Recently, the NY Times reported on a study of how much time runners training for a marathon spent sedentary. Not surprisingly, it found that, when not actually working out, the runners were just as sedentary as everyone else. No conclusion was drawn as to whether all the running balanced the sedentary behavior, but still, people, that’s a lot of sitting.
I’ve been trying really hard this year NOT to be a couch potato.
Like many people, my job involves sitting in front of a computer. I shop online. I socialize online at least some part of every day. I drive when I need to do a grocery trip or Target or any number of errands where I’m either taking something with me or bringing back something. I am, however, fortunate in two ways: I work from home in a 3 level house with no bathroom on the main level AND I live in an incredibly walkable area.
So, how am I fighting the couch potato tendencies in modern life?
- I walk Shoo to school most days – 1.5 miles total walking for me
- I walk Jones home from school a few days a week – 1+ mile total walking for me
- I drink lots of liquids (yes, needing to pee is incentive to move)
- I mix in chores throughout the day – yes, an inefficient older house with bedrooms on the 2nd floor and the laundry in the basement is actually a good thing. ;o)
- I build extra time into my errands so I can walk to the library or Revolve or Trader Joes
- I wander around the house when I’m on a conference call
I’m not perfect (let’s not talk about the hand to mouth exercise I got eating peanut butter cups last night or the fact that I forgot to wake up Shoo, so we are driving to school today) and I don’t manage all those things every day, but I keep trying. As the saying goes, “progress not perfection.” I’m also hoping all this movement is instilling the habit in my kids.
How do you add extra movement to your day, especially if you work in an office? Do your coworkers think you are crazy because you are always walking around the office? Or do you think I’m crazy and that the actual workouts I (and you) do balance the sitting?
I’ve noticed lately that I spend a lot of time sitting when I’m not working out. I think I need a treadmill desk like Miss Zippy!!
I definitely walk around the office all day. I make separate trips to go bathroom, or get water or bring the mail out– anything I can do to make myself get up. The guys here are used to it I think. A few of them are also runners so they understand the need to move.
I walk back and forth to the copier several times a day as well as the bathroom! By walk I mean speed walk. My students all think I am Flash Gordon. I have one heavy little girl who likes to walk fast now. Love it!
I’m a stay at home mom, and definitely can feel like a couch potato sometimes! I also walk my middle child to and from school everyday. I realize how much I miss it during the summer when school is out! You know how some people gain a little weight over the winter because they’re not outdoors as much? I am actually the opposite and gain over the summer, and I think it’s because the walking is cut down!
It’s really hard to NOT be a couch potato when you’re training for a marathon. Every instinct is to rest up for recovery. And to eat all you want. It’s funny that being virtuous in one area of your life makes you feel like you can totally relax in others.
I bought a fitbit so I can track my movement. I also find that if I look at my steps or miles and I am a bit low that motivates me to head out and give the dog an extra walk.
Im soooo sedentary if left to my own devices too.
which is why I had to deconvenience my domicile ;-0
I’ve taken to walking during my lunch breaks. With a new baby at home, my running time has vanished. I need to do something! Cheers!
I was doing pretty good with this for awhile, but I’ve gotten lazy again. I even tried using an exercise ball as my desk chair which forced me to get up more often, but I just felt uncomfortable most of the time. I need to try it again probably and ease into it.
oh I’m definitely the crazy one at work! I bike to work every day (I’m only a mile away), I am trying to take the (double) stairs up to my fifth floor department at least once a day. I am inefficient with printing because the printer is far away and that means I have to walk there more often. I do side kicks at said printer and I stand on one foot (then the other) for balance at the coffee machine. I even do hip hikes when I take restroom breaks, before I go back to my desk! I am constantly trying to find ways to get more movement in; I have a dodgy back and sore knees so the less I sit, the better! Everyone knows me as the “marathon runner” in the office so they are not surprised when I’m getting exercise in somewhere!
oh I just realised this is an old post. 🙁
No worries, thanks for reading and commenting. Great ideas for keeping movement.