The Office and the Workout

I started my first job as an internal auditor back in August. It has been an interesting experience so far.

I have learned a lot of things that people may find probably sleep-inducing, but I enjoy it so that is all that matters.

So I want to talk about a few things learned about having a job and still maintain a consistent training routine.

Stretch that piriformis!

At first, sitting over eight hours a day in front of a computer took a serious toll on me. I, my hips would get super tight. One month into my job and squatting became torture rather than leisure. By that point, I even contemplated not training anymore!

I took a deep breath and realized that I needed more stretching. I had tight muscles which needed a nice stretch. I now periodically get up and touch my toes and do the chair piriformis stretch (Look it up yourself lazy sloth) throughout my work ours.

Meditate and clear your mind. 

Having a job, especially when it is your first job, is not an easy task. You are stuffed with responsibilities and you realize that college did not really prepare you for anything. During work, I felt pressured to do the best and with pressure comes stress.
Stress is not only harmful to your health, but it makes everything so much more miserable. I realized that I needed a solution.
I thought of ways to make my day less stressful and be calmer. I started to meditate, mostly before bed and during my breaks. This not only allowed to focus more, it helped me feel better around other people.
Nobody, I truly mean nobody,  wants to be around a person that irradiates angst. People will sense it and walk away from you. So do yourself a favor and meditate.

Workout the right amount.

My first two months of work I maintained two workouts a day, one in the mornings and one in the afternoon. I would get up in the morning, really early, somewhere around 5 am. I would do some Capoeira Movements and bodyweight metabolic conditioning. Then after work, I would hit the gym and normally do compound movements like deadlifts and squats (OH YEAH!)

As the days went by keeping such an intense workout plan became a titanic task. On Mondays, I would have a lot of energy, but by Wednesdays, I was falling asleep on my desk (that was embarrassing). Even my level of focus was gradually fading.

I realized that having a full time and training to the point of exhaustion was taking a toll on me. So I decided to read in the mornings and workout in the afternoons.

Reading in the mornings has allowed me to learn new concepts which have helped me at work. This keeps my mind sharp throughout the day.

Working out in the afternoon helps me stay motivated throughout work. My workouts became more bodyweight centric since I believe that those exercises give me the best results and least amount of central nervous fatigue (I had to throw a fancy word).

So overall, having a job is both blessing and curse. You spend your day sitting down, you need to meet people's expectations, and need to manage energy differently. It is difficult, but guess what, you are not alone. It takes some time to get used to changes in life and it is crucial to be creative and self-driven to stay in line with our personal goals.

Keep working hard and never give up!

Real Rico checking in once again