Sitting at a desk 8-5 can be hard on your body, let me tell ya. Making sure that your posture is correct is a must, but I’ve been also thinking about ways to stay active on the job. Unfortunately, I don’t have my own office where I can bust out the hand weights once in a while, which would be great. A lot of studies have come out regarding health risks for those who work in an office environment, so that has got me thinking. What are some ways to keep active on the job?
- Replace your chair with a fitness ball. I would love to do this! When you have no choice but to sit you can get in a mini workout this way. With a ball you’re forced to use your core muscles to keep you upright, rather than slouching over as you would in a chair. Another reason why I would love my own office. 🙂
- Burn calories while you commute to work. Are you able to walk or ride a bike to work? If you are close enough, stop being lazy and do so! In my case, I am forced to take the bus, but walking to a farther bus stop would get the calories burning a bit.
- Book a walking meeting. Instead of ordering food while meeting around a conference room table, take a walk outside with your coworkers. This can also boost your mood and may even encourage more creativity.
- Stop IMing and get up and walk over to your coworkers desk. If you are in a huge office as I am, I tend to pick up the phone or IM a coworker with a question or concern. Instead I should be walking over to their desk and taking the stairs over the elevator. This is much more productive! And yes, I have been guilty of taking the elevators up and down one floor. 🙂
- Hit the gym at lunchtime. This is my fav! If I am able to get out for lunch or an hour break, I head right over to the gym for a quick workout. Follow your sweat sesh with a healthy meal that you can eat at your desk while you get back to work. This also helps me to clear my head, feel better about the afternoon and able to tackle the tasks that come to my desk.
- For those of you more fortunate, you can even stash some exercise equipment under your desk and whip out some bicep curls or other easy movements. May seem a little silly, but I have seen this done! Stretching at your desk is also a great way to break up the energy a bit and make your body feel a whole lot better throughout the day.
- Also, since we are talking about keeping healthy in our offices, another little tip that I have been doing a lot lately, is bringing my own lunch! I was notorious for grabbing lunch out every work day, but in fact ordering a salad can still bump up the calories. It’s best to know exactly what ingredients are in the food your eating, and making your own lunch is the best way to do so. On Monday’s I try to cook my own chicken and veggie or brown rice and put them in containers for the next couple of days. This way my lunch is ready to go. I also bring in my own greek yogurt each morning, so I am sure to feed my body with the best energy boosting foods it needs.
Thoughts? Do you work in an office environment where you have the ability to administer these types of activities? We need to make more people aware that sitting at a desk all day is terrible for your body and health and there are ways to help this!
I have also added a new page to the blog! It’s called “Workout Log”. I will be keeping track of my daily workouts here, as I think it’s important to keep track of my daily routine as well as have everything in one place and accessible to others.
Do you keep a workout log? If so, do you use a particular program or jot it down on paper?
Happy Friday and have a great weekend! xo,J
