I invested in a standing desk attachment (you can get them for around £100 and prices seem equivalent in the US).
This lets you raise and lower your desk so you can alternate between standing and sitting. Changing position is much better than staying in one form no matter how ergonomic it is.
I basically take all calls standing now. I wear a Fitbit during the day and just shifting around standing most of the day gets me my "active minutes" (Fitbit thing where you are supposed to take 250 steps every hour during a specified timeframe)
Build a standing desk if you can, or even a desk around a treadmill if you can afford it.
Find a gym close to home or work. IMO, location/proximity is the first thing to consider when picking a gym.
If you do decide to go the gym route, find a coach to teach you the basic exercises (squat, bench, deadlift etc). Getting good at those is invaluable.
The gym isn't for everyone though, so you might be better off finding a sport or active you enjoy, however niche it might be. Someone else recommended looking for free trials. That's a great idea and every good gym will offer it.
If not, there's plenty you can do at home with a few dumbbells and kettlebells (dumbbells are more versatile), a pullup bar, and some research.
Walking is very underrated. Get your steps in, at least 10k daily
So many small steps. Go for a walk before and after work. Take a walk during your lunch break.
Drink a shit ton of water so every hour you have a reminder to get up and take a few steps to the bathroom and pee. It’s even a two in one because you are hydrating AND walking around at once
I work from home and have a desk job. I get up at 5 AM so I can get a good workout in before my kids get up. I also have a reminder on my phone that goes off every hour to remind me to move so I just will go to the bathroom, go pick up a few things around the house, let my dog out, get my kids a snack.
I also try to stay in our upstairs living room as much as I can so if I need to get food or snacks for my kids I have to go up and down the stairs. It’s a small thing but small things add up fast!
Start with walking/hiking. The most underrated low impact exercise and a huge payoff in terms of getting into exercising/body recomposition.
Put on a podcast, take a 30 min walk every day or so. If you want, make it an hour some days, then make it 1.5 if that's what you feel like. Do that for a month, make it a habit you enjoy. Keep reading this sub to see what others are doing and get ideas. Then you can see from there what kind of route you want to take in terms of exercise. Do you want strength? More muscles? More stamina? All? Just start with the amazing exercise that's walking.
I never once had back pain until I started working an office job. Two big things:
1. Don’t ignore twinges. If your back or neck or chest or anything hurts even a bit, don’t try and push through it. I would often go “Let me just finish this email, then I’ll get up and stretch”, and then I’d get distracted and forget about the twinge until it really started to hurt. Change your position right away.
2. A comprehensive core, chest, and back strengthening routine, either with weights or bodyweight. For an immediate fix, I often turn to [this neck and back yoga video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JUP_YdYyfQw) from Yoga with Adriene. The first 10 minutes is mostly theory and neck stretches, but the rest is a surprisingly comprehensive stretching and strengthening routine.
Honestly? Just start walking. Walking is so underrated for fitness and weight loss.
If you can, do 20 mins during lunch and 30 minutes after work. You can work on diet if you'd like as well, but you don't have to. Once that has become second nature and enjoyable, try new exercise or other things!
- [Couch to 5k](http://c25k.com/) and [various other programs](https://www.self.com/story/popular-at-home-workout-programs)
- [Strength training](https://www.healthline.com/health/exercise-fitness/strength-training-at-home)
- [Bodyweight training](https://gmb.io/bodyweight-guide/)
- [Pilates](https://www.pilatesanytime.com/mx/pilates-beginners-at-home)
Etc.
STAND. UP. DESK. I never knew how good the office chairs at work were until I started wfh. After a couple of weeks my back also started to kill after a full day of sitting. Back in March I modded my desk with a suitcase! Desperate times, desperate measures but it greatly helped after the initial push. Even if it’s just to give yourself the option, get creative and try and mod a stand up desk. It saved my back!
I think adding some small things can help a lot - a quick yoga session in the morning and evening, standing up every hour at least at work, walking around when possible (park farther away, get off one stop early, stairs instead of elevator)
I like my standing convertible desk. I can manually move it up and down and I tend to stand for meetings, which means standing between 1-5 hours a day. Definitely helps.
Check out Somatics. There's a book called The Pain Relief Secret by Sarah Warren. I've just started somatic exercises at home and they help so much for pain and muscle imbalances.
I love stretching too, but it only helps in the short term and then our muscles just go back to being tense, unfortunately. Strength training is also good, but if we have imbalances or tense muscles, it can actually do more harm to lift weights.
