Techies Say They're Porking Up on the Job
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Of all of the health threats workers deal with in sedentary, computer-facing jobs--carpal tunnel, eye strain and backaches--there is one that gets far less attention: waist expansion. In fact, according to a new study by CareerBuilder.com, 34 percent of IT workers said they have gained more than 10 pounds in their current jobs, while 17 percent say they've gained at least twice that. It could be worse--these employees could work in financial services or government, where 53 percent and 52 percent of workers respectively told CareerBuilder they'd gained weight in their current positions. But it is clear that being sedentary for 40-plus hours a week has an effect on body mass, as evidenced by the fact that retail and hospital employees, who can be on their feet the entire day, had the lowest weight gain among all industries surveyed, reported by only 36 and 41 percent of workers, respectively. Of course, lousy eating habits seal the deal. 38 percent of employees said they ate out for lunch two or more times per week, where it is difficult to control portions and calorie intake. And a depressing 12 percent said they bought their lunch out of a vending machine at least once a week, eating food loaded with fat, salt and sugar, and pitifully low on nutrients. Only 9 percent of employees said they made it to the gym over their lunch hour, though 28 percent of companies said they provided gym passes, workout facilities or wellness benefits. |
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Comments (9)
"Lunch hour"? You're kidding, right? How many of us get to take a whole hour off for lunch? A show of hands, please?
Posted by Bob | May 22, 2008 2:01 PM
I'm supposed to get 30 minutes for lunch a day. But I'm lucky if I can cram it in between 11:00 AM and 1:00 PM.
This is definately the worst position I've ever held for physicial fitness. There's many a week were I come in in the morning and never get out of my seat until mid-day, then return and never get out until past closing time.
What all the ignoramouses in management positions around the world (and expecially in Health and Human Services in the government) fail to understand is that it is impossible to get into shape, or even stay fit, if the only time to exercise is 30-90 minutes at night, while being sedentary for 8 to 12 hours during the day at work.
Posted by Michael D. Houst | May 23, 2008 1:19 PM
This does sound a bit like the old fashioned "secretary's spread" before secretaries became Administrative Assistants!
Posted by Ann | May 24, 2008 12:32 AM
If my employer paid for a gym membership close to my work, I would totally hit the gym during lunch.
I would probably take an hour and a half for lunch and work a little later, but that's the beauty of being a software developer is the flexibility! Flexible schedules equal flexible limbs!
James
Posted by James | May 25, 2008 12:14 AM
Sure exercise plays a role, but diet is huge (full pun intended). As a Storage Engineer back home in California I frequently had double cheeseburgers with extra large fries and soft drink for lunch. I had this because it was fast and easy.
Because of a family emergency I had to move to Japan. I still work as a Support Engineer, but for a different company. But, I still spent most of my time deskbound.
However, now a fast lunch usually means rice, some veggies and fish. I usually drink tea. My first 2 months here I dropped 16kg without changing my exercise routine.
In fact Im sad to say I exercise less here in Tokyo than I did back home. But the weight stays off. I had to tailor pants and suits to remove inches. I thought I was in good shape before, but clearly I stood to lose those 35 pounds.
Posted by Denshichiro Kuroyama | May 25, 2008 8:47 PM
This is 'on the money.' The individuals who've provided comments otherwise are the exception or too young to observe the change.
If you're lucky enough to work from home, my perception is that the results are much worse, unless you're really dedicated to exercise. A gain of 2 pounds per year after age 50 appears to be a bad standard for those of us in IT.
Posted by Ron | May 27, 2008 12:01 PM
Actually... unemployment can be healthier than actually working in I.T. I lost thirty pounds and exercised everyday after my last job was outsourced.
Now I am back in I.T. and I am feeling the pounds coming back on. Felt much better free... free... freee....
Posted by Patrick | May 27, 2008 3:18 PM
I ended up packing on 25 lbs after working from home for 6 years. Had to go on Weight Watchers to get back to a healthy weight (took me 2 years to lose it!) . In IT you work alot of weekends and evenings - your time to devote to yourself is very limited.
If you have kids, time is even more scarce if you are shuttling them to after school and club activities.
My old company, EDS had a gym and showers on site. However, the gym was rarely used because everyone was too busy to "goof off" in the gym.
Posted by Dena | May 27, 2008 4:37 PM
It's all about perspective. If 30mins - 1hr @ the gym per day means less risk of heart disease and more time with your family because you are healthy, is that 30mins or 1hr really that hard to come by? Sure, weekends and evenings are shot sometimes because that's the only time you get to reboot this, upgrade that etc but while you're waiting for that 300MB patch to download, get on the floor and do some push-ups and crunches.
Posted by Randy | May 27, 2008 6:16 PM