Archive for February, 2021

I’ve struggled to get enough exercise for a long time, but the last year was especially hard. The yoga studio I went to closed for a while and I’m not comfortable going during the pandemic anyway. I like going for walks, but there were times when the weather was too bad, or there was too much wildfire smoke in the air, or I just couldn’t get away from work before dark. I tried doing yoga at home with videos and other exercises but didn’t enjoy it enough to be consistent.

The lack of exercise was also increasing the ongoing discomfort I feel from old injuries and repetitive stress. I tried new pillows and bolsters and equipment to keep my posture in alignment. I got a stand-up desk device so I could alternate between standing and sitting while I worked. I replaced my desk chair with a swiss ball. Some of these things helped more than others, but I still had constant low-back pain.

Then I looked into treadmills that can go under desks. I had first seen one of these in 2014 and thought it would be great to have, but they were way out of my price range. But when I looked again a few months ago, there were models that cost less than six months of yoga studio fees that I was no longer paying.

I got the treadmill in December and for the last three months, it’s been amazing. At around 1 mile per hour, I can type and read my computer screen and forget that I’m walking. It’s so much more comfortable to be slowly and constantly moving throughout the day than standing or sitting for hours. Lately I can walk up to 7 miles before my feet and hips are too fatigued. Then I just fold the treadmill in half, shove it out of the way, pull my standing desk back down to regular height, and sit on the swiss ball until I’m done working.

I’m thrilled that I finally have a solution for working comfortably, reducing pain, and getting exercise. It took a long time and a lot of experimenting to figure out what works. I’ve been working at home since 2012, so it was quite a journey to get here!

Do you know what this journey is similar to?

It’s like searching for the right job.

It can take years of effort to find the right company, manager, and role. Bad jobs are exhausting and so is constantly looking for new positions. But there are many ways to explore what would be a good fit. Researching companies online, taking a class or reading about a field that seems interesting, or taking the initiative to build up skills that you like using are just a few. Some things may not lead anywhere and that’s fine – now you know what doesn’t work. The key is to keep at it until you find the right solution.