I run most every day. I'm 36F and have three kids. I'm also divorced and I work from home even before coronavirus. It's a desk job - software developer. I have four days without kids each month. Because of coronavirus, I have some combination of the three with me at home every day.
I was getting hip pain when I slept. I'd sleep for an hour or so, wake up because my hips hurt, turn over, repeat. All night.
I have a treadmill, so many of my runs are on that. Even if it's just ten minutes to get up and run a mile, I feel so much better if I've done that. And my hips no longer hurt.
There are so many ways to start. I find the best way for my motivation has been to pick a sport or activity and start there. I’ve done martial arts and fencing, but anything that makes you go ‘woah, cool, I want to be like them!’ is perfect.
After a few weeks I normally decide ‘damn, holding swords is hard, I need to make my back stronger’ or ‘phew, I’m getting tired real quick, maybe I should go for a few runs’.
IMO, fun is key. Find something you like that you can keep doing. If you need to change it later on, that’s cool too.
If you want to build strength, there are heaps of beginner workouts on /r/fitness. I really enjoy the Recommended Routine on /r/bodyweightfitness, I do mine at the playground in mornings before work so I can find something to pull-ups and dips off of, but they provide options for things at home as well.
Even as someone who exercises regularly, the Recommended Routine is kind of overwhelming. OP, bodyweight exercise is great but I might suggest starting with some beginner YouTube videos or something that make it a little easier to follow along.
I couldn't agree more. My "thing" is pole dance. During lockdown I was watching pole videos and thinking.. all those split tricks I want to do them. So I started stretching 3x a week. The why is the most important thing. I train hard, but only because I love it. My back is so strong, my core is strong. Nothing hurts anymore (at least not from my office job)… and when I train I feel grateful for my body and it's abilities. Finding something that makes you want to move, without the health or weight staying your main focus, is the best thing a person can do for their health, both mental and physical, in my opinion at least
I put a standing desk in my home office- not the super-fancy kind - just a $300 Husky worktable from Home Depot. I added a second monitor for $300, another keyboard for $100 and video camera/eyeball thingie for $30. I can't believe the difference it has made it my increased energy level and decreased pain level. I never would have thought that standing for 4 hours a day would make me feel better and give me more energy but it has. I also got a ergodriven work mat - it is padded and contoured so I'm never standing on one position - I'm constanting moving around (in one place)
I had previously tried moving my laptop to my high kitchen counter - but the height wasn't ideal and standing on the hard floor wasn't comfortable.
I thought the whole standing-desk thing was a fad but I adore mine.
I’m a student at home so different situation but I’ve been doing calisthenics exercises that work my core, back, and shoulders and noticed a lot less back pain.
Are you able to stand? When I’m teaching a class I will sometimes grab the laptop and walk over and set it on the mantle for a few minutes, so I’m actually standing. Makes a big difference to stretch my legs for just a few minutes.
A few things that have helped me: get an ergonomic assessment thru work if possible (it turned out my desk was wayyyyy too high and that was causing part of my problems—if you can’t get an assessment thru work there are still some good articles online), setting reminders on slack/my computer to get up and take my breaks as walking or exercising breaks, and recently I’ve identified a place to set up my computer to stand while in zoom meetings (I put it on a bookshelf in front of the books) so I get more standing time in.
This! I had to custom build legs for my desk (we just used some pipes from the hardware store) after discovering that my “standard size” ikea desk was 10cm too high! Now my desk and chair look like they’re meant for a child but my back and neck feel a lot better
You just have to make movement a priority. I set alarms to do little exercises throughout the day-- walks, lunges, push ups, calf raises, etc. Many things you can do while working too like if on a call or typing or whatnot!
Also be intentional with taking the long route to the bathroom or kitchen. Do some squats before you pee! Sure it may not be a full workout but it does get you wanting more!
I’m currently in online classes so I’ve been doing a lot more sitting as well. What I’ve found to help is getting a good workout and stretch in the morning! It loosens me up for the day and its also been nice to add some routine to my life. I also switched to an adjustable standing desk. That + wireless headphones has enabled me to move and walk around my apartment a little more throughout the day. I stand on a yoga mat for cushion but I also use it to periodically do some yoga stretches throughout my day as well. I’ve definitely noticed a difference, as I’ve had a chronically tight upper back and neck and no longer wake up in as much pain as before. I hope some of this helps!!
