add more weight if it's too much only wear them for half a day and increase the time until you can wear them all the time.
Browse Slashdot while you're supposed to be working, use your lunch time to go for a walk.
If you were blocking sigs, you wouldn't have to read this.
Just get up and walk around and think every 15 or 20 or 30 minutes. You're paid to think, after all.
People might think you're strange, but thinking walking around works for me. Good for your circulation, head, gives your wrists a break, etc.
I'm looking at 40 coming up and I'm still in good shape. I credit that technique and never learning to "properly" type.
..don't panic
You need a 20 minute daily routine. swing your arms around, up and down, twist around keeping your abs tight, then do a quick, spot march of 50 steps. that is your warm up, it will take about two minutes. then, get down to the workout :
as many push ups as you can, try to get to 15, quickly switch to squats (15), then lie on your back and do another 15 crunches. give yourself a minute, repeat, and then repeat again. by the end of the 20 minute break, you would have done 45 push ups, 45 squats, 45 abdominal crunches. good enough for a day. repeat every alternative day, start thrice a week. on the other days, walk as quickly as you can, for twenty minutes.
WARNING: your workout should be controlled and not jerky at all. watch youtube's channel called scooby's workshop to get the right form. (no, i have no contact with scooby, i am in india).
20 minutes is an easy commitment to start with, once you start getting the workout burn, you will like it more and more. aim for something. my personal goal is to be able to do a muscle up. i am half way to a single leg squat and i can do a one hand pushup on a good day since i started 2 years ago.
My answers are these:
* Don't eat s***. You cannot out exercise a bad diet. Don't eat anything that comes in boxes or shiny wrappers with pictures of what it is supposed to look like. Ninety-nine per cent of having a flat stomach is eating well.
* You should be eating more fats than sugars.
* There is no idea exercise for losing weight, only consistency. Do what ever sport you love, but do it five days a week until someone puts you in a box.
* Very few people, particularly people who write books and give seminars, know anything about nutrition. Virtually everything you and everyone else thinks he knows about food is actually about culture.
Is't a book writtten by Mark Lauren. There's also a
Android App companion to the book. Good luck
Assuming you don't work at a "face time" sort of place, go exercise when you have down time. If there is a gym nearby, that's great. If not, just throw on some running shoes and go for a jog (if you aren't a big runner, start slow or you will get injured and regret it). If you can bike to work, take a steep hill ride. Every work situation is different, but there is almost always something you can do. After an extremely hard workout, you won't feel bad at all about spending the rest of the day off your feet.
It also doesn't hurt to have people know why you are stepping out. I've dealt with many bosses that frowned on people taking breaks just to screw around but had no problem (and in some cases respected) people who took breaks to work out.
ask for more work? so you can learn something? and show what a good worker you are? so you can get a real job later on?
One of the more eccentric managers in our office swapped his chair for a pilates ball, not sure of the benefits but I imagine it does no harm. The downside is the temptation to kick the ball as you walk past!
Here is my understanding of my body's fitness: I am at war with my profession over the outcome of my body. I spend nearly half my time outside of work fighting against what work does to my body, and I'm planning on increasing that amount. So I recommend finding something you can do repeatedly, and ideally something fun.
I dance twice a week, bike around when it's warm, hit people with foam swords on Sundays (look up Amtgard, Belegarth, or Dagorhir if this sounds fun), and generally walk everywhere I go. I haven't gained 6-pack abs, but I'm maintaining a just-above-healthy weight. I'm looking at getting into warrior x-fit (http://www.warriorxfit.com) simply because they give you a month of exercises you can do with exercise bands, a floor, and internet access.
I also highly recommend stretching. My chiropractor pointed out that sitting positions constantly press down on our lower back and hips, so doing lower back stretches and hip stretches like twisting lunges will be a good idea. If you're down for doing yoga, do it.
I've been doing Tae Kwon Do most of my life, and it works pretty well for nerds. I found a school with lots of scientists and engineers, and the emphasis was more on personal growth than competitive sparring.
There's a lot of geometry and physics to think about while you're practicing your drills, and you spend a lot of time thinking about optimizing the various systems in your body. And you get to collect a lot of tools and hacks, various things you can do with your body and other people. Also, I learned a bit of Korean, and get conditioned with some of the exotic cultural protocol as well.
So it might be a good option to check into if you find gyms boring and team sports out of your league.
Yeah I hate gyms. During work, there's not much to do that helps, other than drink water (yes, instead of coffee) and get up and walk a bit each hour. Outside the office, that's when the real thing happens, I learned to enjoy running. As a good nerd, Endomondo was a great motivation, I can extract performance data from my workouts and follow my evolution. At the beginning, running SUCKS, because you have no resistance. But if you listen to some Rocky theme song and keep trying, you end up gaining physical resistance, and having your body fit just gets real.
It is proven that the best drug, which side effects is also to boost your immune system is "adrenaline". Do you need more details how to obtain it :D
Best workout you'll ever get.
If you want to add regular exercise to the list of what you do to live long and prosper, my suggestion is to find something that you enjoy and can do regularly and long-term outside of the office, because you're not going to get that kind of life-affecting exercise in an office. Offices are not conducive to exercising. For the past 20 years, I have left the office and gone and worked out at a martial arts studio that I like twice a week. Added benefits are another circle of friends and something unrelated to programming that I can continuously level up in. Also, if you pick something you want to be able to do but cannot now - pretty much anything - and do it for 5 years, you are going to be pleased with your new abilities after awhile. Pick something and create the conditions that will cause you to gain skills that you want over time!
Intermittent Fasting has been my savior. Between the commute and spending time with the family I don't have much time for working out so IF (eating every other day) has been a godsend for me. It may not work for you but to each his own.
Replace your desk with this
Cycle to work. Anything up to ~20 km should be doable. If you can not cycle, try the combination of public transport and inline skates, I did that for years whenI lived 160 km from my job. Skate to station, take train(s) to work, skate from station to office (and through it to my desk :-). In general I tend to combine these things, no sports school or fitness needed that way...
--frank[at]unternet.org
I was in the same boat. I've never really worked out and work from home, so I was either in a chair or on the couch. Then I turned to bodyweight training, which doesn't require going to the gym or weights, so it can be done anywhere.
Currently I'm following Convict Conditioning, which only takes minutes a day, and excersizes like squats, pushups, bridges, and the early leg raise series can be done right at your desk. So now I still don't work out much, but I'm more muscular and stronger than I've ever been in my life.
If thou see a fair woman pay court to her, for thus thou wilt obtain love
Listen to hardcore techno... it will make your heartrate higher than normal, and you will be inclined to dance.
Local Tier 2 support here.
1) I do a lot of walking and eschew the elevators unless I'm carrying equipment.
2) My company offers free memberships to local gyms, and the local YMCA is 2 blocks away, and I stop there on my way to work, 3-5 times a week. A 30 min workout + sauna / hot tub works well.
I'm not crazy,I'm actively irresponsible.
http://www.homeofpoi.com/ There are regular meetups all over and likely one near you.
Martial arts training (primarily tai chi with a bit of kung fu), running (a couple of miles, three to four times a week), meditation (nightly), stretching (following meditation, before and after running, before and after kung fu), qigong... and eating well.
I am in the best shape of my life at 35, despite working 60 hour weeks. The sedentary IT life is just an excuse that people use. Staying healthy is a life style choice. It is a serious pain in the ass at first, but once you get into a routine that works for you, it is easy. The endorphin system is wonderful. Exercise becomes its own reward. The mood improves. You do not get sick as often. Stress does not affect you as severely.
Go dancing, really... As a bonus, you'll socialize and get to hang out with cute chicks, for potentially more interesting physical activity.
And walk there, if possible.
Wanking.
your commute time then absorbs some of your exercise time.
also, while you are at work do some simple PT/yoga type exercises for 5 min every hour or two.
regardless, get up and walk around ! sitting at your desk continuously will definitely cause problems - start good habits now while you're a young whippersnapper.
Absolute statements are never true
Tai Chi and QiGong have a lot of great stretching and stability exercises you can do in not much space, and they're slow moving enough that you're not going to work up a sweat.
Also, getting up from your desk periodically and doing things, like going and getting coffee.
Bill Stewart
New Fast-Compression-only CPR http://preview.tinyurl.com/dy575ks
I've got a funny card I found posted on my wall. It's a picture of a fat guy wearing a T-shirt with "My other body is a lot better." At the bottom the card has "I'm in shape .... "
Opening it gives: "Round's a shape, isn't it?".
I've also got a ceramic pig magnet with the saying "I'm not overweight, I'm undertall." (Understand that I'm 6' 7" and 325 lbs.)
If the universe is someone's simulation -- does that mean the stars are just stuck pixels?
I used to use a yoga ball as my home office chair. It took a little while to get used to, but my muscles adapted quickly enough.
