The social media newswires are lighting up with what some are touting as the ultimate home office accessory for the COVID-19 lock down set: a micro fridge that you could call an electrified six-pack, meant to keep your fave beverages ice cold at arm’s length…
The micro fridge from Walmart: Lock down denizen’s delight? Or a demon in disguise?
You look at the little dickens – a retro-designed mini fridge capable of holding 6 cans of your fave quencher or the equivalent in chilled snacks – and your heart says ‘Awwww…’ just like it would for a cute baby picture or any kitten image. Your second reaction is, “I gotta have that!” And at just (US)$29., there’s little stopping the average person from heading out to Walmart or ordering it online. But I see drawbacks. More on those later.
The skinny
The credenza- or desktop-sized mini fridge comes in Dr. Pepper, Mountain Dew, Pepsi and Budweiser (NSFW at your company office) versions, painted up just like the those respective products’ cans and bearing the appropriate logo. Add a chromed handle and hinges and you’ve got retro gold! There’s even a view port in the door so you can keep track of the state of your stash without opening it up and letting all the cold air out.
It appears the little dickens has a mini refrigeration system little the ones you’ve probably already seen in RV cooler chests, and will run on regular 120-volt house current or 12 volts in your vehicle so you can take it anywhere. And to make that easier, there’s a fold-away handle in the top. According to the official description, the micro fridge is , “designed with a powerful, whisper-quiet, vibration-free motor, harnessing dependable thermoelectric cooling. The unit cools down to 27-36 degrees Fahrenheit below ambient room temperature, keeping beverages at the optimal temperature.”
Sounds like the stuff home office workers’ dreams are made of. Not to mention binge watchers’.
But there is a down side
During the pandemic stay home order many of us aren’t getting the amount of exercise we usually do. That’s bad enough, until you consider that most of us don’t usually get the amount of exercise we should. Then it becomes a real problem.
Recent surveys indicate that lock down denizens are and living more-sedentary lives than they did before the crisis. And that’s leading to weight gain and, probably, cardio health issues. At a time when we should all be making an extra effort to incorporate some indoor exercise into our lock down routines, this enticing, even enthralling micro fridge threatens to make us even more Potato-like than we were before the crisis hit. For some folks, getting up to go to the kitchen to grab another beverage was the main exercise they got in an average ‘work’ day. Take that away from them and something’s got to give, corporeally.
If the lock down lasts long enough, their leg muscles will start to atrophy as their guts expand. Their stamina will suffer; going up a flight of stairs will seem like work, rather than something they’d normally do without thinking. Their posture will also deteriorate, just as a side effect, as other muscles that usually hold them up straight and tall become weaker from disuse. The more they sit, the worse it all gets. And the worse it gets, the more they’ll want to just… sit.
Don’t let yourself down!
Whether you grab a micro fridge or not… Make an effort! Add a daily solitary walk to your routine, or walk the dog twice rather than just once a day. Start your day with some simple but effective calisthenics. Make a point of getting up from your home office desk or the easy chair once an hour and walking around. You’ve got to at least keep the blood pumping. You’ll thank yourself when the COVID-19 emergency finally comes to an end.
~ Maggie J.