My personal battles with obesity have been well chronicled online and, while I've never been in the heavy weight class, I have been quite plump (see the chart below). Back in 2007, I put in a lot of hard work, diet and exercise and saw my weight drop all the way down to 194, which is probably ideal for me.

Then, in October of 2008, my wife went into the hospital for 6 weeks prior to the birth of our little girl; I stopped exercising and eating properly and saw my weight climb to 234 lbs over the course of the next 18 months. I have no one to blame but myself, but I did see just how easy it is to lose all the hard work I had put in. Since that time, I've been eating much better, exercising regularly, and even done some detox. Now, although not down to 194 lbs, I am on the right path and, with some continued efforts, hope to be back to my target weight around March.

If you work in an office and don't get much exercise, you may be struggling with these same issues. What happened to me can happen to anyone when the kids, the job, the social life, and more all start to take over. Being in the web development industry, it seems to be generally accepted that being overweight is just the norm. In reality, it is still unhealthy and detrimental to your well-being.

In Texas, there are several extremes. We Texans hold five of the Top 10 places for obesity in the Men's Health List of Fattest Cities. On the flip side, we also have Austin. Somewhat of a Texas Technology Mecca, Austin is also one of the fittest cites according to that same list. Personally, I think when you move to Austin, they issue you one or any combination of the following: a full gym membership, a bicycle, or your vegetarian/vegan card. Now I'll be honest, I love steak way too much to ever take that last one, but I do respect those who choose to live that way in an effort to achieve better overall health.

If you're not in Austin or moving there anytime soon, or if you live in one of those overweight cities, here are some things you can do to help you stay fit - even if you have to sit down for 12 hours a day.

1. Ride a bike to work - You guessed it, one reason those folks in Austin are fit is because of all the bikes. The reality is that most people live within a five minute commute of their job, so riding a bike would probably only take 20 minutes. That's a total of 40 minutes of exercise you wouldn't get otherwise.
2. Get on the ball - Trade in your comfy recliner of a desk chair for an exercise ball every once in a while. The ball will require you to sit properly and utilize muscles you probably wouldn't otherwise. Besides, they're bouncy!
3. Pump it up - Bring in some dumbbells or workout bands to the office and take a short lunch or a couple 15 minute breaks to exercise throughout the day. Instead of wasting time at the water cooler talking about last night's game or Dancing with the Stars, you could use that time to lose some extra weight.
4. Take that meeting to go - This one is Tom's favorites, as we often have to walk to the local convenience store so he can grab a diet coke. Two trips a day is equal to a one-mile walk.
5. Fruits and Veggies - Let's face it, we all get hungry during the day and, if your office is like mine, candy and chips are everywhere - but that doesn't mean you have to eat them. Instead, bring some fresh fruit or vegetables to snack on. If you're in a small office, you might even be able to request some healthier snacks.

Those are just five ways you can really start to get healthier, but there are dozens of other things you can do to better yourself. What are some of the things you do to stay fit during the work week?

Photo Courtesy of Adria.Richards