Then one day I backed up and scared my cat. He slashed at the ball, claws out, and I started sinking slowly to the floor as it deflated.
Bill Stewart
New Fast-Compression-only CPR http://preview.tinyurl.com/dy575ks
I generally get up an hour early 3 days a week and run. I try to stand at work when I can and move around as much as possible. If you have the ability, bring your lunch and workout during your lunch time. Yoga is great for the body and mind and you don't get too sweaty. Or simply get out during lunch for a walk. Then eat at your desk afterwards.
If you have difficulty sticking with a regular exercise schedule, join a group. I am part of a running club and knowing that there are other people that are counting on me makes getting out of bed early easier. Then do group exercise... yoga, zumba, crossfit, etc.
I'm able to do that while still keeping my evenings free to take care of two children. As long as I keep exercising I don't have any joint/back pain and I can generally eat what I want. I prefer healthier foods because they make me feel better but I do go on binges of bad food (chips, burgers, etc.) and I don't gain weight because of the whole calorie in/out thing.
On Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday, run 6 miles after work. During the winter run indoors when there is snow and ice. For upper body, swim laps. Swim for about an hour changing your stroke at each end of the pool.
https://movies.netflix.com/WiMovie/Fat_Sick_Nearly_Dead/70173634?locale=en-US
If feasible in your location:
1.) If you take public transit, get off two miles (3km) away, or board a mile from your house and get off a mile from work.
2.) If you drive, park your car two miles away.
3.) If location permits: Walk for light shopping, library trips, coffee shop, etc.
That's four miles walking a day. Don't amble, be alert, walk with purpose, no iPod/cellphone use (hang up and walk), and pick your route for pedestrian safety. Make sure vehicles at crossings are aware of you, especially cell phoners and right turners (who tend to look left for traffic and ignore the right for pedestrians - in US/Europe).
(Walking downtown for library and light shoping works for me, but I am in a suburban location two miles from a major area edge city with full service shopping of all kinds and I work at home).
Bicycle or hill hike on the weekends.
http://www.amazon.com/Art-Science-Low-Carbohydrate-Living/dp/0983490708/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1358019060&sr=1-1&keywords=art+of+low+carbohydrate+living
http://www.amazon.com/Slow-Burn-Fitness-Revolution-Exercise/dp/0767913868
I pretty much do nothing but sit all day, but I continue to get fitter, and healthier, with essentially a diet based on nutritional ketosis, and 30 minutes of slow strength training a week.
Learn how the human body works, and you can optimize.
biking to work will keep you fit
Martial Arts has been the greatest thing I've done for myself (other than learning to program of course). Being a typical nerd, I have never been interested in sports or exercise. It's not that I am lazy, I just get board really easy unless my mind is engaged. What I like about martial arts is that it is challenging in a way that is engaging for me, as it requires focus, concentration, and knowledge. I end up approaching martial arts in the same way I approach any technical challenge, I grind away at the problem until I can do whatever it is I am trying to do (EG. practice). Not only is it fun, it also has the added bennifits of being extremely beneficial to your body (especially the joints). While I am at work, I will get up every hour or two (about the frequency of someone's smoke break) and go find a nice quite place outside to practice for about 10 minutes. After work I go to the dojo for about an hour. Despite being at the age where my "best years" are behind me, I have never felt better or been more productive as I am now. I strongly recommend it.
Fanboy Status: Apache Flex, C#, Eclipse, KDE, Pirate Party, Ron Paul, Slackware, Windows 7
most slashdotters are round in shape asking them for fitness advice is a horrible idea.
I'm sure lots are, but I'd be surprised if there is a significantly larger proportion of overweight Slashdotters than in the general population. Staying healthy and being a geek aren't mutually exclusive.
It's tons of fun and it's healthy. Best of all, the time you spend on your bike going to and from work, is your own time, you don't feel like it's yet more of your life sacrificed on the altar of your employer.
"The agriculture ministry is not in charge of Gundam" - Japanese ministry official.
Drink a lot of water so you have to get up and go to the bathroom and refill your water container. This keeps you from sitting for too long and lowering your metabolism.
The Official Site of 1337 Pwnage
I try to make an intentional effort to walk around: Instead of calling or emailing, go visit in person and discuss the problem. This has the added benefit of getting much more information that doesn't tend to come out during an impersonal communication. Also, if there are stairs, use them. Go the the restrooms that involve stairs. Take a walk during lunch. I do not have a desk I can stand at, which is unfortunate, but I do try to stand up often - stretch a little, have a look over the cube walls to see what I can see (it helps that I am tall).
I have problems with back pain, and I also sit a lot at my desk. I run, lift weights, and do yoga at a gym we have onsite every day and I don't experience any problems with pain or fatigue from sitting too long any more.
What's rather new and becoming popular in the UK at the moment is intermittent fasting. A popular scheme is the 5:2 diet. With this you eat normally (but not excessively) for five days of the week and eat significantly less for two days. You should eat around 500-600 calories on your fast days. The fast days should be non-sequential. What's interesting about this approach is that you'll eat near-normally on your eating days and on your fast days you'll not be as hungry as you think you'd be. Become exposed to food advertising etc. however and you'll realize just how much of your hunger is based on the anticipation of food instead of physical need. Ignore hunger and it goes away!
Assuming that you should eat 2500 calories per day, that you're currently eating 3000 calories and that you'll eat 10% more on your eating days here's how the numbers work out:
Your normal eating = 3000 calories * 7 days = 21000 calories per week
Fasting = (600 calories * 2 days) + (3000 calories * 1.10) * 5 days = 1200 calories + 16500 calories = 17700 calories.
Recommended eating = 2500 calories * 7 days = 17500 calories.
Eat a little less than 3300 calories on your eating days and you should be losing weight. Compared to a regular diet you may well find famine and fast is much more tolerable than the mild famine of a regular diet. You'll save money and have more opportunities to exercise (e.g. "lunchtime" walks) and may even live longer - the science to prove/disprove this is being done at the moment. I'm doing this method myself and a workmate of mine has lost almost two stones in about six months even though he still visits McDonald's at least once a week!
(For more information watch "Eat, Fast & Live longer", a BBC Horizon science documentary).
Ask at your workplace for people who play grassroots ball sports. Pretty much any decent team sport will do. Football, basketball and so on.
This gives you several advantages:
1. Better social links at workplace - a lot of stuff about your workplace that you'll never hear about at work you'll hear during and after practice and games. You'll also form friendships including those with bosses if they're into the same sport.
2. It creates a great group activity and it keeps you doing it due to peer pressure, even when going gets tough. Quitting solo activity is easy. Quitting group activity is much harder. Your body will thank you when you're close to retirement age.
3. You can usually choose how hard you want to practice. No one will demand a lot from a newbie, especially in a grassroots team. But you can push yourself and get better if you want too, becoming one of the people "carrying" the team. Or you can be one of the back benchers just showing up for fun time and staying in shape.
I have some rules that I try and follow to make sure I am getting some exercise while working: I have a small timer/stopwatch clock in my office and I set it for 50 minutes. Every time it reaches 50 minutes, I get up and go get a glass of water from the opposite end of the office. Any time I have to use the bathroom, I try to use the one farthest away. I try to park my car a little far away from the office unless the weather is bad or something. If I can avoid using the phone, I make it a point to go to people's desks and talk to them or ask them whatever I want to know. I drink 2 to 3 cups of coffee during working and with each cup I also drink a glass of water. This pretty much ensures I will be active and taking bath room breaks often. You can adjust your coffee depending on how often you have to use the bathroom I guess. Usually, either after lunch or if I am feeling tired or sleepy, I try to go out, weather permitting, and take a brisk 5-10 min walk around the parking lot.
I've had both contracting styles of work including not sleeping for 3 days while taking very few breaks. Stand-up desks have become very popular over the last few years because of the concerns associated with having a sedentary lifestyle. I have a stand-up desk and I drink lots of water all day long. Every 30 minutes I take a push-up break or a pull-up break to get the blood flowing. It keeps me alert for most of the day. It is very important that you use good shoes when using a stand-up desk though because standing all day in bad shoes is very bad for your feet. This could cause Plantar Fasciitis which is a very nagging injury. Also, working outside of work is essential to being healthy. But, only exercising outside the office is not enough.
The Hawaii Chair
God spoke to me
I play volleyball 3+ times a week and walk the dog 3 times a day. I sit in a desk for as much as 11 hours a day during the week.
When your workday is long, and I have to walk the dog. I find that the only way I can get any additional exercise is to participate in sport teams. It's way too hard to go to the gym.
In the summer I cycle to and from work. As well as with the dog to volleyball.
Good luck.
Put a bunch of gear on the desk and edge it off the floor once in a while. This can be done from front, behind, and in the chair as well. Take the stairs, always. If the door is attached sturdily, it is good for some pull-ups, but use some care not to break it. Stand near the door attachment to reduce the strain on the hinges.
