Apr
26
Fun workouts; sports!
Filed Under Exercise, Fitness, Sports, Work Out | Leave a Comment
We’ve been talking about fun ways to workout this week. So far we’ve gone over dancing, hiking and biking. All of these are good examples of ways in which a fun activity can also be a workout. Today, we’re going to talk about something you might not have done since you were a child, playing sports.
Sports As A Workout
Many sports can be an excellent source of physical activity. You’ll frequently find yourself running around for hours while playing. Sports are also a good workout because they tend to engage your whole body and not just your legs. Like the other activities we discussed this week, sports can be a very good social activity which means you’ll have more reason to do them and thus tend to skip your workout less often. Let’s talk about some individual sports and see how they stack up:
Baseball - Unfortunately, the great American pastime does not make for a good workout. First of all, baseball players tend to stand or sit for large periods of time. The physical activity in baseball comes in short bursts separated by large amounts of inactivity. That means you’re not getting a very good cardio workout. Also, baseball requires quite a bit of specialized equipment and a large number of players. This makes it hard to play on a moment’s notice or to set up casual play times.
Football - Another American classic, football is better than baseball in that the periods of physical activity are more frequent. However, football also has frequent breaks between plays. Like baseball, it usually requires a large number of players plus some equipment. Football is also one of the more injury prone sports due to its physical nature.
Soccer - Soccer, while not quite as popular in the US as it is in the rest of the world, makes for an excellent workout. Physical activity comes frequently and without too many breaks. There’s almost no special equipment required, just a ball and something to mark the goal posts. Soccer is also relatively safer than football although it does put a lot of stress on the feet. Soccer can be played in large or small groups. All told, this is one of the best sports workout you can get.
Basketball - Like soccer, basketball is relatively safe and provides for continuous physical activity with few breaks in the middle. It can be played with as few players as two, making it ideal for casual workouts. It does require a specialized court, but one that can be found almost anywhere. Basketball has another advantage in that it engages the whole body, not just your legs. The only slight downside to basketball is the stress it puts on your feet due to the hard nature of the court. However, this detracts only a little which means basketball is still one of the best choices for a sports workout.
Hockey - Hockey is one of the best workouts available through sports. It engages the whole body, it has almost no stress on your feet and it offers a continuous physical workout. The only problem with hockey is the amount of specialized gear it requires. If you have access to hockey gear, hockey players and a hockey rink, by all means, play hockey! I can’t think of a better sports workout.
Tennis - There’s great workout potential in tennis. It works the whole body, it’s usually played on soft surfaces and it has few breaks. The only problem is the limit to 2 or 4 people at most and the need for a specialized court. However, if you have access to the right resources, tennis is another good option.
Rugby - For those unfamiliar with it, rugby is like a cross between football and soccer. It’s an incredible workout in all respects. The only downsides are the potential for injury due to the rough nature of the sport and the general lack of awareness for rugby in most countries such as the US. This means it’s hard to find people who want to play it.
There are many other sports out there but due to time constraints, I’m not going to describe all of them. Feel free to add suggestions in the comments field.
Getting Started
As far as getting started, I’m going to send you to the place you’re already at, the internet. Almost every city will have some kind of sports league. There are also numerous office leagues, school leagues and an endless variety of regularly scheduled games at your local park. Your best bet is to look online or just go to the park and ask the players there how they got started. As usual, I’ve always found experienced players to be very helpful. This isn’t school, they won’t pick you last just because you’re new. Most of these leagues aren’t about cutthroat competition, they’re about having fun, and they’re always looking for more players. Another great idea would be to just get your friends and schedule a time to go play.
Things To Watch Out For
As always, watch out for dehydration and sunscreen. With sports, you should also watch out for various injuries. Make sure to wear the proper protective gear for your sport.
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Apr
16
Healthy at work, taking the stairs
Filed Under Fitness | Leave a Comment
This week we’re going to talk about being healthy at work. Most of us spend at least 8 hours a day at work. If you add up commute times, that number can grow to 10 or more hours. I usually leave my house at about 8am and I don’t come back until 7pm. That’s 11 hours that I spend driving to work, working, or driving back from work. In other words, I spend almost half my day on activities related to work. If I look at my other activities, work is the one that takes up the most amount of time.
This large amount of time spent on working tends to have a negative impact on health. We tend to think of health as something we do outside of work. We’ll work out before work, or we’ll jog after work. Whatever it is, we never really think of work as the time to be healthy. In fact, many people have unhealthy habit only at work. For example, business lunches and dinners tend to be very unhealthy meals. Also, for most of us, work means sitting in one spot for hours on end. We are completely inactive for a large portion of our day and we seem to think this is the natural order of things.
Well, while I’m not going to suggest you quit your office job and focus on training for a marathon, there are ways you can be healthier at work. All of the suggestions we’ll discuss this week will not interfere with your daily productivity. You should be able to accomplish the same amount of work you’ve done before, we’ll just find ways to squeeze in some extra activity and eliminate some unhealthy habits. So let’s get started with the easiest tip of all. Take the stairs.
You’ll hear people telling you to do this over and over. In fact, it’s almost a cliche for the physically active. However, like many cliches, it does have a grain of truth. Furthermore, it can be used as a tool for explaining the benefits of small changes to your lifestyle.
I work on the second floor of a two story office building. My company has both floors. I frequently have to discuss issues with people on the first floor. At this point I have a choice, I can email them, I can call them, I can take the elevator down to see them or I can take the stairs. All of these options have about the same time investment. Going to talk to them face to face might take a few more seconds than email or phone, but it has the benefit of better communication, so I don’t consider it a productivity loss. In fact, I usually try to avoid phone calls and go talk to someone in person. I find that it builds better relationships, which is important in any line of work. So I end up taking the stairs at least 5 or 6 times a day. Now here’s the question, does this miniscule amount of activity really help? And the answer is, absolutely, and let’s see why.
The act of taking the stairs spends a minimal amount of energy. I’m going to spend maybe 1 extra calorie each time I take the stairs versus staying at my desk. So I spent an extra five calories a day. Doesn’t seem like much, does it? Except I work 5 days a week and about 50 weeks a year. That adds up to about 25 calories a week and about 1250 calories a year. Guess what, a lb of fat is worth about 3000 calories. So I’ve lost almost half a lb just by going up and down those stairs. Even more importantly, our bodies need some activity or else our metabolism slows down. By getting up from my desk and taking those stairs, I’m keeping my metabolism going at a faster rate. That adds even more to my weight loss.
All in all, I’m going to work off about 1 lb of fat over the next year, simply by taking the stairs. Have I lost productivity? Not at all. In fact, I would argue that my work benefits from the face to face communication. I know it doesn’t seem like much, but you have to realize that it all adds up. This is 1lb of fat that you will lose this year with virtually no effort and no time lost. There are dozens of little things like this that you can do to change your life. None of them are drastic, none of them will lead to massive weight loss, but all of them together will add up to serious improvements in your health.
So take the stairs. Don’t sit at your desk, go talk to someone face to face. You’ll be more productive AND healthier.
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