Exercising at a strict company...or not?

[GeminiDragon]

Hello All!

 

I really want to start exercising at work. Mainly because, due to my commute I have very little time at home to work out. However, I have come across many obstacles. 1.) I work in a warehouse district with constant semi traffic. So walking around is not safe. 2.) I work at a Japanese company and doing little exercises at work is "frowned upon".

 

So my question is....should I look for a new job? I am almost 300 lbs, I can not afford to be sedentary at work if I have the time. It will only make me bigger. I have done some research and I have found that other people in my field tend to have the option to work from home (which I would love! that would give me another 4 hours a day to get healthy!), I am a project manager. I have seen many many people on NF that work from home. If any of you could respond with your opinions I would be very grateful! 

[jasonkoller]

If the company you currently work for is not only not supporting, but hindering you life goals,

It's time to part ways.

Only bitterness can result from continuing down this road.

Make sure you can support yourself, of course, but it's best to work somewhere that aligns with your goals and values.

[JPrev]

Whoa there, this is a pretty big decision and there isn't nearly enough detail for any of us random people online to give you responsible advice.  Leave your job?  That's a big thing.  Maybe it's the right thing, but there's not enough info here to know.  And there won't ever be, because you can't convey the nuances to strangers on a forum.  We don't even know if you have a family, debt, bills to pay; not that any of those things would prevent you from leaving a bad job, but they among others dictate how you should do what you want to do.  The only person who can follow their heart RECKLESSLY - again, recklessly - is the person with no responsibilities.

 

So maybe you decide to leave the job and do something else - that's a decision for an entirely different kind of conversation.  The good news: you can get healthy independent of that decision.

 

Here's what I say.  Give some serious thought to ALL the factors that dictate whether or not you should leave the job, and where you should go next if you do.  It doesn't sound like you enjoy working where you are, so that's enough reason to start thinking about what should come next.  In the mean time, start getting healthy.  300lbs?  You can fix that with dieting alone.  Would it be more enjoyable and beneficial to throw in workouts as well?  Of course it would be, and I think you should find ways to incorporate them down the road - it may be part of your decision to move on from your current job, it may not.  You might find a way to squeeze them in for the mean time after all.  But if you do nothing else, diet.  Watch the food you eat, make smarter decisions, and watch the fat drip off and reveal the physique underneath.

 

So start thinking about where you want to be professionally, and in the mean time, do some dieting!  That way, you advance on both goals with no extra resources needed.  I think this is the best temporary solution while you plan your next steps.

[GeminiDragon]

JPrev, sorry I should have clarified this in my first post. I would only quit my current job after I had found a new one. Not before. You're right doing that would be reckless and I have waaaaaaay too many responsibilities.

[Waanie]

One of the main problems giving you advise is that I don't know the Japanese culture at all. Like JPrev said, it is easiest to lose weight by eating less calories. You can do this by eating either less food or food with less calories. I don't know if you will show disrespect by doing either of that, so you need to find a way that fits with your culture. An example would be to eat steamed vegetables instead of fried ones, or eat more vegetables instead of rice. There's a lot of calories in processed cereal, so breads and noodles contain a lot of energy.

 

You can always make time for a small workout if you want to. Have you tried the Angry Birds workout? It's only 4 exercises, that cost only a few minutes each. You can do two in the morning before you leave and two in the evening when you get home, all four at one of those moments. You can even spread the exercises over two days, doing only 2 exercises a day. If this plan is too difficult at level 1, you can start with easier variations: squats with the chair, wall push ups or kneeling planks. You shouldn't feel ashamed if you can't complete the first level, just keep doing these exercises 2-3 times a week and you'll get stronger. Of course there are other workouts, but I don't know any that take less time than this one.

 

You can also try to sneak some workouts into your daily life. I assume you live in an apartment building. Can you take the first or last flight of stairs instead of taking the elevator? If you use public transport, can you walk to the second nearest stop instead of the nearest one? Can you find any excuses to walk more during your working hours? Every step helps you to get healthier .

[Tanuki]

If you can't exercise at work, then you need to do it at home. You just need to carve out the time. If 30 minutes is too much, 15 minutes twice a day. Set the alarm earlier. I can't get to a gym, but that's no excuse - you just have to work with what you have.

 

I mean, what would the world be like if people quit their jobs because they couldn't exercise at work