Bored at work? Burn some calories!

[RickyFitbit]

Hi everyone! 

Want to know a great way to stay in shape and burn calories while at work? 

So, I based this thread off of one of our awesome work days here at Fitbit. Every Wednesday our office celebrates Work Out Wednesdays. (WOW)! On Wednesdays, we come to work mentally and physically prepared to work it out! We focus on a specific workout for that day. The best part is that it can be done in any office! Like this week, we're doing push ups to increase endurance and strength. We start off with 10 pushups and then increase by 5 every hour. If you're wondering, yes, it gets really tough after lunch but, its a GREAT way to keep burning calories, relieve stress at work AND it only takes a minute or two to do! Who knows, maybe you can get your office or a group to participate in a wourkout sesh like this?!

What other workouts are simple, fast and can be done at work to burn calories and stay fit!? Please share and join us tomorrow for WOW! #westartat9am 

[HelenaFitbit]

That sounds epic! I can't imagine sprinting up and down the stairs 

[RickyFitbit]

Hey everyone! I'm sorry I've been absent in this thread, so busy lately with all of the new gadgets out there!

Awww! I'm sorry to hear that @BeeGee16 ! That's unfortunate! I hope one day in the near future you can get it back up and running!

OMG @purplerose3 I used to be in a room like that when I was in college! I was an assistant manager for a tele-marketing firm. I lasted a week. 

@MrsKitty I do too! 

@furfarok That's insane and I love it!  I'll try to see if anyone in my office wants to do that.....

@HelenaFitbit I know right!? I'm going to try it...

@WendyB I'm at the airport doing wall sits .... thanks for encouraging me to feel the burn in my thighs... 

[SunsetRunner]

In pretty lucky. We have a full size gym at my work. Some times i get too busy and cat keave my desk. I have 2 15lbs weights under my desk. Every couple of hrs, i do a few sets of bicep curls, overhead presses and take a brisk 5 min walk around the floor.

[KatheeM]

I'm in proessional dress/heals all day. What kind of excerise do you suggest I could do without changing at lunch? @RickyFitbit Not able to do push-ups in the office. LOL 🙂 I take the stairs several times a day, but still need more. Suggestions are much appreciated.

[thistimeforreal]

I work at a call center so it's really hard to move around, but I like doing wall sits on my cubicle when I can, then when I'm alone in the office, I'll get out my set of 5lb weights and just do random arm workouts like bicep curls. 

[RickyFitbit]

Heels eh!? @KatheeM Heels are a workout on their own if you ask me! Also, doing any extra strenuous movements (we're not all Beyonce.. ... I love her...) in heels can create a lot of pain. But if you want to really feel the burn, you should totally do some wall sits! If all else fails, kick those heals off and get down to business! 

I'm trying to think of other workouts that won't be strenuous in heels....any suggestions out there? 

@thistimeforreal Yeah! Great ideas! @KatheeM A pair of weights at work, if possible, is awesome! 

[WendyB]

@KatheeM  You can do Wall Push Ups. They can be just as effective

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a6YHbXD2XlU

[mab1955]

I work alone in an office on the ground floor of an apartment building. I set the microwave timer for 30 minutes and I go out and run up and down the srtairs 1 1/2 times. I started out at once per hour and have steadely increased. I also pace while I talk on the phone.

[divedragon]

I'm a road warrior and on client sites most of the time, so have to maintain somewhat of a professional bearing; however, I recently bought a set of exercise bands that I can carry in my suitcase.  On site I store them at my desk.  I work with software and there are always times when you have wait for a build to complete, a script to run or any number of things that give you 1 minute or 5 to sit.  I grab the bands and do a quick set of something.  I've just started this prior to Christmas break and pre-fitbit, so I'm more motivated to take advantage of those times when I return.

In the meantime, I'm spending time in the basement with the bowflex and treadmill to get a jump start on my new year return.

[RickyFitbit]

@WendyB I knew you were going to suggest something awesome... 

Whoa @mab1955 ! I've never heard of setting the microwave... but that makes sense! What are you cooking in the microwave for 30 minutes though.... it must be a low powered microwave... anyways, that's awesome. You must keep me updated when you reach two and three times! 

Woot! It sounds like you're on track for the New Years @divedragon ! I had a bad accident with exercise bands...one smacked me in the face when I was young and I never looked back. I'm glad they're working out for you though! Actually, I think I will invest in keeping weights at my job. By the way, the Bowflex is awesome. 

[WendyB]

@RickyFitbitI have had the bands break before but never got smacked in the face. I wouldnt use again either if that happened.

I should take some weight to my job thats a good idea!

[PaleoCrossfit]

Every time I go to the restroom, I do 50 squats.

[Jabrat]

I have three floors to walk in my law firm - I can get some steps on my lunch hour !  

[ChaChiZ]

This is a great thread, I'm always in need of ideas while at the office. I work on a floor that's so quiet you can hear a pin drop....and there are surveillance cameras everywhere so for me to make any movement is a challenge in its own. There are lots of stairwells so I need to make more use of them and not rely on the elevator so much. Sitting all day isn't doing me any good. Time to make some small changes to my routine.

🙂 

[HelenaFitbit]

@ChaChiZ Use your break or lunch and run those stairs! 

[sdbelle10]

I'm currently working at a movie theater (not the most glamorous but hey its better than nothing til i find a better job) and I'm actually going to miss it if I find my way to a desk job. I stand the entire shift (sans my break time) and I am generally constantly walking. If I'm working register, I'll do squats or lunges when there's not a lot of customers (even though I'm on camera so I bet my manager gets a good laugh!). I'm currently also working on wall sits and will sometimes do wall push ups! 

[WendyB]

@sdbelle10 that's awesome! Keep at it 🙂 My thoughts exactly who cares what they see 🙂

[PilatesLover]

I am new to my FitBit One and love the flights of stairs function!  It is motivating me to use the staircase in our building - it's only one flight but I go up and down it periodically throughout the day.  

I also keep a TheraBand in my office and use it periodically to stretch out my shoulders and arms.  Now I march in place while using it.  And when the weather/work schedule permit, I walk at lunch.

[Jodi6682]

So this seems like something most people should figure out, but lately I've been walking to my coworker's offices instead of sending them an email or calling them. I work in an office, so I'm sitting a LOT, which is bad for an active person like me! I usually get up about once an hour to go do this, and it helps me reach my steps goal as well as I'm being active at work.

I'm also the wellness champion for our location (it sounds a lot more glamorous than it really is lol) so I often do exercises in my office. Squats, lunges, pushups and planks are my favorites. In the warmer months I walk around the outside of the building and in the colder months I walk around the hallways. I work in heels, so I just be sure I keep some flats at the office for when I'm doing exercises. If your work has a wellness committee I'd reccommend joining it.Coworkers will question it less if you're on the wellness committee. haha

[Baltoscott]

Great thread, @RickyFitbit --

The Challenge Group https://www.fitbit.com/group/229MZQ does a WOW too, only it means Walk Off Wednesday.  I think it has been going for about 2 years now.  The idea is to pick a metric (most folks use steps but I do steps, floors and pushups), and post what you did on Wednesday.  The following week, you try to beat what you did the prior week.  Some people are pretty good at starting low and upping it just a bit every Wednesday so as to keep a long streak going. A few people have done 10 weeks.  My best is eight. Eventually you have to reset, but it is all fun.

As far as office exercises go, my favorite is stairs. My office building has 7 floors, and I usually can 50-100 floors/day at work.  I never take the elevator unless I'm with a group going to lunch (and the bathroom I use is 7 floors away), and instead of email or the phone I usually go see my coworkers in person, after walking 7 flights.