Happy Labor Day!
In honor of Labor Day, let’s talk about work and labor! (Every labor day I’m reminded of my friend (when we were about 10) asking her Mom if “Labor Day” meant that a lot of women have babies. Ha! Going into labor on Labor Day? How unoriginal.) Kidding!
“Labor Day, the first Monday in September, is a creation of the labor movement and is dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers. It constitutes a yearly national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country.” (Source)
Way to go, workers! Thanks for contributing to our country.
I love my career, but no matter how you slice it, I’m a healthier person when I’m not sitting at a desk in an office everyday. I want to work from home. (No, this isn’t a “I can be lazier at home” thing…I don’t think that’s true at all. I think work-wise, it would take a lot more effort to NOT be at an office.) And this isn’t about my specific job…it’s about corporate jobs. Everyone’s job. How can we make it so that office environments are more synonymous with a healthy lifestyle?
Yes, there are millions of tips and tricks, and maybe it sounds like I’m just being lazy. I’m a big proponent of getting up and MOVING at work. But I’ve noticed a few things in my time back in the office:
-Sitting Syndrome: I’ve been seeing a chiropractor 2 times a week to adjust my hips, back, and neck. My shoulders hunch slightly forward because of “corporate stress”, so he says. I’ve always believed you cannot 100% counteract the effects of sitting and he confirmed this…so I’m doing what I can. I walk for 30 minutes to an hour over lunch. I do squats and lunges in the bathroom. I stand up randomly or when I’m on the phone. I walk to the “far-away” printer. I try to suggest “walking meetings”. All good little activities that I think everyone should work into the work day when you sit at a desk. But regardless, I’m still sitting for the majority of the day…it’s the nature of my job. And I can’t imagine my co-workers would love it if I busted out some burpees in my office hallway! (Although perhaps they would find it mildly entertaining.) Add in the train and driving, and my body simply hates me. Mr. Chiropractor says I have a lot of “positive muscle memory” from exercising, so I suppose that’s good. But not good enough.
Yikes. (Source)
WHY ARE OUR WORKPLACES DOING THIS TO US AND WHAT CAN WE DO ABOUT IT?!
-Nutrition: I simply don’t eat as well. No matter how great my intentions are when it comes to packing healthy lunches, the whole pre-planning thing doesn’t always happen. Or I end up eating my lunch for breakfast. And that’s okay…sometimes. I get that it’s not easy and I have to really focus on planning. But why the HUGE difference between home and work? I’ve noticed myself slowly packing on some pesky pounds ever since I moved back to cube-land. I think it’s more so that I just eat MORE and don’t pay as much attention. When I’m at home, I can wake up and ENJOY my stove-top cooked steel cut oats or an omelette. I slowly enjoy my cup of coffee. When I want a snack, I can get whatever I want and I’ll actually eat it in moderation, instead of having to settle for whatever I packed for the workday. I’m a big fan of the “eating every 2-3 hours” plan. Has anyone else noticed that there is totally a stigma attached with taking a 10 minute break in the middle of the day? I’d love to go somewhere other than my desk and enjoy my apple with peanut butter but a) we don’t have a common area to do this in my office and b) it just looks bad to be “not doing anything”.
-Finances: I spend more money. My train pass is $361 a month. (Do you know how many spinning classes I could take with that?!) I occasionally need a subway ticket. On long days, I buy another cup of coffee or a snack or dinner. It happens. And NYC is expensive!
-Quality of Workouts: My workouts are time-restricted and “muscle-restricted”. Time of day and length of workout are both affected. With my commute, I’m losing a lot of time and energy. I already go to bed around 9:30-10pm and get about 8 hours of sleep. So what should suffer, my workouts or my sleep? Is that a fair choice? (Maybe the commute is more to blame!?) Sometimes my hips and back hurt from sitting, even when I get up and stretch and walk around. Sitting tightens my IT band and hip flexors and in turn my running suffers. (Yoga does help!) And how do I ice my hamstring at work?
Helpful stretches (Source)
-Comfort: I’m just less comfortable. Less comfortable = less energetic. Work pants. Uncomfortable clothes. Sitting. Constant typing. Walking to the office when it’s HOT and in-turn feeling gross all day. Having my day revolve around trains and public transportation. Blah.
Doesn’t this look lovely? I need this office immediately. (Source)
This sounds like is a list of complaints, I know. And I’m sorry. I’m always the first person to tell someone “You CAN do this. You CAN make it work! It’s not easy, but you can find a way to fit fitness and health in every day!” I’m always reminding people that it’s NOT easy, but if you want to do something, you’ll do it. Maybe I should be reminding myself of this. Maybe I need to go back to the basics.
