To brag about my amazing life hack? lighthearted!

[yesimbragging]

NC because if replies are snidey and dent my ego I'd like to go back to my usual username and pretend this thread never happened

I put on a little weight over lockdown, as WFH in my small flat I was walking less than 1000 steps everyday. So I bought an exercise mini trampoline and tried to get into the habit of using it while watching Netflix.

The thing is, I always have found any exercise really tedious and boring and like I should be doing something else more productive with that time, and thought how great it would be if I could get some work done on my laptop at the same time as exercising.

I looked into standing desks, and they are SO expensive. Like £200. But then I remembered I have an old music keyboard still stored at my mum's. I pinched the stand, and placed the lid of a plastic storage box over it, and I've made a standing desk!

So now I get paid to work out. My feet don't actually leave the mat of the trampoline, so I'm not bouncing all over the place, but according to FitBit, my heart rate averages around 175, burning over 500 calories an hour, and the time passes quickly as I'm concentrating on work, not the monotony of exercise.

As you can probably tell, my work doesn't involve Zoom calls or anything

I'm just rather pleased with myself solving my lifelong hatred of exercise and love of multitasking all in one go I guess, and I haven't really got anyone to tell

I d a twice weekly bounce class and if you're doing ot properly, you don't really move much from the waist down.

How have you not ever overbalanced? How?

This is the first thing I would do so am commending both your ingenuity and your balance. I would be face down on the floor, ankles trapped in the springs, laptop lodged firmly in the ceiling, wearing the storage box lid as an "insult to injury" hat.

Do you have a perky swinging ponytail like in the Argos video?

Oh god now I'm googling under desk bikes. The Desk Cycle seems to be the best one, costs 168 quid! Anyone got one?

@GameofPhones

In theory the exercise should improve blood flow to the brain, and improve thinking. Personally I can't imagine being able to concentrate on complex things while trying to balance at the same time. Possibly just requires practice, though?

Have you ever tried to do mental arithmetic while working out hard? I think maybe the blood flow improvement is felt after the actual workout.

@Catswhisky

Do you have a perky swinging ponytail like in the Argos video?

Hell no, that'd drive me nuts, and her corny grin like yayyy exercising is fun!! Shut up no it isn't It did amuse me to watch the video and have it flash up with 'selling fast!' 'last sold 17 minutes ago!' though

@GerbilCurse

I'm 100% certain your FitBit is wrong

I'm not. WFH is really bad for activity levels. I usually managed about 2k steps when I was counting, but I know someone whose whole family WFH and he was stuck in one room only clocking up a few hundred steps.

@YesitsBess

How have you not ever overbalanced? How?

This is the first thing I would do so am commending both your ingenuity and your balance. I would be face down on the floor, ankles trapped in the springs, laptop lodged firmly in the ceiling, wearing the storage box lid as an "insult to injury" hat.

Me too. With two broken ankles

I'm afraid I think trampolining is probably very bad for the pelvic floor.
As for standing desks, I've wondered about using the ironing board, but not sure it's ergonomic. You don't have to buy a whole new desk - you can buy a platform that goes on top of your current desk that you can fold up or down. I had one in a previous job, but nobody used it so I didn't want to be the only one standing up.

Hmm, now wondering whether to go with a wobble board or a mini trampoline. It’s just been pointed out to me that the ceilings in the house are both fragile and low and just a small excited over leap could lead to cranial and property damage.
@CMOTDibbler, do you have to be fairly fit already to use a wobble board? It sounds like a subtle piece of equipment iyswim, and I think my body might need more drastic measures.

@MmeD

Hmm, now wondering whether to go with a wobble board or a mini trampoline. It’s just been pointed out to me that the ceilings in the house are both fragile and low and just a small excited over leap could lead to cranial and property damage. *@CMOTDibbler*, do you have to be fairly fit already to use a wobble board? It sounds like a subtle piece of equipment iyswim, and I think my body might need more drastic measures.

Requires zero fitness. For the first hour you may appear drunk on zoom as you sway a bit.

I have a wobble board too. Bloody lethal things they are unless I have the 'desk' to steady myself. I definitely couldn't concentrate on work on one of those, but then my balance isn't the best. My friend who does a lot of martial arts stayed on it no problem, I fell straight off It really does engage all of your muscles though!

You can also use a big exercise ball to sit on at your desk and wobble around on that if you fancy wobbling whilst working.

Well done, OP. Super smart life hack, well worthy of applause!!

I wfh at a standing desk cobbled together from ikea furniture - a tabletop with extendable legs, clamped onto a 2×4 kallax unit. Sometimes I stand on a wobble board.

I have adhd and sitting all day makes me feel hideous, hyper and exhausted all at once. Standing desks forever for me!

Awesome life hack, op.

@MmeD you don't need to be fit, though I would work up to standing on it for long periods slowly. I have this one which at under a tenner isn't much of a risk, and we've all been using it for 2 years now, so its pretty robust

Love it!

Can you modify a suspension trainer and float horizontally over your laptop, like Tom Cruise in Mission Impossible?
For your core (whatever that is)?

@GerbilCurse

I'm 100% certain your FitBit is wrong

They usually are. I've had people tell me they've done ridiculous amounts of steps in an hour - I once calculated the steps I did on the treadmill, where I do the same walking pace (but raise the incline from time to time) per minute and it told me I do 6000 steps in an hour on there.

Calorie calculations on these machines are always much higher than you actually burn.

Brilliant! I'm very impressed with your ingenuity
Any exercise is better than none

Go big or go home. Go Dragons' Den with this so I can Argos it.
Seriously, hats off to you, OP. Or should I say 'hacks off to you'?
Sorry... I was just leaving anyway.

As Joe Wicks says "It doesn't matter what exercise you do, just do something ".
Well done you. You have found your thing. You will have arse cheeks you can crack walnuts between by Easter.

Thank you lovely MNers! They both seem worth a shot for the price. I’ll report back in six months with either a smaller bottom, better mood and an annoying perky ponytail or with a gumtree listing…

Great idea OP. I'm inspired to go for a hunt for my old mini trampoline and place it in front of my desk. I did invest in a standing trolley/desk at the start of lockdown as I need to use a separate monitor (quite heavy item) and keyboard for work. Found this one to be good, but I only paid £57.99 for it back in 2020, sadly it has gone up in price quite a bit since then www.amazon.co.uk/DlandHome-Sit-Stand-Height-Adjustable-Standing-Workstation/dp/B07PSH89DG?tag=mumsnetforu03-21

Brilliant!
Wouldnt work for me though as trampolines make me feel like I need a wee but crack on OP, whatever works for you!

Inspired to see if I can find the wobble cushion I bought years ago.....