Dos and Don'ts for the office
By Sommemi
For those who work in an office environment, you might understand the difference between private, semi-private, and public. There are only slight variations depending on the atmosphere. First of all, the coffee room or break room might be considered private if you are the only one taking a break in there at the time. It could be considered semi-private if there is no door on the room or is in direct view of someone's desk. Or it can be considered public if you are not the only one in the room.
These slight nuances are usually not a problem for the average office worker. As a matter of fact, just about any work atmosphere has these changling-type-areas. So as you picture this particular area in your mind, imagine how uncomfortable the area might be if it went from private or semi-private, to suddenly public. Sure, if you're just standing in front of the coffee maker waiting for your coffee, the point is moot.
However, say for example that you don't get out of the house much and can't find time to get any exercising done during your busy day. You might try to find idle work time in which to exercise. Combine that with a lack of good travel time to the gym and you're stuck exercising AT work, not just during your lunch hour. Don't forget to consider that time spent actually at your desk needs to be focused on work, not exercising. This requires being able to pick and choose your private or public areas carefully. In my case, this has turned out to be embarassingly less obvious than I thought.
My office is on the third floor of our building and I've found that I'm quite winded after a three story stair climb. It wasn't long ago that I might have been able to skip steps the whole way up to the third floor without breaking a sweat. Those days are no longer. A surefire way to encourage me to do something is to tell or show me that I CANNOT do it. So my new determination every morning, after walking into my office panting, is to get my muscles back into good enough shape to make it up those stairs without losing my breath.
I've read in numerous articles that the best way to get back into an exercise routine is to just start doing things during your 'waiting' time. Have to wait for something to cook in the oven? Jog in place while you wait. Have to wait in the car to pick up your son from school? Lift small weights with your arms while you're parked. Waiting on a cup of coffee from the microwave? Do deep knee bends while you wait. Got to work early? Park far out in the parking lot instead of close to the building.
This sounded like genius to me! I'm a multi-tasker, I can do this! I love making use of my time and filling it with every possible thing I can. And what's even better? I HATE waiting for my lunch to heat up in the microwave! I can totally pull off deep knee bends, and even explain it as tying my shoe in case someone walks in. Cool!
After a month of doing deep knee bends at the coffee machine and during my microwave time, my butt is higher, my thighs are rock hard, and I don't breathe so heavy climbing the stairs. My plan was working perfectly! I even managed to play it off as minor stretching whenever someone would walk past the door-less coffee room.
So last week I decided to get greedy. Hey, if it works for my legs, why couldn't I alternate some time working out my arms too? My mind flashed back to the other day when I was blow drying my hair in the mirror and I caught a glance of the swinging flap of skin on the back of my arm that USED to be a tricep. Gasp! Where did that come from?!
Now my microwave routine was upgraded to alternating pushups against the coffee table (because I'm too weak to drop all the way down to the floor), deep knee bends, and every now and then tricep dips with my back to the microwave table. It was the perfect workout routine. I knew my fiance was going to be really impressed when he started to notice my rippling muscles and knew that I never let the house. I was so proud of myself!
It wasn't long, though, before pride was replaced with utter embarassment. It's quite an awkward situation when you are in mid-pushup in front of the microwave and your coworker walks in and freezes half way through the door, only to start laughing hysterically and say "What the heck are you doing?!"
It's back to just deep knee bends for me.
By Sommemi
For those who work in an office environment, you might understand the difference between private, semi-private, and public. There are only slight variations depending on the atmosphere. First of all, the coffee room or break room might be considered private if you are the only one taking a break in there at the time. It could be considered semi-private if there is no door on the room or is in direct view of someone's desk. Or it can be considered public if you are not the only one in the room.
These slight nuances are usually not a problem for the average office worker. As a matter of fact, just about any work atmosphere has these changling-type-areas. So as you picture this particular area in your mind, imagine how uncomfortable the area might be if it went from private or semi-private, to suddenly public. Sure, if you're just standing in front of the coffee maker waiting for your coffee, the point is moot.
However, say for example that you don't get out of the house much and can't find time to get any exercising done during your busy day. You might try to find idle work time in which to exercise. Combine that with a lack of good travel time to the gym and you're stuck exercising AT work, not just during your lunch hour. Don't forget to consider that time spent actually at your desk needs to be focused on work, not exercising. This requires being able to pick and choose your private or public areas carefully. In my case, this has turned out to be embarassingly less obvious than I thought.
My office is on the third floor of our building and I've found that I'm quite winded after a three story stair climb. It wasn't long ago that I might have been able to skip steps the whole way up to the third floor without breaking a sweat. Those days are no longer. A surefire way to encourage me to do something is to tell or show me that I CANNOT do it. So my new determination every morning, after walking into my office panting, is to get my muscles back into good enough shape to make it up those stairs without losing my breath.
I've read in numerous articles that the best way to get back into an exercise routine is to just start doing things during your 'waiting' time. Have to wait for something to cook in the oven? Jog in place while you wait. Have to wait in the car to pick up your son from school? Lift small weights with your arms while you're parked. Waiting on a cup of coffee from the microwave? Do deep knee bends while you wait. Got to work early? Park far out in the parking lot instead of close to the building.
This sounded like genius to me! I'm a multi-tasker, I can do this! I love making use of my time and filling it with every possible thing I can. And what's even better? I HATE waiting for my lunch to heat up in the microwave! I can totally pull off deep knee bends, and even explain it as tying my shoe in case someone walks in. Cool!
After a month of doing deep knee bends at the coffee machine and during my microwave time, my butt is higher, my thighs are rock hard, and I don't breathe so heavy climbing the stairs. My plan was working perfectly! I even managed to play it off as minor stretching whenever someone would walk past the door-less coffee room.
So last week I decided to get greedy. Hey, if it works for my legs, why couldn't I alternate some time working out my arms too? My mind flashed back to the other day when I was blow drying my hair in the mirror and I caught a glance of the swinging flap of skin on the back of my arm that USED to be a tricep. Gasp! Where did that come from?!
Now my microwave routine was upgraded to alternating pushups against the coffee table (because I'm too weak to drop all the way down to the floor), deep knee bends, and every now and then tricep dips with my back to the microwave table. It was the perfect workout routine. I knew my fiance was going to be really impressed when he started to notice my rippling muscles and knew that I never let the house. I was so proud of myself!
It wasn't long, though, before pride was replaced with utter embarassment. It's quite an awkward situation when you are in mid-pushup in front of the microwave and your coworker walks in and freezes half way through the door, only to start laughing hysterically and say "What the heck are you doing?!"
It's back to just deep knee bends for me.