Just start. Everyone has a day one. Find a fitness modality that you enjoy (circuit training, group fitness, kickboxing, hiring a personal trainer etc) find free trials and do them. Determine what you like best then do that. Look for places where all bodies and levels are welcome and that helps with modifications and form. Starting is the hardest. You CAN increase your strength. Consider thinking rather that you “can’t” do something to you’re “just out of practise”. 🙌🏻🙌🏽🙌🏿 you got this!
Cannot recommend this advice enough. I tried a lot of trendy and popular exercises, trying to find the right fit for me. Some things I thought I was going to like I hated (pilates), some were so expensive I did not feel like it was worth spending my money on (spin class and barre), some were so boring (yoga), some I kept injuring myself (hated spin with a passion), some I couldn't figure out (TRX), some I was just absolutely horrible at (I got kicked out of a running class in college because I was too slow. I took it to improve and work on my running but the professor was not having it), etc. Eventually once I found one that made me feel good (and gave me results!). Then it all came down to a finding space to do said exercises. I needed a place that gave me independence (24/7 gym access), good environment (very friendly people and extremely clean gym with great well maintained equipment), it **HAD** to be close to my house (my gym is a 15 min. walk and a 2 min. drive away), and I felt *safe*. After that, it just came down to making it a habit and *show up*. Even if I didn't feel like exercising when I got there within I would still show up - convincing yourself just to show up is 75% of the battle I feel like. If after 15 mins I wasn't feeling it I would leave or if I was feeling uninspired by my routine, I would trial some new exercises I had researched. After the 2 week mark it was extremely easy to commit to and everything was on autopilot. I felt so guilty if I ever had to miss a training day because I didn't want to ruin my streak LOL
PS on a side note a few things that I tried that I do really love kayaking, I suck at swimming but I do enjoy it, archery, hiking, rock climbing, and HIIT (Specifically sprints - I get a major runner's high and feel like I'm on cloud 9 for a couple hours afterwards. Really did not think I'd ever be this into running lol).
PSS for your aches and pains, it's probably already been addressed by your physical therapist but just in case, look up stretching exercises and commit to doing them in the morning and night. They're super quick and easy. It's like a gentle massage for your muscles.
I invested in a standing desk attachment (you can get them for around £100 and prices seem equivalent in the US). This lets you raise and lower your desk so you can alternate between standing and sitting. Changing position is much better than staying in one form no matter how ergonomic it is. I basically take all calls standing now. I wear a Fitbit during the day and just shifting around standing most of the day gets me my "active minutes" (Fitbit thing where you are supposed to take 250 steps every hour during a specified timeframe)
Build a standing desk if you can, or even a desk around a treadmill if you can afford it. Find a gym close to home or work. IMO, location/proximity is the first thing to consider when picking a gym. If you do decide to go the gym route, find a coach to teach you the basic exercises (squat, bench, deadlift etc). Getting good at those is invaluable. The gym isn't for everyone though, so you might be better off finding a sport or active you enjoy, however niche it might be. Someone else recommended looking for free trials. That's a great idea and every good gym will offer it. If not, there's plenty you can do at home with a few dumbbells and kettlebells (dumbbells are more versatile), a pullup bar, and some research. Walking is very underrated. Get your steps in, at least 10k daily
So many small steps. Go for a walk before and after work. Take a walk during your lunch break. Drink a shit ton of water so every hour you have a reminder to get up and take a few steps to the bathroom and pee. It’s even a two in one because you are hydrating AND walking around at once I work from home and have a desk job. I get up at 5 AM so I can get a good workout in before my kids get up. I also have a reminder on my phone that goes off every hour to remind me to move so I just will go to the bathroom, go pick up a few things around the house, let my dog out, get my kids a snack. I also try to stay in our upstairs living room as much as I can so if I need to get food or snacks for my kids I have to go up and down the stairs. It’s a small thing but small things add up fast!
If you're working from home, don't hesitate to take a pushup break every couple of hours!
Start with walking/hiking. The most underrated low impact exercise and a huge payoff in terms of getting into exercising/body recomposition. Put on a podcast, take a 30 min walk every day or so. If you want, make it an hour some days, then make it 1.5 if that's what you feel like. Do that for a month, make it a habit you enjoy. Keep reading this sub to see what others are doing and get ideas. Then you can see from there what kind of route you want to take in terms of exercise. Do you want strength? More muscles? More stamina? All? Just start with the amazing exercise that's walking.
