Low exertion exercise filter

June 5, 2006 12:10 AM

What are some exercises that you can do without breaking a sweat while using a computer, studying, or watching television?

I came across this article where a researcher at the Mayo clinic has made combined treadmill desks. The idea is that hours of low exertion exercise (e.g. walking slowly while using a computer) can be beneficial. What are some other exercises people might be able to do while engaging in traditionally sedentary activities?

Some ideas I had:
- any number of exercises with light dumbells or wrist weights
- exercise bicycle instead of treadmill

posted by mrkohrea to sports, hobbies, & recreation (14 comments total)

Masturbating.
posted by cellphone at 12:37 AM on June 5, 2006

Kegel exercises.
posted by hooves at 12:44 AM on June 5, 2006

Physical therapy exercises that work on small underdeveloped muscles.
posted by grouse at 1:37 AM on June 5, 2006

Deskercize!
posted by essexjan at 1:40 AM on June 5, 2006

wrist gyroscope
posted by the cuban at 2:11 AM on June 5, 2006

I began squeezing a stress ball while using the computer a few months ago. My forearms are now made of steel.

Unfortunately, my ass remains flabby.
posted by Drunken_munky at 2:44 AM on June 5, 2006

Place your television within viewing distance of a swimming pool.* You have to kick constantly to stay up and watch. An excellent no-impact workout. The antidote to couch potatoism -- tell yourself you will watch only what you can swim through.

* Warning: don't actually do this unless you can rig everything safely, maybe with the TV behind a window, or a large screen some distance from the pool. You don't want to get into the papers for being the idiot who was electrocuted trying to use his TV in a swimming pool. Wet TV + wet you = death. But if you have a pool already and you're a lard-butt TV watcher, it might be worth having a safe enclosure or dividing wall built for your TV.
posted by pracowity at 3:01 AM on June 5, 2006

This askmefi might have something useful.
posted by -harlequin- at 3:02 AM on June 5, 2006

Related question: IANAD, but I always thought that exercise means more blood feeding your muscles and less to your brain; thus, while exercising your brain gets a little dumber. This seems to explain how I think in short stupid loops (e.g. a couple lines of an old song, repeating over and over) when I'm exercising. More to the point, you can't do brain work (computing, studying, etc.) while exercising. Similarly, after eating the blood's busy feeding the digestive tract. Comments?
posted by intermod at 4:38 AM on June 5, 2006 [1 favorite has favorites]

You mentioned a bike already, but in my own experience a recumbent excercise bike is much better than a normal one for multitasking. I've watched TV, read, played online games (simple ones like the yahoo games), and probably more if I thought about it. Obviously you can't keep up a fast enough pace for a real workout, but you're certainly putting in more effort than just sitting on the couch. If you want to stay on the couch, something like these might work, though I've never tried them.
posted by jheiz at 5:45 AM on June 5, 2006

You're pretty much right on with the treadmill idea. It's relatively easy to read or watch videos while on the thing, and I was thinking of hooking up a notebook PC to use while on the thing.

Interestingly, I just heard an interview with 85-year-old Dave Brubeck, where he says he plays a keyboard while on an exercycle.
posted by SteveInMaine at 6:05 AM on June 5, 2006

Sit on a stability ball instead of a desk chair. It allows you to be in constant motion thereby your body is doing minimal exercize constantly. It also helps with posture and it's a quick roll back to doing some situps when you get frustrated and need to release some energy.
posted by any major dude at 6:07 AM on June 5, 2006

Kegel exercises.
posted by schroedinger at 7:56 AM on June 5, 2006

intermod: I practice mental math while I swim and except for occasionally running into things I can focus on it ok.
posted by martinX's bellbottoms at 2:31 PM on June 5, 2006