There are inexpensive doodads that are good for desk exercise. Grip strength tools and rubber bands store easily in desk drawers. One of my favorites is Thera-band flexbar. Get the blue one, and you can approximate some challenging curls and other exercises. Be creative. It is worthwhile to do.
Regards,
proclus
http://www.gnu-darwin.org/
Find some light ankle weights, a lube of reasonable viscosity, and be sure to have downloaded a few episodes of the Nature Channel on to your smartphone. Attach weights to wrists instead of ankles, apply the lube liberally, find your favorite beast scene and begin wanking furiously whenever you have the chance. I may be pale and gazing from behind thick glasses, but people frequently tell me what strong hands I have and comment on the stunning appearance of my forearms.
Tip: It is best to replace the sound track of the nature scenes with something like Enya. The voice goes wonderfully with the backside of a rhinoceros or large swamp rat.
There is a book by Mark Lauren called 'You Are Your Own Gym: The Bible of Bodyweight Exercises', where you can find many exercises with your own body to stay fit.
Get up early three times a week and gym, bike, or run. It's difficult to be consistent going to the gym after work, since you may be drained or want to spend time with friends or family. Working out early also energizes you for the day, one you are a bit in shape (just a few weeks to adjust). Also, your workout doesn't need to be more than 30-45 minutes, but you should work out with some intensity, once you have worried up to being able to do so.
For the past 10 years I was entirely career focused, pulling 12+ hour days consistently, volunteering for lots of extra-circular stuff, etc. I gained 75 lbs this way from the end of college (150-->225) as I stopped exercising entirely.
I'm in my 30s now and I look at a lot of older guys I work with now in their 40s and 50s, and most have a lot of physical health problems. Being obese is only one issue. I realized I didn't want that to be me, and also realized the 12+ hour days had diminishing returns beyond the 9/10 hour mark. I dropped some of the activities I was doing and focused on the ones my management team cared about. The dropped activities probably would help my career longer-term, but would continue to require health sacrifice. Not worth it. Will continue to get good performance reviews by continuing focus on the ones that are important to management. Good, not best performance reviews, also a tradeoff to ensure a healthier lifestyle.
As a result in the past 9 months, I've lost 40lbs. No crazy plans to follow, no special diets, no rigorous routine, no real changes to my diet, just get myself to the gym 3-5 days a week, pending workload. The secret? Understanding your metabolism. I was consuming approximately the same amount of calories now as I was in college. For somebody exercising 0 days a week, you slowly will gain weight in that calorie range. For somebody exercising 3-5 days a week, you will lose weight in that calorie range.
All this being said, when do I find the time in the workday to exercise? About the middle of the afternoon, right when lunch starts to settle and you get sleepy. Also about the time your brain needs a breather from the days activities. You can get a cup of coffee to wake up and keep working, or goof off, or just plow through and hope whatever you are doing turns out OK. During this time, I go to the gym. Come back amazingly refreshed both physically and mentally.
Best of luck finding what works for you.
I'm a programmer that works and sits typically 50 hours a week on average. I try to get up every 45 minutes to walk around a little bit. I do sets of pushups and leg lifts every few hours, especially before lunch and leaving work. I try to do roughly 100 pushups for each set as fast as possible. It really helps out maintaining my overall body physique.
Bottom line for many of us: 1) Cut back on the sugar and 2) take breaks from sitting. It really is that simple.
I'm a developer chained to a computer screen most of the day. Until early last year I was 220-225 lbs. (at 5'11"-6') - your stereotypical, middle-aged, pot-bellied developer dad.
Then one day last spring, I stopped eating the leftover junk on the snack table at work. Then I started eating eggs for breakfast sometimes, instead of a large bowl of "healthy" cereal. Jerky replaced a crappy hamburger when I didn't pack a lunch. Then I cut way back on the 9PM donut and diet soda runs to Circle K and the 11PM chips and salsa fests. If I had a sweet snack like ice cream, it'd be a scoop or two - not a full bowl of it.
That's all I changed. No crazy, expensive exercise DVD sets, gym memberships, or "chicken and leaves" diet torture. I just took a little more responsibility for what and how much junk I was eating.
I was genuinely surprised to see that over the next 3-4 months I dropped to 200-205 lbs, and I've stayed there, ever since. It's a sustainable change that has helped my belly size (I look better and feel a lot better) AND my wallet.
I also get up and walk around a few times a day. Instead of cigarette breaks, it's walking breaks. I can still think about what I'm working on, and my back and legs feel much better afterwards.
do:
Exercise 1/2 hour every day.
Pack your lunch
Eat foods that are nutritious with large volume
dont:
Eat any fast food
Eat out of open containers
Consume enough alcohol to make you tipsy
Live close enough to work that you can run or bike to and from work. If it snows or gets icy where you live, get Microspikes for your shoes so you can keep running in the winter. Problem solved!
Slashdot's first reaction to VMware
Don't sit down. That will do a lot.
First started off with Tai Chi, made me fly up the stairs in a couple of weeks even when it was just the start of the 24 routine.
Then bought a set of kettlebells after reading about using those for strength training.
Last, got my hand on Convict Conditioning about body weigth training.
All this makes sure exercise doesn't get boring.
home
I work ten hour days in the office throughout most months of the year. What helps me the most--besides working out every other day after work--is walking the office floor a couple times a morning each morning and a couple times each afternoon for ten minutes each time or so. Granted, I'm usually working in larger buildings where there are substantial distances to walk. It actually ends up being productive for work, not just exercise, as people tend to occasionally give useful information if you stop by and see them face to face.
It may seem goofy but doing some quick work outs in your office, if you're in a smaller office where you can't take a few walks, is helpful. Get up and do some squats or lunges without weights. Just doing a few sets of 12 get your blood flowing and make a substantial difference for the whole day and temporarily wake you up if you're feeling tired.
Twice a week, ride the bike to work the other days.
Better than just standing, you walk at a very slow 1.5mph pace. It takes a little getting used to, but once you're able to walk and work, it is great!
I work 90 minute intervals followed by 10 minute breaks. Every break, I find an empty room and I do bending and stretching exercises, and do a couple of push-ups and squats and such. Not only do I keep reasonably fit from these activities alone, but I also find that it refills my energy far better than drinking coffee or coke.
Do a set of pushups every time you come back from the bathroom.
Plan is to run 1,000 miles this year. I do weights a few times a week and extended stretching a few times a week. Also 1.5 to 2.5 hours of tennis one to two times a week. It helps to have a fitness center at the office. I also use a fairly low-carb diet. The LiveStrong website has a good calorie tracker - diet is more important than exercise in losing fat. Avoid sugar. Watch the YouTube videos from Lustig on this. Join a support group. The hierarchy of fat loss: Intervals Strength-Training High-intensity cardio Low-intensity cardio The earlier ones are more efficient for fat loss. BTW, you can't out-train a crappy diet.
Seriously. Join the SCA.
About half of us are IT nerds of one stripe or another. We are a society of aging nerds that have to keep in shape to keep doing what we do - swordfighting is very physically taxing. So we have a fairly large support community that works hard to solve this very problem. A good place to start is the Armour Archive. Search the forums for fitness tips, you'll find plenty.
And if you have motivation problems (we all do somewhat), this SCA is great for fixing that. Nothing in the world will motivate you to get up off the couch and do some situps like knowing Duke So-and-so next weekend is going to pound the ever living crap out of you if you aren't prepared.
Weaselmancer
rediculous.
I was surprised to learn that in Japan many workplaces actually organize morning exercise for their employees (video). Even if it is done on the company time, I am pretty sure that if you calculate the benefits to the workplace community, increased productivity (exercise boosts productivity) and healthier employees (even mild exercise has massive health benefits), it actually pays itself off to the employer. I bet it would also be a great motivation for many westerners to get up early to the office for the exercise that they get paid to do, compared to say going to the gym after-work.
There's nothing you have to do during work hours, except keeping your workspace ergonomically sound. Standard desk, posture, good chair.
Then after work or before work, you spend an hour at the gym doing proper strength training and some cardio. I won't repeat other sites as there are many, but mainly dead lifts, squats, bench press, run-as-fast-as-you-can-a-mile. Just remember to keep improving yourself, log what you're doing, and always do a little more than before.
And that's it. If you get used to it it won't even be an hour, and you do it on alternate days too so it's not like it's every single day. That should not just make you fit, but probably one of strongest people around.
the game
Masturbate at work, often. It's good cardio, keeps your arms limber (switch up from time to time), and keeps your hand-shaking grip good and firm for those office meetings.
It's also very good for your morale and overall calmness, which will spread to your co-workers around you and create a feedback loop of contentedness. You will seem to everyone to have it together, you'll get raises and promotions. You'll be great at racket-ball with the execs due to exercising your grip and pump. Eventually you will be made President of the company.
