Posted by Healthy Bitch Daily on Mar 21, 2013
Holed up in cubicle hell?
Whether you're stuck in a meeting with your snively co-workers or waist-deep in paperwork, there are just those days when a workout ain't gonna happen. And if you're in your first year at a desk job? Prepare to pack on pounds, as a recent study found that newbie office girls can gain, on average, about 11 pounds in their first year at a new gig.
If you're OCD like me and like to track your calorie intake and expenditure, however, it's not impossible to rack up your total burn doing normal stuff—even if you're rocking a pantsuit and heels. According to fitness experts, by increasing your Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis (NEAT) burn (the stuff you do that can't be considered a workout but that still burns calories), you can torch an additional 350 calories per day if you're overweight.
Do these simple tasks to get your blood pumping and heart rate up:
Task: Offer to organize
Burn: 240 calories/hour
Is there a break room that needs tidying? Does your desk need a makeover? Spend an hour or two organizing a space at your office. Activities like cleaning, lifting boxes or making trips to the dumpster will keep you moving around and burning calories. If there aren’t any big projects to be done, spend 20 minutes on something small, like refilling the computer paper in all of the office printers or cleaning out the kitchen refrigerator.
Task: Run errands
Burn: 175 calories/hour
If you normally send an intern to pick up supplies, offer to do it yourself. Take care of office errands, such as going to the post office or getting lunch for the team. Go to stores that are within walking distance or park your car at the far end of the parking lot wherever you go. An hour of running errands can get your heart rate up and help you burn calories when you’d normally be sitting at your desk doing, well, nothing. Right?
Task: Walk during lunchBurn: 375 calories
If you normally take a half-hour lunch so you can leave work earlier, consider taking a longer lunch so you can fit in your burn on a day you can't hit the gym. Go for a brisk walk during your break. Alternate bouts of power walking (walking at a pace where you can talk but not sing) for five minutes with a minute or two of a slightly slower speed (here's a handy-dandy plan). You may have to leave the office later, but you also won’t have to fit in a workout when you’re tired after a long day.
Task: Always take the stairsBurn: 7 calories per minute
You've heard it before—always take the stairs. But here's why: Dr. Cedric Bryant, chief science officer for the American Council on Exercise, says that a 150-pound person can burn about 7 calories a minute walking up stairs. If you work in a high-rise building or even if you’re just on the second story, always take the stairs instead of the elevator. During a normal workweek, you’ll burn calories several times a day when you’re leaving for client meetings or coming back from your lunch break. If you’re motivated, sprint up and down the stairs to get your heart rate up even higher.
Task: Stand upBurn: 50 more calories per hour
If you normally sit down during client calls or while organizing your papers, stand up. According to the British Journal of Sports Medicine, you'll burn about 50 more calories per hour standing than sitting. The effort required by your muscles to stand up while doing every day tasks uses caloric juice, baby. When you’re on the phone or doing tasks that don’t require you to sit, get up and move around.
Even if you’re not breaking a sweat, staying active at the office over time can be the extra effort needed to lose those five or ten pounds. Vary your routine so you have plenty of opportunities to get up and get moving during the day. Keep a pair of workout clothes and shoes at your desk so you can be active when the mood strikes and motivated to burn calories.
*Numbers are estimates and based on a 150 lb. person.
Image courtesy of adamr / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Mara Tyler, Managing Editor
Mara Tyler is the gal behind Cheap And Simple Vegan Recipes, a no-nonsense blog for vegans who want easy and affordable meals. With a mission to make veganism accessible to anyone, she promotes progress, not perfection. When she’s not making a mess in the kitchen, she can be found reading bad chick lit, scouting out new indie bands or attempting to find bliss in yoga. Visit her website or find her on Facebook at CheapSimpleVegan or follow her on Twitter @maraktyler
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