Sedentary blues
Whether from home or at the office, there are alternatives to stay-in-place jobs
Chris Mitchell says if his kids hear “Jump Around,” the 1992 stadium anthem by House of Pain, one more time, they may never speak to him again.
“When COVID-19 started and we’d spend all day stuck in front of a computer screen or desk, I’d put it on all the speakers in the house at random points during the day and I’d run into the kitchen and start dancing,” says the 42-year-old accountant from Chicago. “At first, they’d join me, blowing off a little steam, but after a few days, they’d just groan from wherever they were. I just wanted them to move around a little but I’ll admit it didn’t become the daily family ritual I thought it would be.”
But Mitchell’s point — that moving should be an integral part of the workday — began to manifest in himself in interesting new ways. “I started to realize I spent all day sitting. And it wasn’t like a break to walk the dog or dance was enough. I mean, I just sat, all day, pre- and post-pandemic,” he says.
Mitchell says it took the current work-from-home environment to make him realize he needed a job where he could move around a bit more. “Maybe it was the COVID, who knows? But I know now that when things clear up and the majority of us are going back to the office, I don’t want my office to be the office. I want to get out and move more.”
Step away from the desk
It’s never too late to reconsider what you do and how you do it, says career coach Janice O’Neil, who works with job-seekers 50 and older, but she says it’s important to decide if you want to change what you do or just how you do it. “Sometimes people make life-altering changes because they’re bored with their job when in fact, they’re bored with how they do their job,” says O’Neil. “Making a career change is common but before you quit your day job and go back to school, see if you’re just fed up with being stuck behind a desk. And if that’s the case, talk to your boss about making some changes to how you do your job. And if you’re granted that request and you’re still bored, then it’s time to make a change.”
O’Neil says before you approach your boss about making changes to your workday, make a list of how you can adapt what you already do to a more active environment. “It’s tough right now because the majority of us are working remote but if you’re someone who deals with people all day, maybe in the future, your job can include more face-to-face visits with clients or customers.”
Saying she thinks there will be a demand for more in-person encounters once the pandemic ends, O’Neil many managers may be grateful to those employees who want to get away from the office. “We think Zoom is personal now because it’s the best we can do,” she says. “But when our competitors start showing up at our clients’ offices to take them out to lunch, you better believe we’ll get back to the business of face-to-face interactions.”
Change of scenery
Still, the chance to exit the cubicle a day or two a week may not be enough for some currently sedentary employees. For those individuals, it may be time to consider some career options. Laurence Shatkin, author of “175 Best Jobs
Not Behind a Desk” (Jist, $16.95), defines sedentary jobs as high in “time spent sitting and low in general physical activity.” The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Information Network, also known as O*NET, is the country’s largest database of job descriptions. It defines occupational responsibilities in various ways, including “Performing General Physical Activities: Performing physical activities that require considerable use of your arms and legs and moving your whole body, such as climbing, lifting, balancing, walking, stooping, and handling of materials.” According to O*NET, occupations like nurse, teacher, barber, physical therapists, construction worker, veterinarian and electrician, among others, are more active than others.
“We’re going to see a resurgence in active jobs in the future,” says O’Neil. “I think there will be a lot of personal and physical neglect that may be out of sight now but that will become more evident when people start going back to the office and their favorite restaurant and the offices of their clients. And that’s going to result in more movement — more construction, more repairs, more attention being paid to a person’s physical condition — and that movement will require new, active workers. ”
Part-time job, full-time movement
Allie Wells, a 31-year-old graphic artist in Tampa, Florida, says she began working for a local catering business a few years ago when she wanted to save for a house, tending bar or serving food at outdoor weddings and other events. “And I lost weight,” Wells says. “Here I was afraid I’d put on a few pounds because I’d be picking at food all day and it was the opposite. I’d check my Fitbit at the end of the day and I took 20,000 steps sometimes, with all the walking around, cleaning tables, handing out hors d’oeuvres. And then I’d do it during the week sometimes, too.”
While Wells says she was never tempted to quit her day job, she did enjoy the catering business enough to start one with three friends. Although the project is currently on hold due to COVID-19, Wells says she’s going to do marketing and PR for the new venture but is planning on grabbing a tray and getting to work once they go live. “I love the hustle of it,” she says. “It’s so different than sitting at my desk staring at a screen, which — don’t get me wrong — I love doing. But it’s nice to be moving around and not stuck in one place.”
Mitchell, the “Jump Around” devotee, says he isn’t sure yet what he wants to do next. “Maybe it’s as simple as working from different places each day — like a Starbucks or the library — or maybe it’s going to be as life-changing as going back to school to do something entirely different,” he says.