That's right: Chronic Masturbation will make you the President. That's how I became the President of the Hair Club for Men.
Get a field job and get out of the office. If this is your first cop-op job then presumably you are a student and relatively young, probably still in your twenties, so it is time to wean yourself off being spoon-fed answers. if you cannot get a job in the field, have sex with a co-worker in the breakroom.
Eat Less Move More.
Last year we had "The Biggest Loser" competition in our office. It's hard to overestimate how effective it was for loosing weight. It lasted for 3 months. Every Friday all the participants got weighted. If the weight increased comparing to the previous week - one paid fine; otherwise one got paid. Every week they published the list of participants with percentage statistics (no absolute weight numbers - just changes). At the end, 3 biggest losers got a nice bonus. This kind of competitive spirit got me into the right mood. I stopped eating all those morning bagels, soft drinks, and started seriously counting calories I consumed. In addition, I went twice a week to 1-hour training classes in the local gym. I used to go to the gym before, but the effectiveness of the group training was much better. At the end I took the 2'nd place, loosing 24 pounds. At I was reasonably athletic before, certainly not overweight. The bottom line: strict eating discipline and regular exercise can definitely solve the problem for office workers who sit all day long.
A lot of responses so far mention standup desks, doing pushups etc, and even treadmill desks. While these are all great things to do, they may be impractical or just not available, especially in a lab situation. I can't imagine the number of employers willing to spring for a treadmill desk is very large, after all how many of us have been stuck with 4/3 19" monitors for years after widescreen 24" monitors dropped below $200? If that's your situation (like it is for me) then you can always stay fit AFTER work. Give up 2 hours of internet/tv time (notice I put internet first) and join a work/social sports league, a gym on your way home, or clear out your living room and do P90x. All you have to do is stick with it and it will work.
I'm using Mark Lauren's, "You Are Your Own Gym." No excuses any more, it's about 1/2 hour per day, 4-5 days per week. It's mostly based on using yourself, with what you have around you, so also works when doing the road warrior thing in hotel rooms.
Get up from your desk a few times during the day, perhaps once in the morning, once at - or just after - lunchtime, once in the afternoon, and walk briskly for 10 minutes - OUTSIDE.
Walking lowers blood pressure, reduces stress levels, give you a chance to breathe non-recycled, fresh, or at least fresher, air (depending on where you work), and burns calories.
Diet is important. But even if your dietary choices are poor, a simple brisk walk of short duration a few times a day will measurably lengthen your life.
If the Government becomes a lawbreaker, it breeds contempt for law;
I bike back and forth to work when it isn't raining. But I feel that the only way to not get fat at a desk job is basically to skip every meal that your stomach can stomach. It's annoying.
Fast Federal Court and I.T.C. updates
I work in an R&D lab, but in between daily tasks there is a lot of downtime, which I spend at my desk, staring at my computer.
I say this as a manager in an R&D lab:
I want to hire self motivated people. And co-ops are a great way to end up with a full time position. But I will avoid like the plague people who sit staring at their computer because they weren't told what to do. If you weren't told what to do, ask what to do. If you get no guidance, suggest a side project of your own to work when you don't have other tasks. Failing that, if you're a scientist, find some journal articles and get smarter.
I wholeheartedly support the effort to get in shape, but I wouldn't start treating on-the-job downtime as an opportunity to engage in extracurricular activity. It might suggest you're not serious about your co-op. I realize you're probably young and think you're doing enough if you're doing what you told, but the people who get ahead are those who motivate themselves.
Best of luck in your co-op.
Bike to work, take stretching brakes.
Burn FAT not OIL
Insist on discipline in following hunting laws and giving the area a rest between hunts. Undisciplined hunters can ruin a good waterfowl area.
I'm a former competitive powerlifter and have run many marathons, but lately I've been doing simple 10-20 minutes yoga routines from YouTube and I'm amazed by the results. I don't buy the whole spiritual+breathing blah blah about yoga, but the stretching + flexing is giving muscle tone almost equal to going to the gym to several hours per week. Plus I just feel good after doing it.
If you decide to start weight training, get this book, learn how to squat correctly, and do it.
I spend my life at a desk. My recommendation: find a class -- any class -- to join in on. It'll be much easier to stay motivated than going to the gym by yourself, you'll meet a few people (depending on the context, don't expect them to want to socialize, however), and it'll give you something to do with your time other than work. The class thing is important: there's a herd psychology that keeps motivating you to attend and to exert yourself during class.
I've been doing karate for about 20 years now plus other fitness classes after work plus yoga either during my lunch hour or also after work. All have a great deal to offer and are to some extent complementary with one another. All are things you can do with your special other -- a big plus for me.
Good luck with it!
licet differant, aequabitur
Watching myfreecams will keep you awake and your blood pressure at a healthy level... It will also get you fired, but you will be healthy.
Excuse me, but please get off my Pennisetum Clandestinum, eh!
I commute by bike a minimum of 3 days a week. Saves gas money, and is a great way to burn pent-up energy at the end of a frusterating day.
1. Wrong.
2. Why - see 1.
3. Correct there.... or at least more than once ever,.
4. but you do right?
- http://www.milkme.co.uk
It reminds to get up, exercise, turn your head from the screen and also blink occasionally. I use it to the irritation of my boss who wonders why I keep getting up every 20 minutes to exercise instead of keeping my but motionless and my eyes plastered to the monitor like the drone worker that I am.
It's free and runs on GNU/Linux as well as Windows, http://www.workrave.org.
I live excuse me, work, in the top floor of my building. I try to take the stairs whenever I need to go up any floors. (Up only. Not down, because it hurts my knees.) I also have a hand exerciser on my desk that I use if my hands aren't occupied (on the phone, etc). It serves double duty as an exercise tool and stress reducer. When the weather is good I take walks at lunch, and when it's bad there's always walks around the building.
I had back trouble a few years ago. I set my watch to beep once an hour, which was my signal to get up and stretch and walk around a bit. It really helped.
And, I have a dog, so I'm obligated to go for walks when I get home, which is also a stress reducer.
Oliver's law of assumed responsibility: If you're seen fixing it, you will be blamed for breaking it.
Since you're worried about losing fitness, gaining weight, etc., -- which is great, most people don't start to think about it until after it becomes a problem -- and since you're an engineer, I suggest the first thing you should do is to begin measuring and tracking relevant stats. Anything worth doing is worth quantifying and plotting on graphs, of course :-)
Read (or skim) The Hacker's Diet. Whether or not you agree with its particular approach to weight management, it does a good job of instilling the idea that your body is just another piece of equipment that you can engineer. You can't redesign it, but you can set up negative feedback control loops that keep it in the configuration that you want it to be, and the first step is to measure and track so you have hard numbers that represent your state and trend.
This doesn't have to be difficult. In fact there are a lot of free on-line resources to make it very easy. Google will find you plenty more, but I'll give you the ones I use.
For overall weight and activity tracking I use http://fitbit.com/ It works best if you buy the $100 Fitbit pedometer/activity tracker and the $130 Aria Wifi-enabled scale (see how the website can be free, without ads?) but you can do it just by entering your numbers daily. Just weigh yourself every morning and take 15 seconds to record it (or if you have the Aria, just weigh yourself and the numbers show up on the web site). You can also track your exercise activities, your measurements (e.g. chest, belly, biceps, etc.) and whatever else you want, and the web site will give you nice graphs. If you get the Fitbit, or another pedometer whose measurements you'll have to enter manually, you'll have that measure of your activity level as well.
If you run, or cycle, etc., http://endomondo.com/ is a great tool for tracking those. Endomondo provides iOS and Android apps for your phone, and you can connect your Endomondo and Fitbit accounts, so when you go out for a run or a ride and track it with your phone, the activity automatically shows up on your Fitbit log. If you like you can also get a bluetooth heart rate monitor which the Endomondo app will use to log your heart rate.
Another key metric is food intake, but that's a lot more work. Fitbit provides food logging, but it sucks because it has a lousy food database. However http://myfitnesspal/ provides an excellent database which makes it easy to find whatever you eat, and the phone app includes a barcode scanner which makes it even easier for packaged foods. Oh and myfitnesspal integrates with Fitbit, too. Honestly, though, unless you're working towards a specific weight gain/loss goal, and you are pretty dedicated about it, logging your food is too much work.
Anyway, armed with measurements, plotted on charts, with trendlines you can see where you're at and where you're going, which enables you to see if there's something you need to be concerned about and to take charge if there is. If you want to make a change, just decide what you think would help and start doing it, then monitor your trends over a few weeks to see if it does. If not, or if not enough, tweak a bit more. Continue adjusting whatever knobs seem appropriate and observing the results until you are where you want to be -- or if maintaining is your goal, just keep doing what you're doing unless the trend lines show movement that you don't want.
The key to making the "measured lifestyle" work is making the measurements easy, automatic and habitual.
