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Old 10-07-16, 06:41 AM  
Verine
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Location: Hudson Valley, NY
How to cope with newly sedentary lifestyle

Has anyone had the experience of transitioning from a very active lifestyle to a more sedentary one?

I work as a nurse and recently started a new job that involves less patient contact, thus more sitting/computer work. My last job was so horrible, I just needed to make a positive change and try something new. Coupled with the job change, I also moved in with my fiance. When I lived on my own (in Brooklyn, for those familiar with NYC), I walked everywhere--to the subway, laundromat, grocery store, etc. Now we are living in an area where I can still walk to some places, but need to drive to work. With my old job/lifestyle, I would easily get 13,000 steps daily, excluding my workouts. Now I am struggling to get 5,000 steps during the work week.

I exercise in the AM before work and try to take a 30 min walk at lunch Aside from adding more exercise after work (maybe a dance video or another walk), do you have any tips for dealing with this more sedentary lifestyle? I know we can't talk diet, but I eat pretty healthy and am now more aware of portions.

Thanks for any advice!

Christina
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Old 10-07-16, 07:19 AM  
Taramisu
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I don't have any advice, but I am in the same boat. I changed jobs in March because I was over the long commute and wanted to get closer to home. Well, since starting this new job I have gained 8-9 pounds, it's a lot more sedentary as I pretty much sit all day. At the other job I sat too but I was up and around more than I am now. Plus this company has food everywhere which is nice but my willpower has gone in the tank.

I have a year left of school too which doesn't help, I exercise here and there but not enough. I go back and forth with what I want to do but I need to try and hit the weights twice per week, maybe focus on metabolic training and add in some cardio regularly in hopes to blast away some of these pounds.

My favorite form of cardio is good old step aerobics, low impact and simple choreography. I would like to go back to that as my main form of cardio and see if it helps, adding in Leslie or outdoor walking. And I probably need to go back to watching what I am eating again, drinking more water, etc.

Just wanted to commiserate!
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Old 10-07-16, 10:52 AM  
Cowgirl32
 
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Another commiserater here... Metabolic training, I would also hone in on that forbidden word , cross training is your new best friend!
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Old 10-07-16, 11:24 AM  
ellaenchanted
 
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Take movement breaks. So, every hour get up and move for 5 minutes. Go to the bathroom or walk down the hall. I don't know if you have a private office, but sometimes I pace while working on something or just march in place.
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Old 10-07-16, 12:34 PM  
dbclark44
 
Join Date: Aug 2003
Location: Albers, IL (Southern IL area)
Quote:
Originally Posted by ellaenchanted View Post
Take movement breaks. So, every hour get up and move for 5 minutes. Go to the bathroom or walk down the hall. I don't know if you have a private office, but sometimes I pace while working on something or just march in place.
Took the words right out of my mouth. I set a reminder in Outlook for every 30 minutes and I get up and walk for 5 minutes - bathroom, to the kitchen, down the hall, etc. You can get pretty creative with 5-minute breaks every 30-60 minutes. Fitbit recommends 250 steps every hour. I don't get that, but I do move a lot in my sedentary desk job.
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Old 10-07-16, 12:42 PM  
FitBoop
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I'm in this boat, too. I used to be running around on my feet a lot, and now I am sitting a lot. I can feel and see the difference. I have had to become very watchful about what I eat, or the pounds pile on. I am logging my food intake and exercise on the Lose It app, which is very helpful in keeping track of everything. I also am trying to do some cardio most days, in addition to weight training. Sitting a lot wreaks havoc on posture, so I am trying to do more yoga, and may go back to taking Alexander Technique lessons. I have going outdoors to take walks, too.
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Old 10-07-16, 12:59 PM  
bzar
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analyst here, who sits in her cube.

I second the comments about getting up.

some tabletops in the cubicle have the ability to adjust up or down. If that's an option, find out about having that done. this forces you to stand. they say sitting is the new smoking these days.

my co-workers and I have been climbing the stairs in our building. it takes 7 minutes to go up 22 floors (44 flights of stairs all together). that may seem short, but it's pretty intense. one of the co-workers set up a file on SharePoint for us to track when we climb stairs. it's a friendly group - no competition but lots of encouragement.

I build in walking into my day. you said you need to drive to work - once you arrive, scout out places for you to walk - maybe walk the perimeter of the lot every time you arrive to work. or walk before you leave, if it's safe.

I catch the bus, but I get off a mile before our building and walk in from there. after work, I walk to the bus depot which is a shorter distance than the one I walk in the morning. if I need more steps, when the bus drops me off near my car (I park away from home), I get off about half a mile before my stop and I walk to my car.

the librarian at the public library told me she did the 300 squat challenge. she could easily sit all day, but she said you can do squats practically anywhere. it's true! I did about 50 in my cubicle, and none would be the wiser!

basically, you can find lots of ways to walk or move within your realm of activities/locales. build up gradually - it's like when you started to become a vidiot, it's a behavior change.
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Old 10-07-16, 05:28 PM  
Verine
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Thanks for all the wonderful suggestions! Most of them had never even crossed my mind...

Christina
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Old 10-09-16, 04:27 PM  
tltinatl
 
Join Date: Nov 2001
I second the suggestion of climbing the stairs in your office building. I work in DC, where the buildings aren't very tall. The one I'm in now is only a total of 12 stories. I ride the elevator down to the lowest level, walk all the way to the top, take the elevator back down, then walk maybe eight or nine floors back up. I do that once around 11 am and once around 3 pm.

I'm hoping to eventually be able to walk all the way from the bottom to the top during each round but my knees might have other ideas. Each time only takes three minutes, even though it feels a lot longer. As a bonus, climbing the stairs has made climbing hills on my bike easier.

If I have to go to the restroom or any other place in the office, I try to go waaaay out of the way to get there, like walk all the way around the whole floor to get to a place that's just a couple of doors down from where I sit.
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Old 10-09-16, 04:42 PM  
Pat58
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If you don't have an activity monitor, I recommend getting one. Seeing your daily step totals can nudge you to take more movement breaks.

Are there stairs in your office? Taking a stair break is excellent to get the blood moving and burn a few calories.

I also brought a thera-band to the office and get up and do upper body stretches with it. Every so often I visit the Classical Stretch website and do one of the quick freebies.
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