Turning Your Work Day into Weight Loss

[wosnes]

This is interesting. It validates something I've believed for a long time. You don't need to bust your butt to lose weight. Doing something consistently, even though slowly, is equally as beneficial as high-intensity workouts in terms of weight loss.

[oolala53]

I read this guy's book. Made me want to get a treadmill at work, but I don't think my students could get passed it. But if all the teachers did it... It's easy to take potshots at this, but I think it is wonderful for anyone who can incorporate it. On the other hand, if the average loss was 9 lbs., but for others it was 15+ lbs, it means a number of workers lost very little for a big capital expenditure. Anyway, it pays to think outside the box, esp. for those of us who get only 30 minutes to eat. Believe me, if I had an hour, I'd be walking part of that time. But I get so tired of being rushed all day, I refuse to wolf my food so that I can be active.

[Over43]

May I suggest "Slow Burn: Burn Fat Faster by Exercising Slower" by Stu Mittleman? He believes we don't have to "kill" ourselves to get thinner.

Try the treadmill in your class. I have an acquintance who has his treadmill in his classroom.

[oliviamanda]

Recently, I brought 2 pieces of exercise equipment to my office: my 15-lb kettlebell and a stretchy band. When I have down time or a break I start doing reps. So far I have been able to be discreet about it, but I'm sure it's a matter of time someone sees my kettlebell pressing up above my cube. Well, so what. When the weather is nice I am able to take walks that are about 15+ minutes long and I am even able to not only power walk, but pick it up to a jog... the only thing is getting sweaty during the workday. Yuck. But, I am finding I am able to get done my required amount of exercise for the day at work, even if it's in little spurts. And also there are stairwells that I go up and down (when no one is looking)! There are plenty of sites online about exercises you can do at your desk. I'm exercising while others are hitting up the snack machine or the candy bowl.

[Over43]

I haven't used my kettlebells in sometime, but I have taken them to work with me in the past. Pavel T. has a system that he calls "greasing the groove", every hour do a set of 5 reps of an exercise throughout the day. One arm presses are always the safest. My 8th graders find the kettlebell a bit alien, and always want fart around with it.

[babyprrr]

This sounds like a great idea, I might start doing revision for finals on treadmill at the gym or start doing the 5 reps an hour thing at home

[wosnes]

This sounds like a great idea, I might start doing revision for finals on treadmill at the gym or start doing the 5 reps an hour thing at home

It's not quite the same thing, but my daughter studies when she's using the treadmill and elliptical machines.

[Blithe Morning]

There was a NY Times blog about this a while back. I actually went out an bought a fit ball to use in my office. I don't think I'm burning very many extra calories because of it. But it's fun to bounce on. It's hard to stay stressed when I'm bouncing. I feel like Tigger.

[paulawylma]

I had a long detailed post with proper attributions really to post when my computer suddenly restarted without warning for updates that I didn't know anything about.

So except to say that the eariler studies of Levine is covered in the book The Fidget Factor by Frank and Victor Katch. They include charts showing how may calories you can burn off (depeding on your weight) doing things like stretching a rubber band and squeezing a rubber ball while sitting (1.4 for the rubber band and 2.0 for the ball for a 150 lb person). I don't remember to use my ball often enough to make a difference yet, but I like the match. Burning 2 extra calories a minute for 4 hours (I sit for 7.5 hours a day) would burn up 480 calories a day!

It's a matter of making it a habit, I guess.

[wosnes]

I probably should have posted this here:

I think we forget how much a little exercise adds up over time. I saw this on the Today Show yesterday. I'm against the use of low-fat foods, but it worked for this lady.

We're so inactive compared to 30+ years ago. It's not been that long ago that we had to get up to change the channel on the TV, open the garage door and even answer the telephone. All of the labor and time saving devices have drastically cut down the movement in our lives. It's not a good thing!

I'm a big fan of lifestyle exercise -- and I love these quotes from Clara Cannucciari who wrote Clara's Kitchen:

If you don't think you have time to exercise, just clean your kitchen. I think it's kind of silly -- the people jogging. Scrubbing my floors and counters makes everything strong and my kitchen looks good.[

I like the old ways, and I always did. Even back then I didn't like change too much. I like scrubbing the floor clean on my hands and knees with a hard-bristled brush. It doesn't get clean any other way.

