Tours Department is On the Ball

April 22, 2014

Coming into an office on a beautiful spring day after a long winter can be one of the most challenging tasks. Filled with hope that winter is truly behind us and evidence of spring sprouting up all around, I would rather seek out adventures on the trails around Missoula. Sitting at my desk soaking in all the sun that pours through the Adventure Cycling Association office windows, I find myself drifting off to another place. My mind fills with thoughts of summer adventures — should I go explore on the Great Lakes, Inn to Inn tour or take in the diverse scenery on the Portland Crater Lake Loop? I would love to spend all of the days of summer riding my bike, but I snap out of my daydream and realize that showing up to work is essential. I make the office environment as welcoming as possible on beautiful days and one of the ways I do that is through the exercise ball.

In every office job I've had, I've chosen to sit on an exercise ball. I have found that sitting on a ball has numerous positive effects for my posture, my focus, mid-day stretches and balance challenges. What I did not expect, was the effect sitting on an exercise ball would have on our department. The tours department is now full of exercise balls and the majority of the team sits on them. The creative ways we have found to sit at our desks and the competitions we have come up with has provided numerous laughs and created a unique bond in our office.

The exercise ball has also served as a reminder that even though I only have limited time for training and getting in shape for the demands of summer biking, hiking, paddle boarding, etc., I can do some training at work — a few ab exercises here, some push-ups there, a couple sets of squats, and within a few minutes I have had a good break from the work at hand, gotten the blood flowing, and done something positive for myself that will help me enjoy the summer activities away from the office.

If you are like me and can’t spend all summer long traveling by bike, I highly recommend an exercise ball!

Post by Lydia Hess | Photos by Katie Kramon and Lydia Hess

—

ON THE ROAD is written by the tours team — Lydia, Darrah, Mike, Mandy, and Arlen — tours specialists and intrepid bicyclists, covering all things related to the Adventure Cycling tours department. Check out our 2014 Guided Tours today!