Rat Race

Riding to Italy

By Olive L. Sullivan

It’s not every company that sends you to Italy on your lunch hour.

Did I mention they made me ride my bike?

One of my big fears about working full-time was weight gain. In the past, I have managed to be either thin or employed, but never both at the same time. Jobs, even good ones, naturally come with a lot of stress and a measure of boredom, both of which lead to snacking. Add to that the office baker who likes to bring treats to work, and you’ve got a recipe for diet disaster.

Working from home, I made it a point to take regular walks. If I needed to clear my head, I loaded the dogs in the car and we headed for our favorite hiking spot. If I had errands, I walked when I could. I live within walking distance of downtown, the public library, a few good restaurants, and two city parks, so I could walk almost everywhere I needed to go. It took a little planning, though, because it’s much faster to jump in the car and drive a mile than it is to walk it. I knew that a full-time position would cut my chances to work fitness into my daily routine. I thought I could deal with the diet issue by taking my lunch and making sure I had healthy snacks (yeah, right – like that ever works), but I couldn’t figure out how I was going to get enough walking. And I need to walk – it’s my stress reliever, therapy, and brainstorming time.

When Nancy asked me to work for her, I was delighted because I know this company is full of fitness maniacs. They allow an extra half hour for lunch, as long as you use it to exercise. The corporate leaders believe that encouraging fitness is a sound business move. Employees are happier, they get sick less often, and they bond in ways that have nothing to do with work but everything to do with creating a good work environment.

My first week, I loaded my bike into the car and brought it along. I figured I could start out with some short rides, and then eventually join the big dogs. Meanwhile, the serious bikers put on their team uniforms and spent their lunch breaks riding to Oklahoma and back.

I had thought I was in okay shape, but it turns out that biking uses an entirely different group of muscles than walking. The tech guys have an answer for that.

One morning I was at my desk when Scott poked his head into my office. “Time for the core workout,” he said.

“What?” I responded cleverly.

“Core workout. Let’s go.” So I joined the others for an ab and back workout, which, it turns out, happens fairly regularly. Sheesh.

A few days later, Scott popped into my office again. “Surprise fitness test!” he said.

How many sit-ups can you do in 90 seconds – with your whole office watching? How about pushups? I said, “I’m pretty sure I can’t do any pushups,” as I watched Dan zip through about a million of them.

“Just do as many as you can,” Scott said. “Next time, you’ll be able to do more.” He whipped out his Palm Pilot, ready to enter the stats – he has stats on everyone in the company, and has mapped every bike ride they’ve taken for the past seven years. So I got started, and was surprised to learn that I can do 11 pushups and 15 sit-ups. Next time, I’ll have to beat that, so I’m motivated to work out.

This week, they added stair jumping. It does the same thing as a step aerobics workout (they say), but it looks like a group of people jumping up and down the stairs. Scott, who is six-foot seven, jumps up three steps. The other guys do two steps. Me, I hold onto the railings and do one step. Two sets of ten reps, but just one step. Did I mention that these are all really fit young guys? And me? (Nancy is smart enough not to play along.)

This week I also went back to my bike. I’ve been working up to it every since the pie festival that was Thanksgiving at our house. The winter weather is actually a bonus, because the guys set up trainers on the plant floor and ride indoors. No wind to deal with, no traffic to worry about, and all kinds of little monitors and gadgets to keep the tech guys happy.

Scott helped me set up my bike. The rear tire sits on a resistance generator, while the front tire remains still on the ground. It feels like a real road ride. He hooked Dan up to a heart monitor and a laptop, and away we went. The laptop screen showed a video of our route, a lovely tour of the Italian coast. Dan, hooked up to the program, actually felt the hills and worked hard. He and Scott rode 16 hard miles, dripping puddles of sweat on the floor as they pumped up hills and shot down at upwards of 30 miles per hour. Me, I pedaled leisurely through the Italian countryside, noting the dogs, the monastery on the hill in the distance, the vista of the blue Mediterranean Sea. I went five and a half miles, which is a mile and a half past the point where I thought I was going to die, and I rode for just over 30 minutes. That met my fitness goals for the day, and sent me off on wobbly legs to find the Advil so I could make it through the afternoon.

Nancy and the others have encouraged me to join in the fitness passion, and I admit I’m enjoying every minute of it. If it keeps me from gaining weight over the holidays and gives me a head start on the New Year’s resolution, I’m happy. I’m also inspired by Eddie, one of the tech support guys, who is about my age. He lost 20 pounds in his first year at the company. Now that’s my kind of job benefit!

My column "Back to the Rat Race" appears every two weeks in Joplin Tri-State Business. This edition was published on December 29, 2008. JTSB is now available online at www.joplintristate.biz.