Options to maximize movement outside of office. Am I doing enough?

[chelsea_harper]

Hi all! There's been so much lately in the news about how bad it is for us to sit all day at an office job and it's been on my mind. I'm currently a PhD student which means long office hours from about 9-5, pretty much entirely sedentary. I try to be fit and active however and I work out for around 45-70 minutes 5-6 x a week (70 minutes of lifting 4 x a week, 45 minus of HIIT 1-2 x a week). With that in mind, I still don't know if that's enough to combat the fact I'm on my arse for so long every day. When I get home I do housework, cook, but then often spend an hour or two watching Netflix and chilling on the sofa with my boyfriend.

I've been thinking about how to increase my steps. Currently I have the option of either cycling for ~12-13 minutes to get to work (so there and back would be about 25 minutes of cycling) or walking for 35 minutes (which would be 70 minutes of walking). I'm not so interested in calories burned but would walking be better if it means I'm actively moving for a longer time? On days I go to the gym this would mean almost two and a half hours of solid exercise which sounds like quite a good amount.

What are your thoughts? Am I massively overthinking this? Are neither better or worse? Is it enough that I'm working out so frequently?!

 

[dawn16]

@chelsea_harper From what I've read, it seems like it's long periods of uninterrupted sitting that are the worst - think sitting down and watching TV for 3+ hours straight without getting up at all. There's apps you can get to remind you to get up and move periodically (if you have a smart watch/fitness tracker, probably built into that), or just set a timer on a watch to remind you to get up and move around a little every hour.

I'd cycle rather than walk (unless you prefer the walk), but then try and get a short walk in at some point during the day.

 

[chelsea_harper]

@dawn16 I think I may try and incorporate a lunch time walk

 

[raptureman2020]

@chelsea_harper Which do you like better? Cycling or walking? I would just do that. Like others said, you are doing great. Think of this commute "exercise" as your fun time to really relax and get in/out of work mode. Personally, I would take a nice long stroll

 

[chelsea_harper]

@raptureman2020 It depends on the day I guess My mood changes and then my preference for one over the other does too!

 

[maggiem8gs]

@chelsea_harper By all means walk or cycle to work, much better than driving IMO - my daily walking commute is great for my mental health too! But that's not going to break up your extended period of sitting.

You'd probably get more benefit not by adding more periods of extended activity (the walk or cycle), but by making a conscious effort to get up and move throughout your work day. Try to get up at least one every half hour, do some stretches, try pacing for a bit or standing up to look at something instead of doing it all seated, etc. Definitely get out and about for a bit at lunch.

Don't obsess over this. You can also make yourself unhealthy by running yourself ragged and not getting enough rest and social interaction.

 

[sculptedheart]

@chelsea_harper I think it sounds like you are getting well above the American Heart Association recommendations for cardiovascular health (from their website: 25 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity at least 3 days per week for a total of 75 minutes; or a combination of moderate- and vigorous-intensity aerobic activity, and for lowering blood pressure and cholesterol an average 40 minutes of moderate- to vigorous-intensity aerobic activity 3 or 4 times per week.)

So it sounds like you are going above and beyond the minimum for basic health and are probably pretty fit assuming you eat well!

Of course it doesn't hurt to be as active as you can. I work a desk job myself and try to do little things to get off my butt:
- We have parking garage passes but I do street parking further away which has the added benefit of saving me $900 per year in garage fees.
- I work on the 3rd floor but never take the elevator.
- Going to the store or other errands I don't spend time searching for close parking spots. Who cares about getting the "closest" spot when it takes time driving around anyways?
- I try to get up periodically to go refill my water bottle, grab coffee, etc. Any excuse to get off my butt.
- I'm getting a standing desk soon which will be nice to at least not be SITTING all day.

Anyways, I think you're overthinking it and are already doing great. But if you want to walk/bike to work it wouldn't hurt if you actually enjoy it; I like my 20 min walk to/from my car, it gives me time to just think and not be actively doing things for once.

 

[chelsea_harper]

@sculptedheart I don't even have a car so the options are bike/walk or pay for public transport! As a grad student I try to remind myself not to waste money on public transport out of pure laziness.

 

[takkula]

@chelsea_harper I'm exactly the same as you! I lift 4 times a week and try to do hiit 2 times. I also live a 10 minute cycle/25 minute walk to work.

Whenever I cycle, I feel lazy and like I am not doing as much exercise as I should. I try to walk to work as much as possible and I feel better when I do it.

I also noticed I can eat about 100-200 calories more on days that I walk from the extra active time.

When I walk I listen to podcasts which adds to the fun!

