LITTLE ROCK — Q: I am a young adult from Little Rock who works 10 to 12 hours [daily] five days a week along with two hours of commute time. I have enjoyed reading your columns and have applied some of your advice, such as eating consistently throughout the day to maintain my energy levels and taking time to get out of my chair and stretch when I have breaks. I also do push-ups and sit-ups when I can during my break time. My problem is I only have about 30 minutes a day to devote to an actual workout. I don’t live close to a gym, so I run sprints up the hill by my house or do an at-home workout on my mat. My back muscles have become noticeably weaker; I have gained weight, and I am falling out of shape. I don’t sleep as well when I don’t get a quality workout, and consequently I am more stressed at work. What do you think is the most optimal way to spend these 30 minutes a day?
- Energetic Workaholic
Sitting at a computer for 12 hours a day, five days a week can take a toll on your mental and physical health.
You are wise to recognize that daily exercise not only keeps your body in shape but also helps to relieve stress.
Studies show that sitting for long periods of time leads to many health-related problems, such as diabetes and obesity. I’m encouraged when I see young adults looking for creative ways to stay healthy while managing successful careers that require long hours in an office.
Using breaks during your workday to stretch and exercise maximizes your limited free time. Sitting at a computer with bad posture will cause your shoulders to round and your head to jut forward. Remember to sit up tall using your back and abdominal muscles; keep your shoulder blades tucked together and your ears in line with your shoulders.
Desks that allow you to stand up while working are becoming more available and offer a way to practice good posture while standing and the opportunity to burn more calories.
Doing push-ups at work is admirable.
Push-ups primarily strengthen the chest and front of your shoulders, so it is important to strengthen your upper back muscles to create balanced strength on the front and the back of your body. If you ignore your back muscles while strengthening your chest muscles excessively, the imbalance creates a rounded shoulder and concave chest, causing lower back problems.
I suggest limiting your push-ups to two sets, three days a week.
If, for instance, you take two morning breaks, perform one set of push-ups during each break on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. In the afternoon, use your break time to do the bird dog to strengthen you lower back.
Also do the following stretch for your chest muscles: Stand between a door frame with your elbows bent and forearms on each door frame, and lean forward until you feel a gentle stretch. Hold this position for one minute without arching your back.
During your breaks on Tuesday and Thursday, I suggest the following exercises: plank to downward dog, holding for 30 seconds and repeating two times; elbow planks and elbow side planks, holding each position for up to a minute; wall squats (with your back flat against the wall and your knees bent to 90 degrees with your ankles under your knees), holding for up to three minutes; and cat/cow (a yoga pose), repeating 10 times.
On the weekend, go to your gym for an hour strength-training workout. Work the major muscles in your body except your chest, since you have sufficiently exercised it during the week with your push-ups.
During this workout, perform three sets of a seated row exercise and three sets of a lat pull down (which strengthen the upper back) to balance the six sets of push-ups you completed during the week.
In addition, I encourage you to attend a yoga class at your gym over the weekend, where you can learn stretches for your overly tight muscles and breathing exercises to help you relax. Practice these stretches during your breaks in your work week.
Using your breaks during the workday for stretching and strengthening allows you to use the entire 30 minutes for cardiovascular exercise every day.
Running is easy to do from home. An all-out effort for 30 minutes will relieve stress, help you sleep better and burn more calories. If you run at the end of the day, eat something an hour before you run, to give you energy to have a productive workout.
If you feel tired when you begin your workout, jog slowly for 30 minutes or use your mat at home to practice stretching and relaxation breathing techniques.
You are setting a good example for your co-workers - as well as your employer - by taking control of your life and not falling into the unhealthy patterns that result from working too many hours. Your example results in compounding benefits: If you eat better and exercise regularly, then you will sleep better and therefore be more focused, energetic and productive at work.
But I don’t need to preach to an energetic workaholic about the benefits of exercise. He knows what he needs to do; his problem is carving out the time to do it. The steps laid out in this column should allow him to maximize his workout time. Taking these steps ensures that he does not have to choose between working long hours and being in good shape: He can be a workaholic and a workoutaholic.
Write to personal trainer Janet Roget in care of ActiveStyle at P.O. Box 2221, Little Rock, Ark. 72203, or e-mail
ActiveStyle, Pages 23 on 01/28/2013