Oh, one other tool I've found helpful for goal achievement is http://beeminder.com./ It integrates with fitbit.com (and some other sites) and also provides SMS and/or e-mail reminders, as well as pretty graphs. Most importantly, though, Beeminder provides incentive. You can make a "pledge" to achieve a parti
Note to ACs: I usually delete AC replies without reading them. If you want to talk to me, log in.
Best exercise program I have encountered with a fantastic community built around it.
2. cutting out simple sugars/carbs makes it vastly easier to cut calories out of your diet. minimizing carbs (basically anything at 7-11, as it has a shelf life of about five years) and maximizing fats/protein means that your calorie density is going to be much lower, it will take longer to digest, and in general, you'll feel full longer. simple carbs is like eating high octane jet fuel for running marathons, and then sitting on the couch. you don't burn it so your body converts it to fat while you type passive aggressive emails to your boss and coworkers
at the end of the day if you want to lose weight, calories in calories out, but smart dieting makes this a lot less painful. if you decide to diet using only multivitamins and cans of coke, you're going to be starving all the time with wild mood swings due to your blood sugar spiking every couple of hours.
moox. for a new generation.
Every time we meet (I have 3 partners in crime) at work, regardless of where it is in the office, we each have to do 10 pushups. It gets most interesting when we happen to meet all at the same time - then I have to do 30. We have strict rules (honour system) and make fun of each other if we think they are being broken leveraging photos, wall of shame, talk smack about each other (on topic but everything goes) etc - all in good taste of course.
I find this motivates me to do 10 pushups at home every day that I don't work and my daughter (5) has also started doing pushups with me which means I have to do home set on workdays as well.
It also motivates me to not use elevators at work.
I will have a hard time not cycling to work next cycling season. The shame will be intolerable.
We have a lot of fun and something to talk about. Our company tolerates and likes quirky cool stuff. I also fly a toy helicopter on the job -.learning since xmas. Motivation is what is needed to succeed. It doesn't really matter what tickles your fancy. The group of people participating is slowly expanding as they figure out what we are up to so I have to figure out how to handle exponential growth in terms of set management.
The "strict" rules are:
Every time we meet - virtual meetings such as video conferencing and planned sneaking up on others applauded.
Max 4 sets per pair (so with 3 partners I can end up with up to 12 sets of 10 reps in a day, thus far the record for me is 7 sets)
30 minutes latency (per individual)
Only in the office buildings - including reception areas and restaurants
The set size is 10. If you mess with that you are disqualified and have to repeat. One guy tried under the old system (where we did 1 set per day) to catch up with 40 reps in a single set but was promptly disqualified for not taking a break of even 1 second to delineate - he elected to do another "proper set" in an feeble attempt to avoid being accused of cheating (which he was and rightly so).
Combines physical exercise with close to no risk of injury, is mentally challenging as it combines music, movement and another human being. And that is before you get into moving different parts of your body to different rhythms within the music, while gently suggesting (my wife wishes) moving different parts of the other body to even more rhythms within the music. All that according to the differing styles and techniques of the 5-10 "ballroom" dances, and if you're still bored you can pick up Salsa, Breakdance (high risk of injury!), Tango, whatever.
Oh, and hot girls (or guys, whatever your cup of tea is).
Seeing how you work in a chemistry lab, trying to die of a heart attack instead of cancer seems to be the better way out. Maybe you shouldn't do anything other than maybe walking to the coffee machine occasionally.
Some people in my family suffer from cancer and they had a mining (Wismut AG) or chemistry background. While you can survive cancer for a while and the people around you have enough time to say goodbye, you might not have to fight for that long when dieing from a heart attack.
Je me souviens.
> get up early and ride a bike
+1. Riding a bike is a very good cardio exercise. Much easier on your knees.
Plus you'll save money on gas by not driving to work anymore.
I'm a SW engineer and have to sit at my desk all day. I used to be reasonably fit (still a slight paunch) when I decided to take up the Insanity workout series. It was hard at first, but then I got addicted to it. The fact that it has a calendar made me stick to the plan owing to the engineer mentality to stick to schedules. I now am in the best shape of my life. Once Insanity was done, I took up P90X, which was great too.
Once your body gets into the habit of regular exercise, you'll find it hard to give it up (you'll feel uneasy if you don't work out).
Also you have to find the activity that YOU find interesting; for example, I get easily bored with running. For me it was swimming, which I love and is a great whole-body workout.
done it for ten years — love it, and feel better all the time.
(yes, summer AND winter)
j
Masturbate regularly at the office. Great work out - good for the heart, etc. Not so good for your social life at the office, but whatever ...
We duct taped two 21" CRT's or two old HP Laserjets to a bar and did sets!
~~ Behold the flying cow with a rail gun! ~~
Find a teacher in your area. Take a few classes a week for several months.
There's a lot you can do, even in a sitting position, that will dramatically improve your health and get and keep you fit.
Plus, it's fun.
You are welcome on my lawn.
Around two years ago I worked in a remote field office of a big company. Alongside me were hundreds of engineers, technicians, electricians, mechanical guys, you name it. Most of the time everything was just fine, with no real issues.
One day a new electrical engineer arrived on the scene. He was maybe 6' (give or take an inch) and lean and mean. He was an Aikido guy, and soon began teaching people after hours.
The guy had kind of a douchey attitude, always stalking the halls like the Terminator hunting for Sarah Connor. He scowled a lot and generally played the Hard Man routine for all it was worth.
One day he cornered me in the work canteen. I stand a hair over 6' 4 1/2" and weigh ~270 lb. He seemed to be offended by this, even though I'm not in any way a fighter, and I don't work out or train in anything.
He demanded to know if I did any of that martial arts shit, so I told him I had a black belt in running away. That offended him even more, and from then on he sneered and smirked whenever he saw me.
Like I gave a fuck.
Anyhoo, one night a couple months later I was in a local bar having a quiet drink. Actually, quite a lot of them, because I drink too much. Nevertheless, I was happy, when in walked Mr. Aikido and his Dojo Posse. Some of them were guys I was formerly friendly with, but had now assumed the Hard Man mantle of their sensei.
Still, I minded my own business like always, reading a magazine and drinking some more, but - you guessed this was coming, right - Mr. Aikido stomped up and snatched the magazine away, throwing it across the room. He shoved his face close to mine and said "Run away."
So I stood up and made to leave, because I'd drunk too much already and it was past my bedtime.
This caused Mr. Aikido no end of amusement and also disgust, so he pushed me into a table. When I regained my balance and turned to face him, he punched me really fucking hard in the guys.
Christ it hurt, and I doubled over, winded. Then I puked all over him, because, you know, it's never a great idea to punch a fully-laden drunk in the guts at the end of the night.
As you can imagine, this did not please Mr. Aikido, so he gave me a smack in the head that was so hard it made me remember where I'd left my spare car key back in 1998, the one I'd not been able to find.
So my gut feels like it's been ruptured and I'm sure my brain is falling out through the new hole in the side of my skull, so I did the only thing I could do. I fell on him.
And he was fucked, because as fast and strong and honed and skilled as he was, all of that shit, I weighed half as much again as he did, and I squashed him to the floor.
While we're down there he starts trying to knee me in the nuts, and I realized that if he was successful I'd be in big trouble, so I did the only other thing I could do. I smashed my forehead down on his nose as hard as I could. I pretended his face was a pillow and I was about to go to sleep.
It hurt me, but it hurt him way more. I felt the bones in his nose crush and I think I heard his cheekbone crack, but then again I was pretty fucked up myself at this point.
But that was the end of that. He was out for the night.
The bar owner came and helped me up, because I was a good customer who'd probably paid off his boat for him, and he shoved me out the front door and into the back seat of a truck. Next thing I know I wake up on my kitchen floor at home and it's morning.
Mr. Aikido spent a couple days in hospital and was away from work for a few weeks. When he came back he avoided me, then after a while he was gone. Transferred out, I was told.
The first moral of this True Story is that it doesn't fucking matter how 1337 are your m4d sk1llz if a huge vomiting drunk falls and pins you to the floor and smashes your fucking face in. The second moral is don't be a fucking douche.
High stress job, desk based, and as it gets busy you work longer hours and you eat more crap because that's all the corporate vending machines sell at stupid o'clock of the day alongside toxic waste cunningly disguised as coffee.
So do what I did, smoke, drink, don't exercise and end up in hospital after 5 minor heart attacks and have 5 stents fitted.
I'm now an ex-smoker, I'm still overweight so that's the next challenge. 30 minutes a day walking and a packed lunch are the targets to fix that for this year.
Try some raw foods... organic vegan.. I'm not saying GO raw/vegan, just incorporate some organic raw vegan foods in addition to the foods you normally eat. Walk as much as possible. Drink more water.
