TREADMILL DESK - Do you think it would help to do short spurts after eating ? ? ? ? ?

[tony-raymondo]

Thanks for reading my question.

Here's the situation.

I'm a programmer.
I sit at the computer 16 hours a day. (true)
I barely ever move.

I am trying to diet
I eat 1800 calories a day
But my body doesnt want to lose weight at that.

I have a treadmill desk that i'm currently building.

Question:

Do you think it is scientificaly reasonable to hit the treadmill in brief spurts through the day.

Example:

06:00 AM - 7 mph at 5 Minutes 0 Incline
09:00 AM - 7 mph at 5 Minutes 0 Incline
12:00 PM - 7 mph at 5 Minutes 0 Incline
03:00 PM - 7 mph at 5 Minutes 0 Incline
07:00 PM - Regular Workout


In theory, i'm thinking that this will keep my heartbeat and residual metabolic burn up throughout the day.

Therefore burning more calories while I sit.

Ideas?

Thanks!

[Emoore]

The purpose of a treadmill desk is to get in very low level activity throughout the day. Most people who have one walk at, say 1 or 1.5mph all day long. How are you going to work at a treadmill desk if you're running at 7mph? Also, are you planning on running in your work clothes?

[tony-raymondo]

The purpose of a treadmill desk is to get in very low level activity throughout the day. Most people who have one walk at, say 1 or 1.5mph all day long. How are you going to work at a treadmill desk if you're running at 7mph? Also, are you planning on running in your work clothes?

haha

yeah i know. I have some logistics issues with the 'low level' usage. e.g. I have a 3 monitor workstation that doesnt like to be moved. And a brain that can't concentrate on computer code with an engine running in the background. But i'm working on that.

Clothes dont matter cuz i work at home.

My biggest question is, do short interval spurts help your daily burn?

[Emoore]

My biggest question is, do short interval spurts help your daily burn?

Absolutely. Although if you work at home and can spend the day in workout clothes, I'd forgo the treadmill desk idea altogether and just set a timer to alert you when it's time to get on the treadmill and do your quick run. Seems like the desk would just get in the way at that point.

[xxtwistedxx]

yea what the crap u work at home! just run around the house a few times every so often. and dont run after eating... just a bad idea.

[tony-raymondo]

yea what the crap u work at home! just run around the house a few times every so often. and dont run after eating... just a bad idea.

hah

lots of computer dorks do.

ok so if i sprint for 5 minutes before, say, breakfast, lunch, dinner, do we think that would cause a significant difference in my metabolic rate?

anyone seen any reasearch about that?

[Emoore]

Running at a fast pace for 5 minutes several times per day will increase your calorie burn throughout the day. Whether you do it before or after meals doesn't make any difference in the calorie burn, although you might get an upset stomach if you do it too soon after eating.

[TheHitStick]

If your diet isn't working, fix it =P

Maybe you're eating too much fats? Maybe you're not eating enough good food. Maybe that bag of potato chips doesn't help. Stuff like that will help.

I'm not saying starve yourself but relook your diet and try to fix it up again

Also do your running seperate if you want to?

[Emoore]

Maybe you're eating too much fats? Maybe you're not eating enough good food. Maybe that bag of potato chips doesn't help. Stuff like that will help.

While I agree with you that diet is everything when it comes to fat loss, it's also entirely possible for a not-too-large male to burn around 1800 calories per day if he sits and doesn't move for 16 hours. The OP may be in a very small deficit or even maintenance. If so, his only options for real, measurable fat loss that doesn't take forever are to either a) cut cals way back to something like 1400, which can feel like starvation to a male, or b) increase daily calorie burn. Intermittent exercise throughout the day is a great idea for increasing calorie burn.

[xxtwistedxx]

aight serious post from me. exercise first thing in the morning followed by a small meal. if your metabolic rate is such that only 1800calories is maintaining then ure rate is just too low. hell 1800 is a meal for me. anyways....

like said general exercise throughout the day will increase but most of everything ive read or people ive talked say exercise first thing and your metabolic rate will skyrocket. also look into weight training if possible. cardio is great but muscle continues to burn afterwards. but if youre working at a desk 16hrs then may i suggest getting a bowflex instead of a chair? lol. or even replace your chair with a large physio ball and see how strong your core gets from sitting upright all day. ok so not everything is serious bout this post....

in short
exercise first thing (long run or a buncha slow runs)
look into setting some time to weight train a few times a week... at least once
eat several small meals instead of 2 or 3 main meals. in other words instead of 3 meals of roughly 600 calories go for 6 meals of bout 300 calories.

[tony-raymondo]

cut cals way back to something like 1400, which can feel like starvation to a male, or b) increase daily calorie burn. Intermittent exercise throughout the day is a great idea for increasing calorie burn. .

ya i only seem to lose weight when i do about 1400 cals a day

which is pretty low

My diet is pretty healthy

but my job is killing my body.

The University of Missouri - Hamilton study last year, it really scared me.

since then, I've been trying to invent clever ways to move during the day.


"This goes way beyond the common sense assumption that people who sit too much are less active and thus less able to keep their weight under control. It turns out that sitting for hours at a time, as so many of us do in these days of ubiquitous computers and electronic games and 24-hour television, attacks the body in ways that have not been well understood"

[mjlindne]

I think you should step away from the computer for an hour and go for an actual run.

[tony-raymondo]

I think you should step away from the computer for an hour and go for an actual run.

Right

so the question is, all things being equal, who would burn more calories.

A computer dork who ran 6 times a day for 10 minutes.

or

A computer dork who ran 1 time a day for 60 minutes.

That is the question

[3PieceGangster]

Why not spend 8 hours walking at 1-1.5 mph? As someone who also sits at a desk all day I can say switching to a standup desk has made a huge difference in my energy levels (midday slump is gone) but if you do the math you’re burning more calories. Besides, you’ve gotta get bored and stiff from sitting all day(?)

Speaking of the study, of sitting is the new smoking, walking all day is an easy cure. Why just do 5-10 minutes? Get hard, walk all day.

[weiss1967]

Tony, look around and say who does not spend most of the day at work in sitting position, and then doing the same at home. It is not work that is holding you back.

[DCSpartan]

Tony, look around and say who does not spend most of the day at work in sitting position, and then doing the same at home. It is not work that is holding you back.

Tony posted this 10 years ago