A different exercise-related everyday system

An everyday system, TM, is a simple, commonsense solution to an everyday problem, grounded by a pun or metaphor. Propose/discuss new systems here.
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larisa0001
Posts: 82
Joined: Tue Apr 26, 2005 5:53 am

A different exercise-related everyday system

Post by larisa0001 » Tue Mar 23, 2010 4:56 am

I've been working crazy 80-hour weeks for the past couple of months. Needless to say, my exercise routine went by the wayside. I've been very good about my piano-related Everyday System (2 hours a day, 6 days a week, with certain exceptions) - and it took all my willpower to do my two hours of piano after getting home at midnight. I tried convincing myself that 14 minutes of Shovelglove - or kettlebells - would not change things one way or the other, but it was just too much.

And then I read an article about how sitting at a desk all day is really really bad for you (slows down your metabolism, increases insulin resistance, etc.), and started thinking - why not bring my nice kettlebell to work, and get up every hour and do about a minute's worth of kettlebell stuff? (I thought of bringing the sledgehammer, but I worried about what HR would say to that... the kettlebell is easier to hide)

I brought it in yesterday. Every hour on the hour, I'd get up and swing it around, or do some other sort of kettlebell exercise, for a little - a minute or two, not more. Did that today too. I am hoping that this keeps me from gaining any more weight or losing any more muscle. This crazy time at work is supposed to last until August, and one can gain a lot of weight in 4 months - I'd like to nip that in the bud. (a friend of mine gained 70 lbs. in one year from working this kind of hours ... I really am quite scared)

Does anyone else do this sort of thing, and if so, does it work for you? I tried Googling, and found nothing of any use on whether this sort of spread out workout is a good idea. It's only been a couple of days - too early to really tell whether this works.

I will continue the experiment and report on any results - but advice is appreciated.

mrsj
Posts: 491
Joined: Fri Nov 20, 2009 10:06 am
Location: Denmark

Post by mrsj » Tue Mar 23, 2010 7:38 am

It certainly can't hurt. The last few years I've read and heard a lot about how getting 30 mins. a day of excersize can be done in spurts throughout the day is just as effective as all at once. It should at least help to clear your mind and get some oxygen to your brain. If nothing else, your work will be much more effective.

It's fantastic that you thought about this. If you don't mind, I'd like to use your brilliant idea myself!

Happy Shrinking!
Nothing is impossible-only improbable.

pirateman2k
Posts: 36
Joined: Fri Jul 29, 2005 8:08 pm
Location: Colorado

Post by pirateman2k » Wed Mar 24, 2010 1:46 am

Reminds me of "grease the groove". Can be very effective, especially if you pick a pet lift.

larisa0001
Posts: 82
Joined: Tue Apr 26, 2005 5:53 am

Post by larisa0001 » Thu Mar 25, 2010 5:08 am

mrsj wrote:It certainly can't hurt. The last few years I've read and heard a lot about how getting 30 mins. a day of excersize can be done in spurts throughout the day is just as effective as all at once. It should at least help to clear your mind and get some oxygen to your brain. If nothing else, your work will be much more effective.

It's fantastic that you thought about this. If you don't mind, I'd like to use your brilliant idea myself!

Happy Shrinking!
You're welcome to try it; I really think I've got something there. Here are some thoughts 4 days into it:

First of all, it really does work. My legs are incredibly sore. Kettlebells mostly target the leg muscles - quads and glutes. I'm definitely feeling it in all of the above, as well as my back (in a good way - some muscle being built up).

I also noticed, just after 4 days, that my posture has improved - the same way it did when I used to lift weights on a regular basis. It is easier to stand up straight. This may be all psychological, but I'll take it whatever the source. Also, my hands feel like they're getting stronger - also, probably, pure psychology at this point.

I'm still experimenting with the right mix of exercises to do. I seem to be settling on a mix of kettlebell swings, squats, one-handed rows, one-handed deadlifts, and pushups (against my office desk). Note the absence of "degraded beast" exercises - a stuffy law firm is not the sort of place to grovel on the floor. I do twenty reps (two sets of ten) of an exercise once an hour, trying to alternate leg and arm exercises. Each exercise session lasts a little more than a minute.

So far, no one at the office seems to have noticed, except for my officemate. She thinks I'm weird, but since she's also trying to lose weight, she understands the motivation, at least. I do not try to hide the exercising - I figure the firm should appreciate the steps I'm taking to remain healthy. But at one minute per hour, the exercises are so unobtrusive that it's really quite unnoticeable.

I do not think my work quality has changed (for the better or for the worse) as a result.

I am intensely curious as to whether this workout method actually has any effect on my waistline or body fat levels. Alas, I do not own a scale or any other measuring device. I have a personal training session this Saturday with my kettlebell instructor, and I will see if I can weigh myself at his studio. Based on the way my body feels after just 4 days of this exercise routine, I think I could easily lose fat this way - but I'd like to get some hard numbers to verify this, and to see if the frequency/intensity of the mini-workouts needs to be tweaked in some way.

Anyhow - so far I am quite pleased with myself. Life is good.

mrsj
Posts: 491
Joined: Fri Nov 20, 2009 10:06 am
Location: Denmark

Post by mrsj » Thu Apr 22, 2010 6:00 am

Take a piece of string, an old shoe lace or scrap of yarn. Tie it tightly around your waist. (Under your clothes. You are allowed bathroom breaks, right?). Cut the string off right at the knot. Put the string in your desk drawer and 1 month later try the string on your waist. There should be a difference.

You might not notice work performance right away, but how are your energy levels and stress levels?

Keep up the good work!

Happy Shrinking!
Nothing is impossible-only improbable.

Royce
Posts: 12
Joined: Mon Apr 26, 2010 2:08 pm

Post by Royce » Thu Apr 29, 2010 5:40 pm

Another kettlebeller here, one minute straight of swings, snatches, jerks or my favorite clean and jerks is alot of tonnage over the course of a 12 hour day. I bet it will work quite well. I would probably add some overhead pressing too just to keep things balanced.

I'm very interested in your results, good luck.

Edit: I missed the pushups. Looks well rounded.

larisa0001
Posts: 82
Joined: Tue Apr 26, 2005 5:53 am

Post by larisa0001 » Sun Jul 18, 2010 6:31 am

An update: once an hour was, in fact, too much. I tweaked my shoulder and had to take a couple of months off from kettlebelling (and most other exercise). Now I'm getting back into it, but being more cautious. For the first couple of weeks, I only did two "mini-workouts" a day. Now, I'm up to three.

I did also add Shovelglove in the evenings, though I mix my Shovelgloving with some other exercises - a few yoga poses, some dumbbell stuff, just to mix things up and to avoid stressing out my hands too much.

We'll see what happens.

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