Working it at the office...

When asked what the hardest part is regarding my new leaf and focus on getting fit - my answer is almost always "getting up early to workout."  I know that I'm not the type of person who will be happy at the gym at 9 PM - hey, I want to be asleep by then! However, I can get myself up at 4:30 or 5:30 AM on a regular basis and workout for a few hours before the day begins.  I really enjoy taking walks outside in the early morning. There is little traffic, I can usually see some wildlife, and the sunrises are a treat. 

OK so here are a few of my tips for making a morning workout work - and also for getting a good workout in during the day while in the office!


Morning Workout Routine
1) Plan the night before what my workout will be - treadmill, walking outside...
2) Lay out both my workout clothes as well as my daytime/work clothes

3) Prepare any other morning items the night before including having my vitamins out, work bag packed, gym bag packed. 
4) Set the alarm with the least amount of time needed - no hitting the snooze. 
5) Go to sleep at a time to make sure that I am rested in the morning
6) Rise and Shine and hit it! 

I can always hear my grandmother's voice in the morning. She was born in 1900 and grew up on a farm. She was always up before the dawn and would say "Rise and Shine, Daylight's a wasting!" generally always followed by "There's work to do!"  That was one active woman. 

Working it at the Office

Speaking of work.  I'm finding ways to avoid being too sedentary for 8 hours a day and eating from the vending machines. Most recently my ally in fitness has been the stairwell. My office is on the third floor and my teammates are on the floors three down and three up. So I have committed to avoiding the elevator and taking the stairs. The other day my legs ached from going up and down - but I stuck to it. I hit over 17,000 steps that day and that was my rest day from working out! :0  

Another thing I'm doing is setting my alarm for every 75 minutes. This reminds me to get up and move. Powder Room, Coffee, dropping off paperwork.. anything that gets me out of the chair for a few minutes. A colleague has taken it further and she doesn't even have a chair. She uses a medicine ball. That's bonus points. Plus did you notice the pink boxing gloves?  Another person doesn't have a chair - he stands all day while he works. That's inspiration and dedication. 

These new habits will bode well for my health and fitness. 

OK time for me to MOVE IT!

Teresa Marie