Well, this has been a crazy few months! As you may know, I
began the summer with a juice cleanse and the intention of blogging tons. Well,
unfortunately, the real world got in the way. Even though I thought I’d have
more free time, my full-time summer internship, spending precious non-work time
with friends, and preparing for grad school has kept me a lot busier than I
expected!
However, in the downtime I have had, I have been enjoying
tons of wellness blogs, books, and more. It has been a summer full of self
-discovery and experimenting, and I have so much to share!
Let’s start with what I’ve done every day, 5 days a
week…worked a desk job.
Don’t get me wrong, my internship has been an amazing professional
experience, my team is absolutely fantastic, and I am so thankful for the
opportunity.
Nevertheless, I literally could do my job without standing
up for more than 5 minutes if I wanted to. Now for someone like me, who loves
to move and be active, this was hard…very, very hard (biggest understatement in
the world).
Sitting for so long made me feel like I was turning to mush.
My metabolism 100% slowed down. I came home exhausted from just sitting all
day, and hence sat some more. I didn’t feel good in my body, and I was plain
old cranky. Very very cranky. The first few weeks went like this, until I
decided to implement some much needed changes. If you google exercises to do at
work, you’ll find some crazy ideas that even I am not comfortable doing in the
work place. So here is how I personally survived my desk job, without looking
like a total crazy person.
1. I
became a morning person.
This
seems like an impossible feat while in college. Getting up before 9? What? Yet
all it takes is a few days of practice, and becoming a morning person becomes second
nature. Today is Sunday, and I naturally woke up at 7. Who am I?! Anyway,
getting up early has allowed me to get up and work out every day (or every day
I want to) , and often times meditate, before work. I feel so much better
sitting down for my daily job duties, already having gotten my blood pumping
and my muscles moving earlier in the day. I love when I’m super sore or tired,
in which cases I welcome sitting, knowing my body needs a little rest time.
Days where I don’t get to work out before work…the mush feeling sets in, and
I’m totally restless. But, as always, one needs to listen to their body. Some
days we need a complete rest day…don’t be scared of that either!
2. I
learned to become an intuitive eater.
In
Miami, I was constantly running around from class to class, meeting to meeting.
My metabolism was always humming, and I could eat a lot during the day and stay
at a happy, light, weight. I kind of knew what I ate everyday, and with my
active schedule, it worked. Well, when I started sitting for long periods of
time, it became apparent that I didn’t need to eat as much as I used to. My
metabolism wasn’t revving as much, and my body showed when I was eating more
than necessary. For so long, I just kind of ate the same thing every day
without thinking, believing I always needed the same amount, even if I was full. This summer I learned to really listen to my body, and
realize when I truly need a snack. The amount I eat has gone down
significantly, but for the time being, so has the amount I move. Makes sense I
suppose? Now, at work, I pack all of my own healthy snacks and lunches, so I
feel good about what I am putting into my body, and can gauge how much fuel I
need each day. It’s hard not to just eat out of boredom, and it’s something
I’ve been improving upon all summer. I’m excited to be back on a student
schedule, and maybe I will need to start eating more again then. At least now I can recognize what kind of fuel my body requires.
3. I
boycotted the elevator.
My
office is located on the fifth floor, and yes, even I took the elevator for the
first few weeks. I was once told by a nutrition expert that the whole “taking
the stairs” thing doesn’t really make difference, that our body’s temperatures
and metabolisms adjust to that very easily, so it’s not super effective. Well,
let me tell you, walking up those stairs everyday has made me feel a lot
better. Each morning I walk up 5 floors. Lunchtime is another daily trip. Even
if it’s not nice outside for me to eat at out picnic tables, I do a round of
stairs anyway. Sometimes, I’ll use restrooms on different floors just to get
moving, and just wander around the office in general. I figure as long as I complete all of my
required tasks, it’s ok to do so. It’s amazing how moving more during the day makes
me have more energy after work!
4. I do
jumping jacks in the bathroom.
Confession
of a wellness junkie: It’s true. I do jumping jacks in the bathroom. This may
seem ridiculous. But, in comparison to some suggestions I saw online, this is
nothing. Whenever I am alone in the restroom, I bang out at least 40 jumping
jacks, and wiggle around a little. I get my blood flowing, and my heart
pumping. Does this actually have any physical benefit? Who knows. Does it make
me feel better? Absolutely. And that is what matters.
5. I
walk everyday after work
About half way through this summer, I stopped napping after work and
began walking. Not intense walking, just leisure walking. After sitting all
day, simply walking either outside or on the treadmill feels amazing. While on
the treadmill I’ll take time to myself to read, or watch the news. I go for at least
a mile (20 minutes), and often more. It just feels so good to make up for some
of the movement lost throughout the day. When it’s nice out, I walk with
friends, enjoy nature, and have long talks. Sometimes, I run errands and just stay on my feet for a while. Walking is so underrated. It helps
lower our cortisol levels, which is vital for the maintenance of a healthy
weight and body.
Implementing these few changes have helped me feel a lot
better, even while working a desk job. I come home with much more energy, have
a much better attitude, and have been able to keep my body a lot happier! As
someone whose future career will be in Human Resources, this experience has
made me even more passionate about giving employees options such as adjustable
stand up desks in the office to avoid sitting for so long. I am excited to look
into how to make wellness initiatives more mainstream in the business world in
the future.
How can you get a little more active at your desk job? Experiment,
and find what works for you! Let me know if you have any fun ideas yourself!
Can’t wait to write more =)
Be Well.
Love, Julie
awesome!
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