Just Move - How I am incorporating exercise without a gym

I think the idea of Cross Fit is awesome. I have three main reasons why I will not join.

1) time - I go to work and I get my kids. There is no one else to make sure dinner is done, the house is clean, and the kids have down time. The truth is I just do not have the time to do something like that for myself.

2)money - with increasing medical bills and now having to add summer camp - and the way things are looking it will merge into after school care bills - there is no money to pay for me to join.

3)embarrassment - anything new always causes me huge amounts of anxiety. To be fair, this third obstacle I could overcome. Yet, with the two first major obstacles there is no point.

I have thought about joining a gym. J and S are both old enough to join as well. However, S would be stuck in some daycare designed for infants. The reality is that there still would not be enough time or money.

So, I had to think outside the box on how I wanted to approach improving my physical fitness. What I decided to start with was simple, making sure that I am moving more.

Why I think the idea of a treadmill desk is awesome, there is no way that I will be getting one at work anytime soon. So, I have improvised. I am walking in place at my desk. Jogging in place by my desk. Taking short breaks by walking around my building, or even just walking around my office. I walk to the printer for every print job I send instead of waiting for all of them to be sent. I find reasons to get up and move.

You can track how much you move by wearing a pedometer. I do not. Mainly because I do not have one. This is where the whole Asperger's thing comes in handy. It is really easy for me to count my steps and still do whatever I need to do. Yep, I count every step I take in increments of 100. Then I go back to my desk and tally them on a post it note. They are hanging on the wall in my office. It probably looks a little creepy, but no one has noticed yet and I only keep a week at a time.

My ultimate goal is to take 10,000 steps during my work day. I am increasing my steps by a minimum of 100 a day. I am currently at a goal of >4600 steps. On Friday I have a break day. Meaning my Friday goals are calculated only based on what I did last Friday. So this Friday I will try to walk more then 2900 steps. I found by Friday I am a bit done for the week, and a decreased goal helps.

When I am at home I do not worry about steps. I just do what I need to to keep the house running.

I have noticed a difference. I can defiantly feel that I am working my muscles. I feel my energy increase. When I am sitting I feel a bit sore, but when I move I feel great. I have also noticed that getting up and taking a short walk helps me to go back and focus on whatever project I am working on. So, it is a huge win for productivity at work as well.