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Many long hours in front
of my laptop, along with some advice from my best friend, inspired
my column for this edition—how to incorporate fitness into
your office job and break up the hours spent on your computer.
Lately it seems that time jumps leaps and bounds ahead whenever
I sit down in front of my own computer. I think it possesses some
type of special powers that lure me to log onto it and then keeps
me there for hours on end. That got me started thinking about
how many people out there must do the same thing, but often against
their will and on a daily basis.
To start, let’s first lay down some general ground rules
for working on a computer day in and day out—nothing will
replace actual exercise! While I am fortunate enough that I work
and play outdoors quite often throughout the day, I realized that
many of you are not. That makes it that much more important to
get there when you can, even if that means getting up and working
out before you go to work. You will be surprised at the increased
energy and great feeling that accompanies exercise, especially
outdoors. I am stressing outdoors since you work inside an office
most of the day, but of course, if exercising outdoors won’t
work for you, then indoors it is! The most important thing is
that you are indeed exercising.
When arriving at the office, park as far as you can from the entrance.
That will force you to at least get some exercise walking to and
from your vehicle. After starting work and submersing yourself
into your job, remember to break up those long hours by getting
up out of your chair periodically. I would suggest doing so every
half hour and incorporating some passive stretches into the mix.
For example, bending at the waist while keeping your legs straight
is a great way to stretch out the hamstrings. Grabbing hold of
one ankle while pointing the knee down is a good one for the quadriceps.
It is very easy to incorporate some simple calf, back, chest and
arm exercises into your routine too. If you are confused as to
which ones to do, perform a search for stretches right there at
your computer to get some ideas.
In addition to these simple stretches, try walking from one floor
to another instead of riding the elevator. So many people just
press the elevator button mindlessly, even though most of their
time at work is inactive. It does wonders for the body to jaunt
up a flight of stairs after being confined to a chair for the
last couple hours. Also, make sure you consume enough water throughout
the day. This actually serves two purposes—one, you’re
fulfilling your body’s need for water, and two, you will
most likely have to use the restroom more frequently, which will
allow you to get out of your seat to stretch your legs. Another
idea is to use a restroom on another floor, rather than the one
that is the closest.
While these points seem simple, they can really help to rejuvenate
you during long periods at your desk or computer. For your convenience,
I’ve outlined the main points covered, below:
• Park far from the entrance so you can walk
• Exercise regularly, outdoors if possible
• Get as much fresh air as you can
• Stretch every half hour
• Walk, rather than take the elevator
• Drink plenty of water
• Use the restroom on a separate floor
Hopefully you can use these simple steps to help you in your job.
While you may not have control over the location of your office,
or the length of time you must be there, you do have control over
what you make of the time you spend there. As Brendan Francis
said, "If you accept you limitations, you go beyond them."
Melissa Allen is a certified
personal trainer, Blackbelt & fitness consultant, as well
as the owner of Optimum Condition— personal fitness training
and kickboxing instruction. She is a regular columnist with various
newspapers and welcomes input from her readers. Please contact
her with any questions or comments that you may have by calling
(619) 252-4993, email her at Opticondit@aol.com, or visit her
website at www.optimumcondition.com. |
