Lose a little jiggle with that wiggle.

[npayan]

Hello Rebels!

I'm Nadia. I've recently lost about 30 pounds and am now interested in taking this skinnier weak body to a different level. I'm not looking to lose weight necessarily (although I could probably still stand to lose another 10 pounds or so), I'm looking to build strength.

I'm 5'2" on a good day. I'm an omnivore that eats mostly plants and non-fleshy foods. I love to cook, but what gets me is snacking! I work as a creative in an advertising agency which means lots of free sweets and hours upon hours of sitting in my chair pushing pixels to get my designs juuuuuust right. I love that I'm making a living doing creative work, but the hours and lack of movement are gruesome. I'll get in the zone and the next thing I know, three hours have gone by and my eyes are bloodshot from staring at the screen.

I've been enrolled in a gym for a couple of months now, but I don't love the environment. A friend turned me onto NF and now I'm here. I've purchased the Rebel Strength Guide and am making a plan/goals to start the Body Weight workouts on Monday. In the meantime, I've started waking up a little earlier and doing some basic things like push ups and stretches, jumping jacks, etc. in anticipation for Monday.

I also love doing yoga, although I've fallen off the bandwagon as of late.

I live in sunny Miami, Florida so I'm pretty amphibious. It's summertime here now and the humidity is out of control! A long-term goal of mine is to get to a fitness level where I feel comfortable attending a surf camp I have my eye on in Costa Rica. If I went now, I would barely be able to paddle out!

Any other artists out there looking to get fit?

My journey's just begun. Wish me luck!

[Caitriona]

Hey Nadia! Your starting-out point sounds similar to mine, I just dropped 20 pounds and now I have to get un-weak, heh. I've been meaning to get into yoga, and I even bought a Groupon for 10 sessions at a local place. I just actually need to start going! And if you really want a laugh: I also bought a Groupon for a 3-month gym membership LAST YEAR, and I haven't used it yet (I have until September to sign up). I want to do the next 6 week challenge on here, and I think I'll make it a goal to start going to both of those.

Do you think you'll join the challenge?

[SirEarl]

Welcome to the forums! I hope you finally get to do that surf camp one day!

I am a musician(that's kind of an artist, right?), but I'm going to school to become an audio engineer. Most places don't let you bring food in, but I also do stuff from home. The most killer change I've made was creating a standing "desk". It's basically just a speaker on top of a barstool, but it lets me work while standing, which really gets me moving. (I will definitely admit to busting out some squats while doing editing)

I find it really important to adhere to the whole "you should take a 5-10min break every hour" when it comes to computer stuff. It helps delay "ear fatigue", so it may help with your eyes going crazy. Another thing I like to do is depth change. My computer is hooked up to my TV in my packed, tiny room so I'll step outside or look at something far away to kind of reset my vision.

[npayan]

I want to do the next 6 week challenge on here, and I think I'll make it a goal to start going to both of those.

Do you think you'll join the challenge?

Yes! I definitely plan on doing the next 6 week challenge, I just didn't want to wait until the 30th to get started. I really love yoga and I tend to use Groupons to afford classes at better yoga studios in Miami. I'm excited that someone is also looking to un-weak themselves, haha!

[npayan]

Welcome to the forums! I hope you finally get to do that surf camp one day!

I am a musician(that's kind of an artist, right?)

Yes! You are an artist! I'm a violinist, actually.

I find it really important to adhere to the whole "you should take a 5-10min break every hour" when it comes to computer stuff. It helps delay "ear fatigue", so it may help with your eyes going crazy. Another thing I like to do is depth change. My computer is hooked up to my TV in my packed, tiny room so I'll step outside or look at something far away to kind of reset my vision.

I really love the idea of depth change. I'm going to make sure to walk outside for a moment when I do take a break. My issue is mainly that when I get into a pixel pushing zone, very little can distract me. I forget to blink! I'm toying with the idea of putting a timer on my desk, but I'm not sure how my office neighbors will feel about it. Have you ever tried anything like that? Or are you pretty good at remembering to step away from the screen?

[SirEarl]

Yes! You are an artist! I'm a violinist, actually.

I really love the idea of depth change. I'm going to make sure to walk outside for a moment when I do take a break. My issue is mainly that when I get into a pixel pushing zone, very little can distract me. I forget to blink! I'm toying with the idea of putting a timer on my desk, but I'm not sure how my office neighbors will feel about it. Have you ever tried anything like that? Or are you pretty good at remembering to step away from the screen?

Ooooo! Just started learning violin a few months ago. Self-teaching, so it's taking me quite a bit, haha

The way I time myself is by separating tasks. Like, "OK, I will EQ the kick, snare, and overheads and then I will take a break and do some squats". It doesn't really take me out of "the zone" since the break is so short that I'm still thinking about work. Sometimes it really helps since you have a little extra time to think about it objectively.

[Caitriona]

The most killer change I've made was creating a standing "desk".

Oh, awesome! My husband does a lot of desk work, and he's been wanting to switch to a standing desk for a while now! We're probably gonna try to hack one for his home office sometime soon. Glad to hear it's working out so well for you! =)

[Cutebug]

LOVE the title of this thread! Definitely caught my attention.

I'm a paper pusher instead of a pixel-pusher but same situation! I got an exercise ball with a rolling-chair-like stand and that's what I sit on. Great for keeping up the wiggle and keeping down the jiggle! Really great for posture too. I keep snacks like homemade sweet potato and yam chips, roasted chickpeas, nuts, fresh fruit and veggies at my desk so I don't need the chocolates, cookies, candy and doughnuts from the front desk. Make sure your co-workers know you're trying to become/stay fit and hopefully they'll be supportive and not offer you the apple fritter from the doughnut box

I've also started eating my lunch while I work and using my hour off to take a walk.

We have a dog-friendly office so sometimes I'll chase Zoe the poodle around a bit to get some exercise. (no one looks at me weird cuz I'm totally not the only person that does it haha)

Good luck!

[npayan]

Although the standing desk may never happen at the ad agency where I work, the exercise ball with stand sounds cool!