-Myke
I am a lifelong coder. Many years ago I suffered a very painful neck injury working on a laptop extended hours. 1+ yrs of physical therapy, acupuncture, chiropractor didn't do very much at all to fix the problem. Then I started taking ballroom dance classes 3 times per week after work and within 3 months I never had any more neck pain. Ever!
If it's something you may enjoy, ballroom dancing (or other forms of dance) may help correct or maintain your body posture with many other side benefits including making new friends, developing social and presentation skills, and can even help make you smarter.
Step away from the Snickers!
"I believe in Karma. That means I can do bad things to people all day long and I assume they deserve it." : Dogbert
How about a desk peddler that controls power to your monitor? You have keep the cadence above x RPMs or the monitor shuts off. Pedal faster, it comes back on. You'd need:
1. Desk Peddler with a...
2. Cadence Monitor hooked up to a...
3. Programmable RPM Switch
Hook the switch inline on your computer monitor's power cable and start pedaling!
Imagine if companies installed these under each desk in the office. And... imagine if they were hooked up to a battery that charged from your pedaling and powered your monitor and computer?
I'm not drunk... I promise!
"What is the answer?" (Silence) "In that case, what is the question?" --Gertrude Stein
...so become Mr. Hyde!
I work in a "sea of cubicles" at a large tech company. When I have an hour or two of downtime, I get out of it. I go for an 8-10 mile run nearly every day, and have got it down so I be back at my desk in just about 1.5 hours if need be, though it's a bit of a rush. I get out into the nearby countryside, clear my mind, see the scenery, and exercise my body... it's tremendously restorative in many ways, and I believe it significantly enhances my productivity.
If you have work rules that require you to be always reachable/emailable/pagerable... push back against 'em or come to some agreement with your boss or another employee who can cover for you. I feel that it's beneficial to my mental health to be totally disconnected for an hour or two a day, and I think that the contrary expectation of many modern workplaces is unnatural and ultimately very bad for morale and productivity.
My bicyles
1) Don't go out to lunch with the crew everyday. Don't hit the FatBurger five days a week, even though it feels good. The damnable thing is, to get plugged into the company culture and know what's going on, doing lunch is important. It's important for networking. So... what do you do? Might just have to eat salads, or small servings and have the real lunch back at your desk or some such.
2) Keep the vending machine runs, and the lattes and hot chocolates to a minimum. FYI, mixing hot chocolate and coffee is pretty fab. Don't do it all the time.
3) Walk. Seriously. Thirty minutes a day like 3 times a week is my goal. Ninety minutes of walking a week. Is there something magical about this number? It seems doable to me. Park far away from the building (doesn't apply if you're in a bad area and might get mugged as a result).
If you take in more calories than you burn, you're going to become a big ol' marshmallow.
Exercis, jesus christ...
This is what I'm currently doing:
At work: Use a sit/stand height-adjustable desk. Some days I sit, some days I (mostly) stand, some days I grab a bar stool from the kitchen and do something in between. Having the flexibility to do whatever feels best at the time is a huge win.
To/from work: I'm fortunate enough to be within walking distance, so while I catch the train to work in the morning (to get in on time without having to get up too early), I typically walk home. It takes about 45 minutes at a semi-brisk pace, which for me strikes a good balance between getting some fresh air / light exercise, and time spent.
Outside work: Martial arts, Aikido to be precise. As someone already mentioned, the martial arts have many things of interest to the geek mindset - it all comes down to optimizing your body/movements. A lot of the traits that make geeks good developers are of value here, such as problem solving (a combat situation is really just a physics problem to be solved), perseverance to keep at it while feeling like you're getting nowhere (chasing obscure bugs, anyone?), and of course the basic desire to understand how things work and through that get in control.
Also, when I'm geeking out at home I have a sit/stand desk there too, though I'm trying to reduce the amount of time I spend at the computer. Currently I've taken to doing a bit of wood work to make my own weapons for my aiki training, and am enjoying that a lot.
either build one yourself or buy one from treaddesk or so.
I'm walking 2 to 3 hours while hacking, it keeps me well enough in shape that I do other sports strictly for fun.
I wouldn't want to miss it. Can't imagine to sit all day any longer - yuck!
Be aware that you can't walk/stand the whole day, so you either need a height-adjustable desk and a hard treadmill like the treaddesk one, or you need two desks, which is the better solution, in my eyes.
I eat a salad at lunch and then take a walk for my remaining lunch time. Salad isn't the funnest lunch, but it's only one meal a day and after you do it for a week or two you get used to it.
You're doubtlessly hearing from everyone who is feeling good physically, as am I.
I bike to and from the train station, and take three 15 minute walks during my workday.. It works out to 2 to 2.5 hours sitting before getting up and moving and breathing. Also, pull any strings needed to get a good supportive chair that works for you. I started four months ago, and have dropped 30lbs and am now physically incapable of eating like I used to. It sort of gains momentum and on my most recent rated difficult hike, I was doing 40-degree sustained climbs while my heart was constant at about 110.
Sometimes small non-strenuous changes can have a dramatic cumulative effect.
Save money, get fit, avoid lateness, be lazy, just cycle to work and back, simple solution. And eat lots of fruit'n'veg and cut down on salt, sugar and sat'fat if you have to, good health isn't complicated.
Waterfox - a Firefox fork with legacy extension support, security updates and better privacy by default.
Keep a set of dumbbells by your desk and use them to boost blood flow to your brain when you need to think harder.
Grab a stool that is the same height as your chair so you can alternate stretching your legs while in front of your keyboard.
Get fresh air often!
Do you work in a multi-floor office? Good. Whenever you need to go to the bathroom, walk up the stairs to the furthers floor from you. (If you work on a high-numbered floor, walk DOWN to the furthers washroom, then back up).
It's a bit of a hike to use the washroom, but a good excuse for some exercise. If you want to step up your game, eat bran and beans for lunch.
UTF-8: There and Back Again
Here are some ideas about staying fit in confined spaces.
Have gnu, will travel.
Don't think IT/technology workers are the only ones who spend all day at a desk.
Standing desks...bit of a fad, and have been shown to not really help that much
I have a few simple guidelines:
1. Exercise 3 times a week for an hour: for me it's easiest to do Bootcamp 6-7am three times a week: exercise after work didn't work because I often work late
2. Don't eat too much / too much crap food: I still eat a lot (and shamefully fast food more often than I should) - but give yourself enough eating time to figure out if you're full before you get the next food
That's all I've had to do and it works for me. I've never been a snacker on sugary foods though, so perhaps that's an advantage: if ur chewing down on donuts, lollies or cake regularly then reducing that is probably your only option (our metabolism a do slow down as we age; it might not just be the sedentariness of the job being the issue.
...doll
I've had good luck with fencing (foil, epee, and sabre) I love the sport so the exercise is a secondary thing. I was never able to stick with working out in a gym for more than about a year. After 4 years of fencing, my resting heart rate is 48 now and I've lost 40 lbs. I'm in better shape at 42 than I was in my 20s. I also do martial arts one day a week and weight lift twice a week focusing on compound movements like squats, dead lifts, power cleans, and bench press. But the fencing is the fun part, the rest I do just to get better at fencing. If you want to get fast, strong, and coordinated try fencing.
Asking for fitness advise on /.
Are you fucking kidding?
And going to the furthest away toilet, preferably involving climbing stairs. Personally I add a gratuitous 5 flights of stairs to every trip to the toilet.
If you're a grad student, go to the gym. It's free, it's a good break from studying, and there are lots of incredibly attractive women there. Those three things should be reason enough for any grad student to do anything.
I used to go to a yoga studio but don't have the time or money for that now. I have really enjoyed Yoga Journal magazine's free 15 episode Office Yoga series of videos and reminder emails. Less than 30 minutes to do the whole set and some great exercises to ward off carpal tunnel.
http://www.yogajournal.com/officeyoga/
I'm in my mid forties. My doc told me a couple of years ago that I was just a little overweight but that I was going to have problems in ten years if I didn't lose some.
I lost 30 pounds in 2011 by just eating less but found it extremely difficult to not "cheat." I finally hit a plateau 10 pounds short of my goal and in the first half of 2012 I put 5 pounds back on. It was a real struggle; I felt I was constantly depriving myself.
Last September I started alternate day fasting, not so much to lose weight but for the potential longterm health benefits. Compared to constantly watching how much I eat, this is relatively easy since I feel like I'm only depriving myself for a single day and I feel rewarded every other day. On my fasting days I eat just 600 calories which requires planning, but on my eating days I can pretty much eat what I want without guilt or lasting negative consequences (I find I can't pig out like I used to anyway).
I lost the 5 pounds I gained at the start of 2012, hit the plateau again for a couple of weeks, then lost another 5 pounds. I was still 5 pounds short of my goal but I was happy at that weight. My doc was too. I crave healthier foods now on my eating days and my sense of smell is stronger, to the point that a lot of junk food I used to like now smells and tastes terrible and I have no desire to eat it.
