Hi friends! Happy Friday!! This is the most excited I’ve been about Friday in quite a few months! My body is really going to have to readjust to this whole early morning thing. Last night, I met my mom and sister for dinner after work and was struggling keeping my eyes open as I was driving home… not good!
Anyway, before we get any further, I have to share a hilarious story with you give you a good laugh this Friday. Bright and early this morning, I pulled into my parking spot, jumped out of my car and started in on my ~10 minute walk into work. I jump off of the elevator and start marching toward my building and before I could even make it 10 feet, my heel got caught on the cuff of my pants and by the time I even realize it, both of my shoes have flown off of my feet, my water bottle is empty a few feet in front of me and I am laying face down on the pavement with scuffed up hands and a slight tear in the cuff of my pants. I immediately jumped up, put my shoes back on and looked around for someone to share my embarrassing moment with and there is absolutely no one around to laugh at myself with… well, besides the fact that I was standing between two sky rise office buildings, therefore, someone had to have gotten a good laugh on this early Friday morning. Since there was no one there to share my laughter with, I figured I had to share this with you. I keep thinking about it in my head and laughing about how ridiculous it was. You would think that would ruin my Friday morning but actually I just can’t stop laughing about it.
But anywayyyyy… on to something a little less ridiculous 
another Fitness Friday link up with Jill from Fitness, Health and Happiness.
Since starting my job on Monday, the hardest part for me has been the amount of time that I have spent sitting each day. At Mayo, I sat a lot but I also walked up and down the hospital stairs all day long. And since leaving Mayo, I rarely let myself sit down for an extended period of time. You have to know that sitting for hours on end is driving me crazy.
We all know the importance of being active and for me, a one hour workout isn’t enough. In order to combat this new more sedentary lifestyle I have been doing a few things (and plan on continuing them) in order to prevent myself from packing on a few pounds over time. You know, no one gains weight over night – it’s over time that the damage is done. Here are a few of my tips preventing weight gain when working a sedentary job:
- Get your exercise in in the morning. I do this for many reasons. If I do it in the morning then I am guaranteed to get it done. As the day goes on, things come up, we all get busy and it’s easy to cross through your planned workout time. I also do this in order to get my heart rate up first thing in the morning so that at least while I am sitting at work, I know my heart rate and metabolism is slightly elevated because of my workout. I’ve been good about this every morning except this morning, when I decided to listen to my body and get one more hour of sleep. I’ve been running on 4-5 hours of sleep each night this week which IS NOT enough for me.
- That leads me to… get enough sleep. If you get enough sleep then it is easy to get up in the morning and workout. Without enough sleep, not only is it much easier to press the snooze button multiple times, but studies actually show that people who sleep five or less hours of sleep are more likely to gain weight due to elevated cortisol levels (the hormone that is responsible for abdominal fat).
- Clean up your eating. When a sedentary lifestyle strikes, clean eating is even more important. Not that isn’t important for all of us, but when were exercising and active, a little treat here and there is more likely to be burned off than if we’re sedentary.
- Push away from your desk. When your actually at work, sitting for hours on end, make it a point to get up at least once an hour to walk around and stretch out your legs. Did you know that our bodies burn far more calories when we are standing than we are sitting? I like to set an alarm (on vibrate) for a particular time on every hour (for example, I do five minutes until the hour from 8am to 5pm) so that I will be more aware about how long I have been sitting. This is not only beneficial for your body, but studies actually show that your memory and attention is improved if you push away from your desk and take a break frequently.
What do you do to stay active, healthy and lean when working a sedentary job? I’d LOVE for you to share your tips with me!
Have an AMAZING Friday!!
Good health!
{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
Good luck with your new job!!!
I used to work a desk job, and it was a tough one to get through, but we do what we have to right:)
I no longer work at a desk, instead I have a strenuous and quite active job decorating weddings:) But I love your tips, getting up once an hour is so important! A Dr. once told me that for runners and people with active lifestyles (compared to those who arn’t) its actually even more important to get up and walk around often. Because it helps us keep things flowing and can actually help avoid injury:)
Kristy @Runaway Bridal Planner recently posted…Health & Fitness Holiday Giveaway Hop
Thanks Kristy! So far so good
Exactly! Wow – I would have never guessed that, but it makes complete sense! My muscles seem to tighten up so much after sitting for any period of time! Thanks for stopping by!
So ironic! All last week I was thinking about how much time I sit at my computer and write reports . If I’m not writing reports I’m working with clients or in meetings. Sit. Sit. Sit! Not to mention my drive to and from work. More sitting. 2 things I started doing? 1. I’m a psychologist that contracts with a school district. So, instead of calling for a student I go get them. It’s a 3 story building! 2. Every afternoon around 2 I take a walk outside around campus. I’m going to keep at both until they become habit!
Jill @ Fitness, Health and Happiness recently posted…Menu Planning and 2013 Dirty Dozen
Wow! Great ideas Jill! I love the 2 pm outside walk! I’ll have to try something like that! Thanks for sharing
and for hosting, as always!
the desk can kill! I love my desk at work because it raises- so I can stand all day instead of sitting!
Elizabeth recently posted…My Reality > Vacation.
That’s amazing!! I need that!! That would fix everything :-)))