AT WORK
You can opt for chores to burn off calories even in a desk job

By Chad Graham and Dawn Sagario
The Des Moines Register

The realization comes in the form of a window reflection during a Saturday breakfast at International House of Pancakes.

You're gaining weight.

Three immediate thoughts come to mind:

• I think my chin doubled overnight. Is it too late to do some sit-ups?
• Yep. My International Passport Breakfast was just placed on the table. Oooooh ... bacon.
• I blame my career choice for my love handles.

Like most office professionals, a reporter spends a lot of time behind a computer or driving long distances or eating fatty food while covering events. Some of us sit and type and get hefty.

For twentysomethings starting in any office, the battle of the bulge presents a problem akin to the infamous "freshman 15" in college. Days suddenly consist of long meetings followed by paperwork followed by some random person's birthday or retirement, which usually means cake smothered in frosting.

There's also the fast-food lunch. For instance: A Starbucks venti white chocolate mocha has 600 calories — as much as a Big Mac. A typical serving of Pizza Hut's Stuffed Crust Pepperoni Lover's Pizza, a quarter of a large pie, is like eating two McDonald's Quarter Pounders with Cheese — 1,000-plus calories.

Newcomers employed by the Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield office in Des Moines sometimes arrive at the company's Well For Life Center somewhat surprised they gained a few pounds, said the gym's senior project manager, Jeff Storey.

"Depending on the work they're doing, it can be very much a change for them," he said. "When they were students, they had a good idea of what they were doing and the demands that were placed on them. But now, in the work setting, they may have to work with other people and team projects. Maybe their time isn't their own."

The center helps by finding time in an employee's schedule to catch workouts.

Those Wellmark people get a sweet deal, too. The gym costs $15 a month.

Elisabeth Schafer, a professor of nutrition at Iowa State University, suggested that anyone can get more exercise throughout the workday.

"If you're in an office that has more than one floor, use the stairs," she said. "Don't send other people on your errands. Walk a piece of paper down to where it needs to go. Walk to work or park the car a little distance away. If you're taking the bus, build in a way to walk to the bus stop.

"...You still have to eat healthy, of course. I think bringing lunch is a great idea because you have more control over your choices."

Schafer suggested that workers also buy pedometers to clip to their waistbands and to wear all day. The instruments measure the number of steps, and most people should shoot for a goal of 10,000 steps. It should be centered over the left leg.

"This is especially good for people who work in offices because it's a way of tracking how you've been doing during the day," Schafer said.

"If you get to the end of the day and find you've only got 6,000 steps, then you know you need to take a walk in the evening."

It's not a bad idea — walking more during the workday and carting a brown bag lunch.

Frankly, though, another pancake breakfast may still sound better. Except this time, try to make healthier selections. Does fruit topping on pancakes count?