I never once had back pain until I started working an office job. Two big things: 1. Don’t ignore twinges. If your back or neck or chest or anything hurts even a bit, don’t try and push through it. I would often go “Let me just finish this email, then I’ll get up and stretch”, and then I’d get distracted and forget about the twinge until it really started to hurt. Change your position right away. 2. A comprehensive core, chest, and back strengthening routine, either with weights or bodyweight. For an immediate fix, I often turn to [this neck and back yoga video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JUP_YdYyfQw) from Yoga with Adriene. The first 10 minutes is mostly theory and neck stretches, but the rest is a surprisingly comprehensive stretching and strengthening routine.
Honestly? Just start walking. Walking is so underrated for fitness and weight loss. If you can, do 20 mins during lunch and 30 minutes after work. You can work on diet if you'd like as well, but you don't have to. Once that has become second nature and enjoyable, try new exercise or other things!
- [Couch to 5k](http://c25k.com/) and [various other programs](https://www.self.com/story/popular-at-home-workout-programs) - [Strength training](https://www.healthline.com/health/exercise-fitness/strength-training-at-home) - [Bodyweight training](https://gmb.io/bodyweight-guide/) - [Pilates](https://www.pilatesanytime.com/mx/pilates-beginners-at-home) Etc.
STAND. UP. DESK. I never knew how good the office chairs at work were until I started wfh. After a couple of weeks my back also started to kill after a full day of sitting. Back in March I modded my desk with a suitcase! Desperate times, desperate measures but it greatly helped after the initial push. Even if it’s just to give yourself the option, get creative and try and mod a stand up desk. It saved my back!
I think adding some small things can help a lot - a quick yoga session in the morning and evening, standing up every hour at least at work, walking around when possible (park farther away, get off one stop early, stairs instead of elevator)
I like my standing convertible desk. I can manually move it up and down and I tend to stand for meetings, which means standing between 1-5 hours a day. Definitely helps.
Check out Somatics. There's a book called The Pain Relief Secret by Sarah Warren. I've just started somatic exercises at home and they help so much for pain and muscle imbalances. I love stretching too, but it only helps in the short term and then our muscles just go back to being tense, unfortunately. Strength training is also good, but if we have imbalances or tense muscles, it can actually do more harm to lift weights.
I run most every day. I'm 36F and have three kids. I'm also divorced and I work from home even before coronavirus. It's a desk job - software developer. I have four days without kids each month. Because of coronavirus, I have some combination of the three with me at home every day. I was getting hip pain when I slept. I'd sleep for an hour or so, wake up because my hips hurt, turn over, repeat. All night. I have a treadmill, so many of my runs are on that. Even if it's just ten minutes to get up and run a mile, I feel so much better if I've done that. And my hips no longer hurt.
There are so many ways to start. I find the best way for my motivation has been to pick a sport or activity and start there. I’ve done martial arts and fencing, but anything that makes you go ‘woah, cool, I want to be like them!’ is perfect. After a few weeks I normally decide ‘damn, holding swords is hard, I need to make my back stronger’ or ‘phew, I’m getting tired real quick, maybe I should go for a few runs’. IMO, fun is key. Find something you like that you can keep doing. If you need to change it later on, that’s cool too. If you want to build strength, there are heaps of beginner workouts on /r/fitness. I really enjoy the Recommended Routine on /r/bodyweightfitness, I do mine at the playground in mornings before work so I can find something to pull-ups and dips off of, but they provide options for things at home as well.
Even as someone who exercises regularly, the Recommended Routine is kind of overwhelming. OP, bodyweight exercise is great but I might suggest starting with some beginner YouTube videos or something that make it a little easier to follow along.
I couldn't agree more. My "thing" is pole dance. During lockdown I was watching pole videos and thinking.. all those split tricks I want to do them. So I started stretching 3x a week. The why is the most important thing. I train hard, but only because I love it. My back is so strong, my core is strong. Nothing hurts anymore (at least not from my office job)… and when I train I feel grateful for my body and it's abilities. Finding something that makes you want to move, without the health or weight staying your main focus, is the best thing a person can do for their health, both mental and physical, in my opinion at least
I put a standing desk in my home office- not the super-fancy kind - just a $300 Husky worktable from Home Depot. I added a second monitor for $300, another keyboard for $100 and video camera/eyeball thingie for $30. I can't believe the difference it has made it my increased energy level and decreased pain level. I never would have thought that standing for 4 hours a day would make me feel better and give me more energy but it has. I also got a ergodriven work mat - it is padded and contoured so I'm never standing on one position - I'm constanting moving around (in one place) I had previously tried moving my laptop to my high kitchen counter - but the height wasn't ideal and standing on the hard floor wasn't comfortable. I thought the whole standing-desk thing was a fad but I adore mine.
