Does anyone else worry about staying fit as an office worker? As much as I enjoy my career, I might give serious consideration to moving into something more physical in future. While you can easily fit in a decent amount of exercise outside of work if you only work 40 hours, it strikes me as much more efficient to make your work exercise in and off itself. I spent one summer working as a software engineer intern with 6 weeks in between working at a summer camp where I was on my feet all day every day. When I got back to the office my mood and focus were sky high compared to before but I never had to try to do exercise at summer camp, the job itself just was exercise.
I have mentioned this in previous threads, but here goes:
See if there are squash courts in your area. If so, take lessons (commit to 5-10 lessons), and ask the instructor to introduce you to other novice players. The game is exhilerating, easy to learn, low-inpact, high cardio, and has a huge supportive world wide community.
In one year, I went from doing no gym / physical activity, to playing squash 3x a week (or more). Additionally, since I'm at the gym anyway, I am now doing gym routine alongside playing squash (something that during my 34 years of living, I'd never managed to keep up as a routine). A funny aside - I've never been a morning person, but I've been trying to "fix" that by scheduling squash games with people at 05:30 am. It "stings" in the morning, but it's incredible how awake you are at 6:30 after having battled it out on the court at full blast. I might flake out on myself to get to the gym that early, but I won't flake out on another person I committed to. Your mileage may vary, but just sharing something which (finally) worked for me. Good luck!
(Just played an hour of squash, 2km rowing machine, full workout - all before breakfast)
I have similar experiences with hockey. It's obviously not as cheap as squash, but most of the pickup in my area is 6:30am or so. The rink is also walkable from my office, so sometimes I bring my skates to work and skate during lunch just to get myself moving. The best part is, it's never too late to start! I took lessons starting at 22, but I was easily the youngest person in the class. Lots of people in their 40s learning to ice skate for the first time.
This is coming from a person who you couldn't pay to exercise two years ago. Recreational sports don't feel like exercise, they feels like playing a game. Also with something like ice skating all your improvements are very noticeable and it feels really good to master a new skill or pull off a deke or score a goal in a game.
Obviously also not for everyone, but these kind of stories are true for every sport. Find something you like, it's never too late to try something new.
I loved squash through undergrad for exactly those reasons - structured, high intensity, fun, low time commitment. But I couldn't call it low-impact; I don't play today because I found the game had too much stop-and-go and heavy direction changes and it was killing my knees and ankles :(
Maybe I should have said lowER impact (compared to most sports, soccer, etc). I regularly play with some older folks - and they don't move around so much... they make ME do the moving!
If you can find a job that you love that requires moderate activity, and funds a lifestyle you can get enjoyment from, that's obviously great. But this study doesn't suggest that you need to do this to stay sharp.
And, at least in the US, the statistics show that average lifespan has actually been decreasing for people in blue collar jobs. Part of this may be that physically demanding jobs simply cause the body to wear out faster or because you end up injuring yourself and having limited mobility making it harder for you to stay active. And, of course, a big part of it is most likely that blue collar jobs usually don't include great healthcare plans, and if you're earning less money, you may end up with a plan that really isn't affordable if something major happens.
It seems that a white collar job with maybe 5 days a week where you workout for an hour - some sort of combination of strength training and aerobic activity - is probably the best middle ground we have right now.
> is most likely that blue collar jobs usually don't include great healthcare plans
Maybe. But there is also lifestyle to consider. I've noticed that blue-collar folks are often the joe-sixpack type. Even with the physical aspect of their jobs, they have poor diets (by choice) and drink a lot.
Many companies in the US are providing gyms for their employees, making staying in decent shape that much easier. I definitely take advantage. Even when I don't have time for a full workout, I can hop on treadmill for a 30 minute run and be back to work in 40 minutes (assuming showers aren't all occupied).
I already do run to work, and it helps, as well as a reasonably active hobby. But there's a big different between running to work and a job that keeps you on your feet and moving for 40 hours a week.
I go to the gym in the early morning but when I worked out over lunch it was:
00:00 - 00:05 Change into workout clothes
00:05 - 00:40 Work out
00:40 - 00:45 Shower (yes a shower only takes 5 minutes if you're not just relaxing under the water)
00:45 - 00:55 Back into work clothes
00:55 - 01:00 Back to the desk
Eat at the desk after the lunch break. If that's not practical you can cut the workout in half and have 20 minutes to eat which is rarely not enough time.
If you have a plan and don't waste time an hour is an exceptionally long time.
Typically, I do one heavy compound lift per day, mess around while I'm waiting for my coworker to finish running on the treadmill / lifting, and then do some ab exercises with her. We get some coffee from the cafe after that, and I eat my packed lunch at my desk.
Honestly, I really only need the shower on squat and deadlift days; bench and overhead press are comparatively light. I'm mostly in a holding pattern for fitness right now, as I work 12-hour shifts and then go to school full-time during the day. Once I'm not hating my life as much, I'll be able to do fitness that's a little more involved.
