I am a technology working, so I sit on my butt most of the work day, I’m curious how people have incorporated activity into their daily habits in a sustainable way?
What activities do you find enjoyable?
I don’t
Live in a walkable area, have a dog, and don’t own a car. Everywhere I need to go, whether it’s for groceries or the pharmacy or to a coffee shop, I use my feet. Plus I take my dog for walks every day and extra long ones on the weekend. In an average week I walk several km.
Yeah, that first one is a toughie. In the US at least, that’s only a handful of city areas. And not even the metro areas but actually w/in public transit circles. I wish more places were like that.
Yeah I’m very lucky. It’s definitely hard to find in Canada too, but there are a few and I was lucky to get into one at a decent price.
I recently moved to Connecticut and I didn’t realize how much I took sidewalks for granted in the different suburbs where I’ve lived before. I miss being able to just go outside and walk around the neighborhood.
This is what it’s like in my area:
(The pic is not where I live, just nearby.)
Yeah. Moved from FL to MD and the older places have sidewalks here. I love it. Not walking in the street is great.
I can tell you, after sitting down for most of 20 years and not exercising, it has taken a couple of years to sort my posture and rebuild my core.
So do something. Anything.
It doesn’t take a lot. 10-20 mins 3 times per week. A bit of fast walking, planking, and burpees if you can . That’s plenty to maintain health.
It should be easy enough not to be a burden : consistency is the only thing that matters.
I walk a couple of stations instead of taking the closest subway station. That satisfies my step counter every day: Pedometer on F-Droid
I do random YouTube workouts every 3-4 days. Everytime I do it, I track it with this app: BetterCounter on F-Droid. When the counter hits 3-4 days I workout again.
But… I had massive back problems before. I don’t think I would have started this routine without the pain relief it gave me.
i like the open source callouts!
When you say random workouts, are you doing a program specifically for your back? Or is it more of Let the algorithm take the wheel?
I prefer full body workouts instead of specific back workouts. I just search for something like “30 minutes full body workout” and go from there. When there’s a lack of back training in the workout, I’ll through in a couple of planks at the end.
Also, just get out and walk in a park. Start slow. Make it measurable (like in time).
Frequency matters more than just about anything else. Doing a little bit here and there through the day can make a world of difference.
Can you take a mid-day break and walk, even for 10-15 minutes?
Get up and walk around your office for a few minutes an hour. Better if you can do this every 30 minutes… Just get up. Sitting is bad juju.
Don’t forget your vision. Look outside, to the distance, for a minute or two occasionally. This helps the muscles that control your eyes (like any muscle, they don’t like sitting still).
The hardest part of any of this is the mental choice, the commitment to make a change to a new routine. I’ve always struggled with this, but have worked with people who were great at it - so I think of them occasionally for motivation. One guy would be at the gym at 5am,every day… In his 20’s - and then come to work and manage a team of people. A middle-aged manager (in his 50’s) I worked for would go for a run on his lunch break.
Oh, to be so motivated.
You can do this. Just mentally reward yourself for any little thing you do. Keep an internal dialogue about the positive aspects of doing things that help, to counter the “fuck I don’t want to do this” voice.
My sister got a stand up desk and an under desk treadmill. She has issues with blood pooling so frequent movement is a must. She says it also helps her maintain concentration.
I’m lucky that I can work from home, I have a home gym available so 3 days a week I do resistance training during my lunch hour (when the gym is empty since most people here don’t work from home). Upper Body, Lower Body, Dynamic Stretching (wave bag/ sand bag type movements). I probably wouldn’t keep this up, but I have a fitness coach who keeps me accountable, it’s hard to skip a session when they are physically present.
I do bicycling for about a hour twice a week, usually at night, listening to audio book, or podcast. I have been doing the recumbent bike, but trying to move over to the upright bike - but my groin goes numb after 20 minutes on the upright bike, so, haven’t quite cracked the code yet)
I used to swim everyday, but I think I overdid it, had a small muscle tear, so I swim only once a week now.
- 3 days weight resistance training
- 2 days cardio
- 1 day light swimming
I didn’t think I’d enjoy resistance training, but now if there is a day when I don’t have muscle aches, it feels weird and I have the desire to go move things around until I feel sore.
After 9 months using this gym, i figured out there was free wifi! I’m smart! (the wifi password was written on the router in the emergency stairwell high up on the wall)
I don’t.
On weekends I like to go for walks, and in the summer I’ll sometimes go for a walk after work. But I don’t believe that’s enough, and I assume I’m probably a ticking time bomb lol.
I don’t know what the solution is because I’m usually tired from working all day and I don’t generally feel like doing much of anything after work. I try to eat healthy. I do stretches when I remember. I’m assuming I probably won’t be working an office job my whole life because I find my current job incredibly unfufilling, but I have no idea really, and I’m just winging it.
If I have an audio only call, I try to take it on a walk. Usually happens 3-4 times a week for 15-30 minutes.
Aside from that, similar to what others said. Sit/stand desk though standing all day can be just as bad as sitting for my back, so I alternate about ever 30 min. Yoga in the morning (I second Yoga with Adrienne). Social sports which for me are mountain biking and pickup ultimate. By far the most fun but harder to be consistent. Gym 2-3 times a week.
Also, I keep a paper habit tracker to try and establish new eating and health patterns.
I recently got an ebike, and I’m shocked at how much it has improved my ability to get exercise over just having a normal bike.
On days when I’d skip biking to work or the store because it’s too hot, I can go on the bike and get a moderate workout. It’s got a huge cargo basket so I’ll take it on shopping trips instead of the car. My son can ride on the back so sometimes it’s the school drop-off vehicle. Being able to go faster with the e-assist means I don’t worry about being late as much. I bike SO much more often and even though it’s less of a workout than with a regular bike I think on the whole I’m getting more regular exercise so it’s a win.
I also have a folding exercise bike at home, and try to hop on it if I have a long conference call where I’m going to be on mute the whole time. It doesn’t happen often but it’s enough that it adds a little bonus exercise.
I ride a regular bike from time to time, it’s my favourite form of exercise, but the downside to it is that it’s not good for your back. Similar parts of your back are stressed on bike and on a computer chair alike.
Like many others have said, try to walk frequently and regularly. But there’s another small thing I added to my routine. I use an electric toothbrush and brush for 2 minutes like they say you’re supposed to, so while that’s happening I take the time to do squats, leg lifts, hip exercises, sometimes crunches while standing up.
I do triathlons, as well as partaking in each of the three components of a triathlon individually. (Mostly running, a fair amount of cycling, and a little bit of swimming.)
Separate, I do HEMA. Historical fencing. Fighting with swords like rapiers, sabres, or longswords, using period-appropriate techniques derived from manuals written at the time.
I don’t recommend jumping into a game of soccer 20 years after playing it last. I do recommend boxing lessons. Your speed and power grow as you get fit. Works out the entire body. If you already got a hunchback you are nearly in perfect defensive posture.
When my car was EOL, I didn’t get a new one. Now I don’t have an excuse anymore for not walking to the store every few days. It’s not much, but infinitely more than I did before.