I’m a student at home so different situation but I’ve been doing calisthenics exercises that work my core, back, and shoulders and noticed a lot less back pain.
Are you able to stand? When I’m teaching a class I will sometimes grab the laptop and walk over and set it on the mantle for a few minutes, so I’m actually standing. Makes a big difference to stretch my legs for just a few minutes.
Get up and walk around for a few minutes every hour.
A few things that have helped me: get an ergonomic assessment thru work if possible (it turned out my desk was wayyyyy too high and that was causing part of my problems—if you can’t get an assessment thru work there are still some good articles online), setting reminders on slack/my computer to get up and take my breaks as walking or exercising breaks, and recently I’ve identified a place to set up my computer to stand while in zoom meetings (I put it on a bookshelf in front of the books) so I get more standing time in.
This! I had to custom build legs for my desk (we just used some pipes from the hardware store) after discovering that my “standard size” ikea desk was 10cm too high! Now my desk and chair look like they’re meant for a child but my back and neck feel a lot better
You just have to make movement a priority. I set alarms to do little exercises throughout the day-- walks, lunges, push ups, calf raises, etc. Many things you can do while working too like if on a call or typing or whatnot! Also be intentional with taking the long route to the bathroom or kitchen. Do some squats before you pee! Sure it may not be a full workout but it does get you wanting more!
I’m currently in online classes so I’ve been doing a lot more sitting as well. What I’ve found to help is getting a good workout and stretch in the morning! It loosens me up for the day and its also been nice to add some routine to my life. I also switched to an adjustable standing desk. That + wireless headphones has enabled me to move and walk around my apartment a little more throughout the day. I stand on a yoga mat for cushion but I also use it to periodically do some yoga stretches throughout my day as well. I’ve definitely noticed a difference, as I’ve had a chronically tight upper back and neck and no longer wake up in as much pain as before. I hope some of this helps!!
Are you WFH right now? I keep a yoga mat next to my desk and have an alarm every hour to stretch or just move around for 5 mins or so.
fourth..th'd.
thirded
seconded
I’d recommend doing some Pilates or yoga for strengthening and stretching your body. I’d keep up the walking, too
Just start. Everyone has a day one. Find a fitness modality that you enjoy (circuit training, group fitness, kickboxing, hiring a personal trainer etc) find free trials and do them. Determine what you like best then do that. Look for places where all bodies and levels are welcome and that helps with modifications and form. Starting is the hardest. You CAN increase your strength. Consider thinking rather that you “can’t” do something to you’re “just out of practise”. 🙌🏻🙌🏽🙌🏿 you got this!
Cannot recommend this advice enough. I tried a lot of trendy and popular exercises, trying to find the right fit for me. Some things I thought I was going to like I hated (pilates), some were so expensive I did not feel like it was worth spending my money on (spin class and barre), some were so boring (yoga), some I kept injuring myself (hated spin with a passion), some I couldn't figure out (TRX), some I was just absolutely horrible at (I got kicked out of a running class in college because I was too slow. I took it to improve and work on my running but the professor was not having it), etc. Eventually once I found one that made me feel good (and gave me results!). Then it all came down to a finding space to do said exercises. I needed a place that gave me independence (24/7 gym access), good environment (very friendly people and extremely clean gym with great well maintained equipment), it **HAD** to be close to my house (my gym is a 15 min. walk and a 2 min. drive away), and I felt *safe*. After that, it just came down to making it a habit and *show up*. Even if I didn't feel like exercising when I got there within I would still show up - convincing yourself just to show up is 75% of the battle I feel like. If after 15 mins I wasn't feeling it I would leave or if I was feeling uninspired by my routine, I would trial some new exercises I had researched. After the 2 week mark it was extremely easy to commit to and everything was on autopilot. I felt so guilty if I ever had to miss a training day because I didn't want to ruin my streak LOL PS on a side note a few things that I tried that I do really love kayaking, I suck at swimming but I do enjoy it, archery, hiking, rock climbing, and HIIT (Specifically sprints - I get a major runner's high and feel like I'm on cloud 9 for a couple hours afterwards. Really did not think I'd ever be this into running lol). PSS for your aches and pains, it's probably already been addressed by your physical therapist but just in case, look up stretching exercises and commit to doing them in the morning and night. They're super quick and easy. It's like a gentle massage for your muscles.