The Fit Writer

This spring I had an epiphany. It happened when I tried on a swimsuit. I was wider and softer, and I didn’t like it. I considered remaining fully clothed all summer.

Then I read the New York Times and it told me how I had let myself go. It said that because I sat for hours on end I needed fewer calories, and yet I was still taking in the same amount. The key, it said, was to get all my mitochondria working, the “power plants” in my cells. Our mitochondria shut down when they’re not needed, and when they’re shut down, body fat goes up, body temperature goes down, and insulin resistance increases. None of those things could possibly be good.

That was my moment “in the light.”

I never have enough time to do everything I want to do, so working out at my desk while writing would be the perfect solution. A hurried internet search showed: an exercise bike with a built–in platform for a laptop, a treadmill on which to walk while tethered to my desk (and a Bluetooth in my ear), and even a stair-stepper with a work platform. But, baby steps, I thought. KISS (keep it simple sweetheart).

I decided to jury rig a standing work station.

To raise my desk I measured how much higher it would need to be for me to stand at it (measured with my elbow bent at ninety degrees so that I could use my desktop for the keyboard) and had the hardware store cut four pieces of 1 ¼ inch PVC pipe and painted them (my desk legs are 1 inch square with a brace six inches from the bottom). Then I had my partner lift the desk while I placed the desk’s feet in the piping.

I now can do yoga (tree position) and write simultaneously, although I admit to having a stool at the ready for those low energy moments.
An added benefit is that my partner liked the idea so much that he did the same to his desk and has lost a bit of weight. Since he works scantily clad, I appreciate the new and improved view.