This past week, I started a new way to help pass the days at work. It’s no secret that I have trouble sitting in front of my work computer all day. Some days are busy and some days aren’t but that’s not what makes it difficult. For me, the difficult part is that I’m just sitting here, far from being active. I find myself making up small excuses to get up and walk around the office. I print documents one at a time so I can make multiple trips to the printer to get each file. It isn’t inefficiency, trust me, it’s just trying to keep moving.
Then, over the weekend, I had a brilliant idea. Instead of sitting alone at lunch on my phone (I eat before everyone so I can try to get some quiet during the time I’m at work), I would take that half hour and my lunch outside for a walk. So Monday, I grabbed my small lunch and stuffed it into the pockets of my coat and headed for the door. I was fortunate enough to find a route which I can easily walk in 30 minutes right by my office. Not all of it has sidewalks, but I’m not going to let something like that be an excuse for not getting out and enjoying some fresh air.
The walk was perfect. It was exactly what I needed. The fresh air and the exercise woke me up. It sure as hell beat sitting inside way from the sunlight and fresh air and quiet all day. In the afternoon, I was more alert and I just all around felt better about the day.
If you’re in a similar situation as I was, stop making excuses and get yourself outside for your lunch break. It’s the best choice you’ll make this week.
This is what I usually do 3-4 days a week, even in winter. I guess it helps being in the middle of Boston, so everyone is walking around (whereas I assume where you are, not many pedestrians?) Such a better way to spend lunchtime!
No, we’re in a business park just off a main road. Only one stretch of the rectangle I walk has sidewalks. In the summer, there’s supposedly more people from the factory across the street walking around too.
I’m just picturing all of these people walking around the rectangle during lunch, like it’s a track or something. I didn’t end up taking a walk today because like a dummy I’m wearing heels, but I did sit outside and got slobbered on by an insanely bowlegged dog that was off leash, and sat near some old dudes smoking joints. If those aren’t the first signs of spring, than I don’t know what are.
That was far more eventful than my walk. I took a new route which was nearly a mile longer and I ended up moseying in a bit late and a bit sweaty.
It’s not a small rectangle, more of a decent sized city block but not in the city.
Well if it’s any consolation, I am usually moseying into work a bit later and a bit sweatier than my colleagues.
I mosey into work a bit later than everyone everyday. Now it’s happening at lunch.
We deserve gold medals for moseying into work at our own leisure.
I checked, they don’t make them.
Good plan. That’s why I like cycling to commute here — I’m guaranteed some outside time during the long day. And with longer spring days, it’s much more pleasant anyway.
Oh man, I wish I could bike to work but it’s fifteen miles away with no good bike lanes/paths to get there. Fifteen is on the cusp of how far I could bike to work, but can’t bring myself to leave that early in the morning.