On top of that, I discovered it was easy to get back onto my schedule after vacations and holidays, so I let myself go over Christmas when I was constantly around family and food, put on 8 pounds, got back on my schedule after New Year's and have since lost 4 pounds. I really feel I'm now in control of my weight.
For exercise, I started walking home from the train station after work a few years ago. 20 minutes of walking every weekday isn't enough, of course, so I started walking to the station in the morning as well (every work day, even through the long Canadian winter). I also set a daily reminder in Outlook to get up and move and -- whenever it pops up -- I jog up and down four floors in my office building, then snooze the reminder for an hour. I can't always get up when it goes off, but it sits there on the screen until I can take a break. Again, it's not a lot of exercise but it's more than I did before, and I discovered after injuring my foot and taking a break from my little jogs that even with the fasting I need that little bit of exercise to maintain my metabolism and lose weight.
Finally, I needed to do something for activity in the evenings and on weekends, so I set up hourly reminders on my Ubuntu workstation at home (alarm-clock.pseudoberries.com), the idea being if I'm not at my workstation I'm already moving around (or, if I'm watching TV with the family, I get up at the end of each show). I haven't found the perfect exercise plan yet, but currently what works for me is lifting weights (three to eight reps, only one set, arms one week, chest and back the other week) on eating days, then 20 situps and morning glories (with weights) on non-eating days. It's about five minutes out of every hour... not likely the best plan for serious bodybuilding, but I am looking better and feeling great, I'm moving, my blood pressure dropped to a healthy level, and most of all I find it fairl
Dear Will, the plums were poisoned. -- Cheese Club
a) use an ergonomical setup, chair,table,monitor in the right hight. use a separable keyboard, if you use a laptop.
b) Breaks. when i worked in the lab i usually had 12h work days. Important for long work days: at least 2 bigger breaks, with a meal and a small walk around the building. (every three-four hours). (in the case of my work it happened that there often was a 4h break due to some instrument/measurement, which i used to cycle 10km to the next town, have dinner or go to the movie theater, and return).
c) If your measurent allows, you can also stand up and walk for a few minutes in the lab. Look at the hardware of your measurement (i more often than expected got an idea or found a problem by standing up from the computer)
d) Drink water, not soft drinks (and if the vending machines only sell soft drinks, take care to hake a big bollt of water with you). Buy fruits instead of relying on the sweets from the vending machine
e) No alkohol. Hard work and Alkohol together are not good for your mental state. I have seen peoples mental state deteriorate strongly.
f) if you feel mental side effects, reduce your workload and try to do more with other people. A depression or similar wont help your work and it has bad side effects on your physical health.
g) Plan your measurments a little, if possible. If possible automate.
I like to do crunches. I can do 1000 now.
I too work in an R&D lab and had the same concern. One of the bathrooms in the building has a small locker room for those who bike to work. I decided to use it to change into "exercise" clothes at lunch to go jogging or walking. If you don't have a locker room, use your office instead, if you have neither, a toilet stall should work ok as well.. I find when I'm spending the day at my desk or in the lab toiling over some tech to save the world, taking a break a lunch is not only a good idea to clear the mind for a bit, but also to keep my body fit. Eat lunch at your desk when you get back. Has worked great for me for years.
Kegels!
We should learn what we need to know about issues, before we decide what we need to feel about them.
Take a walk around the parking lot or street during your breaks. Also google "prison workout" you will find some exercises you can do with little or no weight, in a confined space.
Just pray for the inevitable heart attack and hope it kills you. Life inside the tiny walls that are a cubicle sucks! Even the prison work out doesn't help ! I happily wait for my demise !
This package Does Not Contain a Winner
This is gonna be modded-down and buried, as its intentionally aggrandizing. I've overcome obesity; It's what I needed to hear.
STOP BEING A FUCKING PUSSY. YOU SERIOUSLY CANT DO 30 MINUTES OF EXERCISE A DAY BECAUSE OF YOUR JOB? NO ITS BECAUSE YOU LACK DISCIPLINE. DONT FUCKING TALK ABOUT YOGA OR JOGGING EITHER: THAT SHITS FOR RICH WHITE WOMEN LOOKING TO FILL THEIR SCHEDULE WITH CRAP.
Recommended: Pull ups, Dips, and sprints. If you can't do these in your present state: start with inverted rows, push ups, and a mile long run. Avoid the aisles of the supermarket (and save some cash). 30 minutes a day. Push yourself; If you get nauseated you can skip a day.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uxuTyXQHqkI
Here's what NOT to do. DON'T go home and sit on the couch and watch TV all night or play on the computer all night and weekend. GO OUTSIDE. DON'T drive everywhere you go, and if you have to, park on the side farthest from the store and do a little walking. Walk around town, take the subway, go shopping, etc., whatever, it doesn't matter. If you can, ride a bike, or go to a gym. Go skiing or something like that on the weekends if you can.
If you walk 10 minutes out and 10 minutes back every day, then you get 20 mins per day, 140 mins per week. That's a lot better than nothing.
About the good eating habits - they will also help you get up more often to breathe, especially if your diet is heavy on beans ... it will certainly give you an incentive to get outside often, and your colleagues will help reminding you too.
Yes, they exist. I should get one, but the idea of doing all the work to set it up, only to do more work while I work, is somewhat off-putting.
https://www.eff.org/https-everywhere
I'm trying to do this myself. Here's my regimen: 1. Roll out of bed, pushups and squats. How many doesn't matter. Just something. 2. Walk the dog 30 minutes before I go to work. 3. Gym for an hour at some point in the middle of the day. 4. Walk the dog 30 minutes when I get home. 5. Pushups and squats before bed. My thinking is, it's not natural for a person to be sitting around so much during the day. It sucks you can't earn a software engineer salary doing construction or landscaping, but I guess I'd rather have this problem than the inverse.
People have to do what they're into, otherwise they won't do it. I've spent lots of time in the gym at points in my life and I've really enjoyed it. If you have a good workout partner, it becomes a social event. Definitely a nice way to spend an hour or two every day.
Having said that, for the last several year I've gotten the riding bug. I love it. The cool think about riding to work is it ends up making your exercise time really efficient. I recently moved countries and while I'm waiting for my new bike to arrive I'm taking the train. It takes me about 45-55 minutes to get to work. When I get the bike, I should be able to get there in about 1.5 hours. So I'll be doing 3 hours of cycling a day and only losing a little over an hour compared to commuting by train. In fact, this is the only way I'd be able to get 3 hours of training in every day...
-I will list bike to work even thoughit has been clubed to death in this thread.
-Don't take elevators, ever. Once a week I have to go to the 4th floor when I get to the university and I definitely feel that exercise everytime I take the stairs. Going to the 1st floor 4 time might not have as much impact but exercise = exercise.
-An non-perfected option that might show potential is to secure a squash sized bouncy ball to a elastic rope and secure that to the ground with a tent peg. Then start hiting it back and forth with squash racquets.
-Get yourself a hackysack/footbag (https://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=hackysack) and find someone to play with. 3 meters from floor to ceiling is usually enough space. If you kick it higher than that then it isn't usually a well controlled kick. In my experience regardless of the effort you put into it, you be breaking a sweat after 10-15 minutes.
-Indjaca (https://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=indiaca) is pretty much an outside only option that might not be as frustrating as hackysack to get into. Meaning you might get more people (even women) to play with. To break a sweat with Indjaca or related activities, I found that you have to hit it in a flat angle and put power behind your hints. More power means less accuracy which means you have to move more to keep it in the air.
The last three options can be played outside when temperatures reach ~10C.
> get up early and ride a bike
+1. Riding a bike is a very good cardio exercise. Much easier on your knees.
Plus you'll save money on gas by not driving to work anymore.
My favourite part about cycling vs driving is that every distance unit you bike is more food (fuel) you must eat :-)
* Very few people, particularly people who write books and give seminars, know anything about nutrition. Virtually everything you and everyone else thinks he knows about food is actually about culture.
Oh yea, its the same with computer programming!
Go out to nightclubs and spend a few hours throwing yourself about the dance floor. Close your eyes and ignore the crowd if you feel self conscious.
Resist the temptation to go overboard with the stimulants -- they can be fun for a while but highly addictive. You don't want to get to the point where you can't survive with night without them.
It's not that hard.
I do the following:
walk to work (30 mins each way)
go to a one hour gym session twice a week
skate for about 5 hours each week
sail a bit
ski in season (season is a bit short in Australia)
don't eat too much
don't drink too much
And guess what - I'm fit.
Oh, and I'm 58 next month. Want to arm wrestle? Or try a coding comp with me? Chess, maybe?
(And yes, I do have a wife and family as well. Scheduling can have challenges, I admit, but you have to get to a state where exercise is the default activity for that time in your week).