Walk to the grocery store. Because if you don't have a large car trunk to store things, you'll be forced to buy only what you can comfortably carry, which is most likely all you need.

Always use the stairs. People tell me that I shouldn't be going up and down my stairs at my age, but I need them -- they keep me limber. So what if we wear out our shoes if we keep ourselves fit?

While I think walking to the store is a great idea, I don't do that. But I do walk the dog 2-3 times daily and I'm consciously trying to spend another 15-30 minutes daily doing something physical around the apartment.

[finallyfull]

I sometimes wonder if house and yard work adds up much. I never get out of breath doing it, so I wonder if I'm getting the cardio/aerobic workouts of our forebearers.

I am terrible about cleaning and boy would my house love it if I spent more time cleaning and doing yard work. Every time I go running or on the treadmill or lift weights (which isn't very often) I feel guilty because my lawn needs to be mowed, I need to vacuum, whatever.

If I could see a good study that would prove housework every day was better than "exercise" sporadically, that would be a huge motivator. I feel great after a run (when I force myself out there, which isn't regular enough), but it doesn't get my floor scrubbed.

Anyone seen any good studies?

[wosnes]

I sometimes wonder if house and yard work adds up much. I never get out of breath doing it, so I wonder if I'm getting the cardio/aerobic workouts of our forebearers.

I am terrible about cleaning and boy would my house love it if I spent more time cleaning and doing yard work. Every time I go running or on the treadmill or lift weights (which isn't very often) I feel guilty because my lawn needs to be mowed, I need to vacuum, whatever.

If I could see a good study that would prove housework every day was better than "exercise" sporadically, that would be a huge motivator. I feel great after a run (when I force myself out there, which isn't regular enough), but it doesn't get my floor scrubbed.

Anyone seen any good studies?

I don't place much faith in studies. But prior to the 70s when few people were overweight, and even fewer obese, they didn't go to gyms -- housework and yard work were the major forms of exercise.

Laundry is an example. From the time I was born until sometime in the 90s the washer and dryer were in the basement. So there was a trip down and up the stairs each time a load of laundry needed to be put in the washer and taken out of the dryer. If you lived in a two story home, there was another trip up and down the stairs to put the laundry away. Plus it used to be that all laundry was hung up on a clothes line. So you had to go out to hang it all up and then go out and take it all down. Lots of bending and stretching to do that. During the winter there might be a line hung in the basement or garage.

Mowing the lawn is another example. Most people with anything but the smallest of lawns now have a riding mower. Used to be we walked behind the mower to mow -- even with a very large lawn. And if it was a manual push mower, you worked a little harder than with a power mower.

All those little things add up to a lot of calories we're not burning anymore.

It would be good for us to make life a little less convenient. There are benefits beyond the extra calories burned!

[oolala53]

I have no doubt that housework done consistently would trump formal exercise done sporadically. Maybe instead of having a Habitcal for shovelglove, you could set the timer for 14 minutes and sweep, scrub, straighten briskly instead. Do it for a 21-day streak and see what happens. My biggest issue is sorting and dealing with PAPER! Not much calorie burn there.

I live in SoCal and do often use a clothesline. It does take energy, surprisingly, esp. when the clothes are wet. But, being single and having a lot of underwear, I don't have to do laundry often enough to make much of a difference.

I'm going to experiment with using my mini-stair stepper while I do dishes. Never have lived with a dishwasher.

I've also taken to watching fitness info-mercials and I find I've been putting in my 14 minutes more consistently while I watch them. I get in a little yoga, too. Sounds silly, huH? I never buy the program and feel pretty smug in my addled mind about getting something for free.

[wosnes]

I've been known to get up and march in place or do movements like those on Leslie Sansone's walking videos during commercials on TV. I don't have steps in my apartment, but there are steps in the foyer up to the second floor. I've gone out there and and "stepped", too.

I'm still no where as active as I used to be (for health reasons), but it all adds up.

[finallyfull]

Oolala said: "I have no doubt that housework done consistently would trump formal exercise done sporadically. Maybe instead of having a Habitcal for shovelglove, you could set the timer for 14 minutes and sweep, scrub, straighten briskly instead. Do it for a 21-day streak and see what happens."

I am going to do it starting Monday! All I have to lose is dirt and flab.