Some of you may know that I had returned to school for a second Master's certification in Family Nurse Practitioner. It has been a busy, busy two years (with very little crafting, sigh) but I can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel: graduation day is May 2 and I am planning to sit for my boards in early June. I may soon have a life after that!
I will also (God willing) be switching to day shifts instead of nights. This should make my life a little more "normal" hopefully.
So my opening post as I return (more faithfully I hope) relates to how I was able to work exercise into a very crammed schedule, one that often had me burning the candle at both ends night after night, working on papers and doing research. I found a wonderful exercise option called the FitDesk.
Honestly I am going to sound like a commercial. I can't say enough about how useful this has been during my computer sessions! This was the perfect option for me because anytime I was on the computer I could get on the FitDesk to get some low-impact but metabolism boosting exercise.
My set-up is a little different than the picture here, I placed my 23" Acer AOI computer on a stand in front of the bike, and placed the wireless keyboard and mouse on the desk. I have old eyes and needed a bigger screen than the one on my laptop. They don't make my model any more but it is similar to this one but looks more like the one below.
I bought this computer about 2 years ago at Staples for about $500. At first, I was hesitant about the Acer brand since I had not used it nor seen it before. But a little research convinced me to give it a try and I am glad I did! My desktop runs Win 8 but I even bought a Acer 12" laptop (back when you could still get Win 7) to lug around at school. I have not regretted either decision.
So my set-up allows me to have a big screen to use for research and writing and the occasional Netflix show. No TV for me, just no time for that but I can watch and pause a Netflix show anytime I want. And I am exercising the entire time! If you read about the FitDesk, you will see that the goal is to get in exercise almost effortlessly while working on the computer, watching TV, playing video games, or reading. All of the activities are easily accomplished while pedaling. As a matter of fact, I am using it right now as I write this post! Some days I have logged in more than 3-4 hours of time. just pedaling as I studied.
Of course, at first I started slowly and I did notify my physician about my plan. Not only did she give me the OK, she thought it would be great for her boys to use while playing games. I am using an older version, and the bicycle seat may take some time to get used to. The newer one is said to be much better. I did have one problem with it (a part was bent) and customer service was awesome - they sent out a new part in a matter of days. I have been very happy with this purchase!
So if you don't have an regular exercise r routine and use the computer a lot, this is definitely an option to consider. Check the FitDesk out!
(The links in this post do support me as an Amazon associate -at no additional cost to you- but you can also easily find the FitDesk with a Google search. I purchased my FitDesk more than two years ago out of my own funds and the opinions expressed are all my own)