"Cats like plain crisps"
I stare at the computer all day, sometimes I work through lunch or only have 30 mins of lunch. What do I do when I come home,had dinner and my daughter is asleep? Either TV or Computer or Smart phone, sometimes a book. You would think after sitting on the computer all day at work I would want a break from it. There is an easy way to do this, don't turn the computer and go to bed early. Then get up early. Then go for a walk early, at least 40 minutes or more. If you get up early enough this won't impact on your day. You are just transferring the time you would spend at night reading Slashdot and getting tired to the morning when you are re-energizing your body. Improving diet is necessary too. My brother has been doing this for months now and he has been able to lose a lot of weight. He is fortunate working in a lab in that a good part of the day he is expected to stand up. I will see how I go trying to make this change myself. Its not easy because I love to sleep in...probably because I love to stay up late (on the computer:P )
Cycling is literally saving my life.
Unless you get hit by a car.
Seriously, I rode a bike for years, and had a few encounters with cars (and their inattentive drivers) that could have ended fatally if I didn't have quick reflexes.
Eliminate all fructose and sugar from your diet. Non-diet soft drinks are loaded with fructose; don't drink them. Don't eat muffins or donuts; they have too much sugar. Best snack: corn chips fried in lard. Second best: potato chips (watch for added fructose tho).
Don't stop where the ink does.
Pick a lunch (or lunch places) which are a good hike from work. Walk there.
It should be a place (again, "places" is better) where you can get something healthy.
And cut soda-pop completely out of your diet.
This is true of many everyday activities. I understand the risks, but the daily reward outweighs the chance of getting run over and killed. Riding early in the morning - before rush hour - reduces the risk. I'm also fortunate to live near the ocean so riding along A1A where speed limits are low and traffic is generally light is a luxury for me. I understand not everyone can ride under the same circumstances, but using common sense and being hyper vigilant when riding in traffic will help keep things safe. Riding on roads with good bike lanes. Riding at the right time of day - early morning or just before sunset - are two good choices. Wearing the proper attire and making sure you ride with lights and reflectors, etc. All sound choices every cyclist should follow.
I agree. Some people do enjoy going to the gym. Just not me, which is what drew me to cycling because I do enjoy the hell out of it. I enjoy speed and there's nothing like trees whizzing by you and the sound of the rubber clawing desperately at the trail when carving through the woods, or going 30+ mph in a peloton with 30 other like-minded hammerheads just having the time of our lives. I wish these experiences for everyone. I know it's not everyone's cup of tea. You have to find an activity that appeals to you because in the end it is strenuous work that is very hard to start and keep at it if you haven't been doing it most of your life already. I just know that once people get on a GOOD bike (not a Walmart or Target bike) that works well and doesn't break down regularly, they become hooked.
My motto has ALWAYS been: Ride to eat! Eat to ride! (and drink good beer)
Actually, in this case the parent is right. Look up what the US Olympic Team nutritionists are feeding their triathletes. Recommendation for every mean is to have half your plate covered in fruits/vegetables, a quarter with protein, and a quarter with "healthy" fatty food, with a tiny amount of carbohydrates.
And yeah, you *can* out-exercise a bad diet, but not forever. There are very few that can continue to do that after age 40, 50, 60...
Comment removed based on user account deletion
Run, swim, gym and yoga.
If that's too much, just join a Bikram Yoga class and stick with it for a month. It will change your idea about cardio workouts.
When working in a large enough building, you can often plot a largish circuit to walk when you need to stretch your legs. Take the least efficient/longest route to meetings, print stuff on the printer furthest away from your office. Run up/down a couple of flights of stairs.
Badminton is what works for me. It will definitely engage both your mind and body. If you stop focusing on the game, you will get hit by the birdie and maybe get a small bruise.
Fun!!
Seriously, I rode a bike for years, and had a few encounters with cars (and their inattentive drivers) that could have ended fatally if I didn't have quick reflexes.
Did you miss the part where you're supposed to do something to raise your heartbeat? A near-fatal accident will do the trick.
More seriously, though, reflexes and attention to surroundings are like anything else. If you don't use them, you lose them. If you want to keep those skills, you want to ride in (or at least near) traffic.
i'd hit it so hard, if you pulled me out you'd be the king of britain [bash.org]
I've been rocking a vigorous workout since 1988 on this badboy combo and I'm as fit as you can get in the IT world.
track and field all day baby
P90X 4-5 times a week
I keep a balance ball I sit on (and do crunches on) 25lb hex weights, and a 53Lb kettlebell at my office. M, W, F (if I'm not w/ a customer) before lunch I use them... Take about 45min exercising... with the above, as well as "cat vomits" and "planks"... After, I have a high protein lunch from the mini fridge I have in my office (heated in the microwave) .. Then, I put an icepack on my back for 30 min..
Seems to be working...
just take an action you have to do every day (going to office/lunch) and turn that into sports (bike to work...) you most likly will find an opening that alowes for that (at least taking the stairs instad of the elevator). It works great for me. I can bike to work most days and that not only keeps me fit, but also clears my head and gives me a great time for creative thinking outside of the office or private stress. furthermore it is better for the environment. just try it
I have a pop reminder come up every day about 2pm reminding me to do 5 stretching exercises I can do standing up, in my work clothes and take only about 5 min to do.
It isn't enough to keep me fit, I don't think anything in the slow moments of a job can be and not compromise your job.
However, I have noticed that when I stretch to work out in the evening, those measley 5 minutes make me feel a lot looser at the end of the day.
If you are talking about weight control, it takes zero time to NOT eat something you don't need.
Make sure get 3 square meals in, even if you need to make them yourself and bring them in.
Find a low calorie caffeniated drink. I recommend tea. A higher quality tea will be tasty, less than a tall bottle of soda from a soda machine, will calm you while it stimulates you helping you think better and it has anti-oxidants.
If you want to eat out of boredom, promise yourself you will, IF YOU STILL WANT to after doing something else for 15 minutes like reading something.
Fill up a 2qt bottle with water at the start of your shift and make it game to finish it by the end. Poor hydration often makes people eat when their really only wants water.
I love to bike to work but we don't have cycle tracks here in Dubai what to do then? I was suppose to take a bus/train and walk to office before I recently buy a car. And now i miss my walking to office :(
After reading this post and comments I will definitely do something to change my sitting routine.
http://askaralikhan.blogspot.com/
During work: maintain good posture (sitting or standing), but otherwise, accept that the job is sedentary. Do not allow this issue to distract you from the work. I do not understand the concept of "downtime between daily tasks"; there is always more R, or D, or both. Otherwise, I only have what is essentially (to me) "bleeding obvious" advice. Drink water; not, say, sugar-laden fizzy drinks from a vending machine. Steer clear of any free cookies in the lab kitchen; eat fruit instead... but now I'm just regurgitating general dietary advice.
After work: as already recommended in other comments, if possible, use your commuting time to counteract your sedentary time at work. Swap sedentary commuting time for active commuting time. For example, run or cycle to work. (Hopefully, your lab has a shower, although I have worked in offices in the UK that were built as recently as the 1990s that had no showers.) If you live too far from work to run or cycle, then run or cycle partway; if you live very close to work, deliberately extend your commute. Active commuting - "bookending" your working day with physical exercise - has mental benefits: it clears your head, to and from work. On the days I cycle, I also do push-ups when I arrive at work and just before I leave. Pull-ups, too (on a metal frame under an external staircase), but now I'm sounding like a geek even to myself...
Good luck with the job!
Nothing beats it.
Buy a set of Insanity DVDs and get your butt to the company fitness center 3 or more times a week for 45 minutes, before, during or after work.
For a low tech fitness solution, google "Office chair workouts". You'll see lots of useful stuff like this . It is mainly about resistance training (non-aerobic workout), so if you want to go full in on resistance training, you could just get some weights and even one of those hand grip devices and start pumping iron while you crunch numbers on the computer. But fitness aside, if you want a healthy career then you should be proactive with your time and do things that you are not asked to do.
Depending on how much you need to keep off, try Devin Skraelin's desk treadmill from Reamde
It is interesting to see this article as I've just replaced my chair for an exercise ball. The ergonomic chair that I've used before allowed me to sit comfortable for hours without moving (which is not very healthy). With the ball, I have a lot of opportunity to move, engage my core muscles, and stretch just by shifting my weight around it.
Your body is efficient. If you don't lose something, your body will get rid of it. Therefore, there is no shortcut to fitness. Things you can do at the office might provide small benefit at the margins, but there's really no substitute for hard exercise. The best program I've found for general fitness is CrossFit. It is very time efficient and appeals to the engineer in me because they have an actual definition for fitness and it's very physics based. CrossFit transformed my life and my perception of fitness. I can't recommend it enough.
We have long hallways above the factory behind my office. I get up and walk a mile twice a day. It's simple and my back and neck feel much better than I used to. If you work in a tall building you can also walk up and down the stairs.