Anatomy of a Healthy Workplace (Source)
I’m seeing my desire to be a full-time blogger to work from home as something simple and positive: I want to fully embody a healthy lifestyle. I want to motivate and inspire others to be healthy and happy. I want to write about it. I want to BE it…to LIVE it. I don’t want to work from home because it’s easier for my lifestyle…although obviously it is. I want to work from home because it’s better for you, in my opinion. It’s healthier to live the life you want to live. It’s healthier to not SIT all day. To do HIIT workouts in your living room over your lunch break and not use those precious few minutes rushing to the gym, changing, and showering, on top of the workout. To actually cook a filling, healthy lunch. To have dinner ready. To work outside and enjoy the sunshine.
All that being said, I will find each and every way to work with my career as it is now. To stay healthy and fit. To enjoy the sunshine.
And last but not least…Happy ProCompression Giveaway Day! The winner is…
Woo hoo Amy! You’re going to love them. Please email me at kararunsblog @ gmail . com with your address!
What are your favorite workday tips? How do you stay healthy at work? Do you sit all day? And again, I ask: WHY ARE OUR WORKPLACES DOING THIS TO US AND WHAT CAN WE DO ABOUT IT?!
Awesome thoughts, Kara! I’m an elementary school teacher and therefore don’t sit a lot, but when I do I feel it when I stand up! I think the burpees in the hallway are an excellent idea. Throw in some wall squats and planks and you could give the whole office a workout!
Maybe I’ll start a lunchtime interval training session everyday in our conference room…haha!
Ever since I started working from home, it’s really benefited my health. I don’t think companies realize how much it does, but it’s neat to be able to prepare my own lunch in my home and eat fresh foods rather than something packed or something “fast”. Plus, I have my own food so don’t have to worry about vending machines, and I can work out on my lunch break or right before work a lot easier. My office does a few of those things like walking meetings though, so that’s kinda neat. Plus we have people who go out on the breaks and walk the stairs a few times, good to get your heart pumping!
I will send you an email soon… I read the whole blog and then realized I won, hehe! Thanks for hosting the giveaway.
As you know, I’m ALWAYS so jealous when reading your posts about working from home
Congrats on winning!! I’ll get them to you ASAP!
Such a great post, girl! I hate having to sit at my desk all day. It really frustrates me. There has to be a better way, especially with how bad it is for you!
I’ll let you know when I find it
Outstanding blog post! I used to work in an office 2 days per week and work from home the other 3 days. It was PERFECT! I felt healthier and much happier. Now I stand ALL DAY! I know people say its better for your body and health, but it is HARD. My legs and feet ache at the end of the day and I proved to myself last week, that it most definitely affects my running if I attempt to run after work. This leaves me getting up at 5am on days i must be in early. The nature of my current job also does not allow for a break during the day, not even to eat my lunch, let alone sneak out for a walk or quick workout. I hear you loud and clear with this post! There MUST be a better way to keep us healthier and happier. Please let’s find it!!!!!!!!
Thanks, Beth! I wish we could find a balance…everyone seems to be sitting all day or standing all day…it’s hard both ways! Sorry it’s not going so great for you
Let’s find a “cure”!
I’ve been self employed and working from home for the past 15 years and I would NEVER go back to an office, I can tell you. I lead a much healthier, happier lifestyle here than I ever would in an office. I count my blessings on this every day!
You are extremely lucky…I can only hope I’ll be in your position someday
Great post Kara! I am currently looking for a job and I can’t wait to finally have one (hopefully soon). I am still pretty scared since I know that job will be a desk job. I will sit in front of a computer for 8 hours and I know it doesn’t do anything good for me. During an internship, I once worked in front of a computer for 4 month, and I have never felt as bad as I had during that time. I wished I could find something where I could move around all the time, but this is just not how it is nowadays. We can only see that we move more. (Also, I thought train tickets over here were expensive, but they seem cheap compared to what you pay for it!)
I agree-moving more = the best thing for you. There’s no way around it!
Mannn I didn’t win. I felt that way for SURE about sitting in an office. It made me bummed. It didn’t help that I wasn’t a fan of the job either.. I’m doing MUCH better with piano teaching!
I’m always sooo jealous of you, every time I read your posts! So glad the piano teaching thing is going well