Top 5 Ways To Get Ripped While Working At A Computer
- bradleyhaag
- Oct 15, 2014
- 3 min read
When boredom strikes it's common to find yourself at a computer or laptop for gaming, looking up funny videos, or checking Facebook updates. Although these are entertaining the extended sitting with little to no activity can quickly result in some unhealthy side effects. Just look at the evolution of humans: what part of hunting and gathering required sitting down for more than a few minutes?
To help combat the effects of extended time in front of the computer I have created the Top 5 Ways To Get Ripped While Working At A Computer:
1. STAND
Multiple studies (including this one) have clearly concluded that prolonged sitting can literally take years off of your life, even for individuals who workout a couple times a week. The bottom line is that humans need to move around during the day just as our ancestors did. The solution is simple: create a standing workstation or even better; create a treadmill workstation. You can also buy pre-made standing workstations through Amazon HERE. It will surprise you how more much alert you feel when you're standing most of the day.
2. GREASE THE GROOVE
A term made popular by Pavel Tsatsouline. Greasing the Groove involves implementing exercises in your daily routine. An example would be doing push-ups every 10 minutes (which you can easily set a timer your computer or phone to alert you); 15 squats every time you send an Email; or 5 pull ups every time you walk into your computer room (using a door pull up bar). These small bursts of exercise may not sound like much, but after implementing this routine for only 2 months, I was able to add about 15 pull-ups and 30 push-ups to my max.
3. STOP SNACKING
Contrary to the all the "experts" advice, that eating small meals every 2-3 hours is best to promote weight loss and build muscle, multiple research studies (including this one) show otherwise. I followed this anecdotal protocol for over 2 years and eventually realized it didn't promote fat loss any better than eating normal sized meals 3 times a day. In fact, I remember always being hungry and wanting to eat another meal every 2 hours. Now that I'm back to eating 3 times a day (what I eat will be discussed in future blog posts) I'm rarely hungry and can easily miss meals without a serious hunger craving. Grazing, snacking, or eating frequent meals does not promote fat loss and is probably causing more harm than good. When it comes time to eat get yourself away from the computer screen and eat a proper meal (breakfast, lunch, or dinner). Snacking while in front of the screen can easily lead to an over consumption of calories as well as many other negative effects.
4. EXERCISE
I think this one goes without saying: in order to get ripped you have to workout. It's important to note that a solid workout at the gym doesn't have to take any longer than 45 minutes, especially if you're "greasing the groove" already. In addition to strength training sessions I recommend doing fun activities that get you outside such as hiking, frisbee golf, bicycling, etc. You would be amazed what a 30-60 minute morning or evening walk will do for your focus, performance, and mood.
5. SLEEP
I know it's tempting to stay up late on the computer, but in order to build muscle you need to rest. When staring at a computer screen for several hours, the blue light hitting your eyes is literally telling your body it's still day time, thus suppressing melatonin (the sleep hormone) causing your biological clock to not want to sleep or wake up properly; this can have some serious health consequences. I would go as far as to say that sleep is more important than nutrition or training. NEVER sacrifice sleep to get a workout in: if you can't recover from training you will not gain anything but negative stress from the workout. The bottom line is: have a set bed time and try to avoid screen exposure (yes this includes television, kindles, and phones) before you go to bed. You will be amazed how well you fall asleep without all the artificial blue light keeping you awake. If this is not possible consider getting some blue light blocking glasses to wear a few hours before bed.
In summary, if your daily routine involves spending a lot of time sitting or watching a screen: stand as much as possible, implement exercises into your daily routine, eat 3 meals a day, have a workout routine that takes you out away from the computer, and SLEEP. Easy as pie.
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