7 Ways to Be More Active If You Work a Desk Job
In today’s society, the average person works roughly eight hours per day. At first glance, that doesn’t sound like much, right? But think about it this way:
Over a five-day work week, that comes out to forty total hours. In a month, the number shoots up to 160-170 hours. And in a year? It skyrockets to nearly 2000 hours.
The average person with a desk job spends the majority of these hours seated, and as we know, spending lots of hours sedentary can wreak havoc on our health, even if we are otherwise active (e.g., a few hours of exercise per week).
So, it’s not enough to find a bit of spare time for a workout here and there. We also must find ways to be more active at work, especially if you have a sedentary work environment.
A great way to integrate movement into your work days is to take up tasks that require some movement. This is a very clever way to break up your sitting time and keep doing productive work, as well as avoid the health pitfalls. Here are some ways to do just that!
1 . Add Regular Breaks From Work
Moving around at work is great because it boosts our energy and mood, and improves our productivity. Plus, we don’t have to be incredibly active. As little as a few minutes of activity every 30 to 60 minutes is enough to help us reap the benefits and avoid the negative health effects of sitting for prolonged periods of time.
Every twenty to thirty minutes, get up and walk around a bit, stretch, and sit back down. Every hour, take a few extra minutes to do the same.
It might not sound like much, but those few minutes of activity sprinkled here and there do add up.
2. Go out for lunch
In today’s day and age, we are lucky to have amenities such as Seamless and UberEats who will deliver your favorite food directly to your office. Sure, it’s great to have the luxury of not lifting so much more than a finger to order your lunch but it’s also not helping you to get moving during your workday. If you have a lunch break, take advantage of it and get moving. Instead of ordering delivery, go for a walk to pick up your lunch to get your muscles moving and breathe some fresh air. It can be hard to take a break especially when you have a lot of work on your plate, but getting out of the office will refresh your brain and body and provide some momentum for you to crush the rest of your day.
3. Taking the stairs rather than the elevator
If you have the option of burning a few extra calories by taking the stairs as opposed to relying on an elevator, do it. Aerobic conditioning is an important aspect of heart health and even a few flights of stairs daily is enough to get your blood circulating and heart rate elevated.
4. Standing rather than sitting at your desk
Take a few minutes to stand throughout your day to alleviate the pressure on your body caused by sitting. Sitting may be the most comfortable way to get your work done; however, your spine and core are under a lot of pressure especially when you lead an excessively sedentary lifestyle. Get up, stretch, tighten your core, and realign your body.
5. Taking trips for water
Staying properly hydrated during your workday is important. Use hydration as an excuse to get up more and stay active.
6. Switch up your commute
If you are swamped to the point you can’t leave your desk for a second, consider alternative methods of commuting. If you live close enough to the office, biking or running can be great ways to commute to and from work. If you don’t live close, try getting off the train or bus a few stops earlier to add some more steps to your day.
7. Sit on an exercise ball
Try switching out your desk chair for an exercise ball. Using an exercise ball forces you to tighten your core, sit up straight and use good posture.