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My View Mondays by sarac

 

Hi, my name is Sara. I’m 34 years old and have a wonderful husband and a beautiful baby boy. Between having a child and hitting my mid-30’s I’ve noticed definite changes in my metabolism and my body in general. In the past I’ve gotten away with not exercising for the most part. If I wanted to lose weight I just ate less. But it finally got to the point where eating less became not eating at all. With some help I recognized that I had a problem and I hope not to have any recurrences. Meanwhile, I had been doing some exercise in the winter/early spring but I’ve fallen off the wagon in the last six months. I live in Texas and consider the outdoors off limits from May – September. The heat index today is a sweltering 106. The answer would be to join a gym and it is something I’m considering. But my husband and I were thinking we’d wait until January until we got finances in better shape and had the extra $50 to spend on dues. So I’m back to thinking about what I can do inside for the next six months to get moving.

 

My job is very sedentary. I sit in front of a computer for 95% of my workday. To make matters worse I very often eat lunch at my desk. Luckily, I watch what I eat and don’t go for fatty snacks during the day but still I’ve noticed a definite, shall we say, “flattening” of my rear in the last six months. I know it’s due to my lack of exercise and I keep vowing to start taking walks during lunch again but it never seems to happen.

 

I am pledging here and now to take a 15 minute walk at least 3 times a week. I also found some info on wall squats that I can do at work. http://backandneck.about.com/b/a/257688.htm. They work on the hips, abdomen, quads and back. Any other suggestions of work/desk exercises would be greatly appreciated!

 

sarac

 

sarac

Comments

 

HornJM said:

Congratulations, sarac, on taking that pledge.  Walking is a great place to start.

I would also suggest finding a good book on Pilates or Yoga (or something similar).  These are good ways to get a workout inside without the need to purchase expensive equipment or clear a lot of space in your house.

I also want to point out that yours is an excellent example of what an employeer OR insurance company can do to better promote health and wellness (or fitness).  For $50 per month, an employeer could avoid potential lost time at work due to sickness and an insurance company could avoid many potential medical costs.  And don't forget the benifits an employeer can gain from having happy, healthy, lively workers.

August 20, 2007 11:41 AM
 

cklasic said:

Good luck sarac. Here are some ideas that I did when I was trying to get more activity into my daily routine:

1. Park as far away as you can from the office and walk (pick the very last parking spot)

2. Take the stairs instead of elevators - even if you work on a high floor, get off a few floors early and hoof it

3. Don't call a co-worker in the same building, walk over to their desk instead

4. Get away from your desk at lunch. Let's face it, we don't work life or death jobs (at least I don't). Take an hour lunch everyday and walk for half of it. The world will still be there when you get back. Add lunch to your work calendar so no one schedules something over it. Seriously.

5. Get a buddy to join you - online is a great start but a real one would be a good way to give/get support

Most of all, have fun -- this is something you are doing for yourself!

August 21, 2007 9:40 AM

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