 

[chelsea_harper]

@takkula I think maybe I need to get a good list of podcasts!

 

[takkula]

@chelsea_harper I'm listening to small town murder on Spotify at the moment which is interesting!

 

[tryharder]

@chelsea_harper I have cycle commuted year round in the pacific northwest since spring of 2012 with one-way distances ranging from 8 min mostly flat to 35 min of hills to everywhere in between. Commuting up to 15 minutes energizes me in such a good way for the day. Mental health benefits abound. More than that and, if I am doing it 5 days a week, it starts to weigh on me. If I am just cycling around 2-4 days/week then more than 15 min is fine. My current commute is the 35min hilly one and I am doing it 5x a week and it is slowly eating my soul and motivation and for sure affecting my athletic performance in other areas (sports, gym, etc). I am SO STOKED that I only have to do it until the end of this month.

TLDR if your commute is 12-13 minutes, for mental health ALONE I would recommend giving it a shot. If you have any questions about safe/practical/functional cycle commuting let me know

 

[chelsea_harper]

@tryharder Yeh my bike commute is pretty quick, I just get lazy about it sometimes cos there's a huge hill on my way in

 

[kimberly1988]

@chelsea_harper I am also a PhD student who struggles with getting off my butt. Reading your post was like reading my own thoughts, with the exception of what we do for exercise. (You lift and I run.)

I decided this year that I will be walking to my office at least 4 times a week, weather permitting. I also like a 35 minute walk away from the office, but it the perfect amount of time to listen to most podcasts and mentally plan out my goals for the day or just decompress on my way home. It can be tedious to have to leave a little bit earlier in the morning, but overall I think my walks to and from school are often the best part of my day.

 

[chelsea_harper]

@kimberly1988 I agree! I think I'll try mixing and matching between cycling and walking and just accept I may need to leave home earlier sometimes.

 

[uncleabee]

@chelsea_harper Not to be a product pusher, but I work an 8-5 desk job so I bought a Fitbit and I LOVE it. I got an Alta HR and a brown leather strap, so it looks just like a watch. I set an 8000 step goal for the day, which is easy for me to get to every day if I take a walk on my lunch break (I usually shoot for 10,000, but I would feel bad if I didn't get there, so I lowered it). It reminds me to get up and move every hour (prompts you to take 250 steps). The other feature is a silent alarm, which I swear changed my life. I love waking up to my wrist softly vibrating, rather than my phone buzzing. I even like the "community" aspect of it, where I can compete against my friends with fitbits to see who can get the most steps in a week. I'm 29, so I don't feel like they're just for "older people", it's really just replaced my usual watch with some bonus features. Ultimately, it is really helping me cope with my desk job, so I'd recommend it as an option!

 

[chelsea_harper]

@uncleabee I do actually have a polar A300 and it buzzes every hour I've been sitting without moving which I love as otherwise I'd definitely sit for too long. I think walking on my lunch break is definitely something I should think about doing.

 

[dawn16]

@chelsea_harper (I say this as I've barely moved from my chair in the last 2.5 hours at my desk job...) i TRY my best to listen to the silent alarms on my fitbit every hour to get up and move. I try to take a lap around my building (outside if it's nice, inside if it's not). It really adds up a few thousand steps over the day. I also try to take walks for 20-30 min at lunch, so this is in addition to 4-5 days of working out.

 

[haleyn13]

@chelsea_harper It depends on the type of work you do. Lab work is usually more active than computer work because you have to walk around to get/dispose of chemicals, move to an acid cabinet, etc. Even though exercising is great for obvious reasons, I'm not sure it's possible to counteract all effects of 8-12 hours of idle sitting/standing plus another 7-9 hours of lying down to sleep with 1-2 hours of exercise a day. Standing desks aren't that much better imo, if you're genetically predisposed to varicose veins or even if you are not, standing still for long periods is just as bad as or worse than sitting.

I think it does help to get up every 20 minutes, end each hour with a few minutes off and have an active lunch break because this gets the blood flowing (if I remember correctly there was a study that showed doing this reduces the effects of sitting). Walk around, get a cup of water/tea/coffee, do a few squats/pushups, stretch, readjust to proper posture, squeeze a ball to get the blood flowing in your wrists, stretch your hands, etc.

edit: typos.

 

[chelsea_harper]

@haleyn13 For about 9 months of the year I'm entirely desk based, and the other 3 I'm out in the field doing intense physical work all day so it varies. Obviously when doing fieldwork I'm moving enough but perhaps it's the contrast and going back to desk work that I find so tough! An active lunch break is a great shout.