Ah, the joys of working from home. It's only a few steps from getting up in the morning to my home office…and the kitchen.
Given the lack of exercise needed to navigate during my workday (mostly, I sit at my desk) and the close proximity to said kitchen, it would be easy to gain weight and lose fitness over time.
At Intridea, to help combat the relative inactivity of remote working, each employee is given a Fitbit to track daily steps. We even have our own Intridea Fitbit group that ranks our progress and successes with others in the company.
This simple little device has been a life-changer for me and I’m frequently atop the group leaderboard for steps, distance and very active minutes.
Competition and Goals
So, how does an almost fifty-seven year old woman make the top of the company leaderboard?
What began as a fun, competitive attempt to add more activity to my day and climb up the leaderboard has ultimately led me to set new goals for myself.
With virtually no commute, I have extra “found” time I dedicate to fitness. Even so, you can always find the time for things that are important to you.
No longer content to run and/or walk one or two miles a day, I’ve challenged myself to bump it up. Weekday runs have increased to five to eight miles and weekend runs are longer. Throw in some walking, instead of driving, to take care of a few errands and my weekly steps average around 150,000.
More Energy
Through this increase in activity, spurred on by the little Fitbit gadget, I have:
With more energy, I can keep up with my seven grandkids and more fully enjoy favorite pastimes such as backpacking, hiking in the mountains and biking. Other tasks have become easier too, like shoveling snow, chopping wood and mowing the lawn.
Using the Fitbit has helped motivate me to run some marathons, compete in a snowshoe race, raise money for a charity by participating in a 24-hour run/walk event and more.
Commit to Be Fit
Supposedly, it takes thirty days for something to become a habit. So, try it. For thirty days, add more activity to your life. It doesn’t have to be running or walking, but find something you enjoy doing – swimming, dancing, jumping rope, hula-hooping. lifting weights, or a combination of activities – just get out there and do it. My bet is that by the end of thirty days, there will be a noticeable improvement in the way you feel.
Commit to be fit and reap your own rewards. The benefits are there for the taking. If this ol’ gal can do it, so can you.
How does your team stay fit? Keep the conversation going! We'd love to hear from you.
