How Can You Stay Fit If You're in an Office?
Thanks to long working hours, employees, especially those with long commutes, barely get any time to exercise. Even those who reach home early are too exhausted to hit the gym. Lack of exercise can result in you piling on the pounds. A protruding belly is not the only potential side-effect of a sedentary lifestyle you need to worry about. Spending hours slumping back in your desk or slouching forward can increase your chances of developing spine problems.
Being busy at work does not mean your health has to take a backseat. If you can’ take your office to the gym, why not take the gym to your workplace? If you, like millions of employees around the world, are unable to fit exercise into your routine, follow the simple steps we discuss in the post to stay fit.
1. Walk as much as possible
To compensate for the loss of exercise time, find excuses to walk more. If you drive to work, park your vehicle further away. Ditch escalators and elevators. Instead, take stairs. If your office is located in a high-rise building, consider taking the elevator up a couple of flights, and walk up the rest. Keep a small cup at your desk so that you have to get up and walk to the cooler frequently for refills.
Take a walk around your office during lunch breaks. Try standing up or walking around when talking on the phone. Limit email conversation with colleagues. Instead, go to their desk for a quick chat. Adopting this practice will not only help increase your step count but can also be a good way to connect with colleagues. Schedule walking meetings as frequently as possible.
When printing documents, use the furthest printer from your workstation. On your way to the printer, stretch to loosen up stiff muscles and joints.
2. Stretch at regular intervals
Sitting is the new smoking. Studies show that sitting for long hours at a work desk can result in a number of health complications, including disk damage, lower back pain, and neck strain.
To steer clear of health issues, sit in an upright position without crouching forward. Take a five-minute break every hour to stretch your body (you can also take a stroll during your breaks). If you can’t remember to take breaks at regular intervals, use an alarm clock or reminder apps that remind users to stretch regularly.
3. Stash your snack drawer with healthy snacks
Let’s admit it; it’s difficult to ignore hunger. Most of us, at some point, have been guilty of giving into forbidden temptations of gorging our favorite sugary snacks at work. Intense meetings, insane deadlines, and a demanding boss can test the resolution of even health freaks, forcing them to find solace in unhealthy foods.
To avoid this problem, have a drawer dedicated to healthy snacks such as nuts, protein bars, bliss balls, and fresh fruits. If you don’t have a drawer in your desk, leave a bag of almonds or kale chips next to your system.
4. Perform simple desk exercises
Don’t have enough time to hit the gym? Why not transform your workstation into a mini-gym? To improve your concentration and blood oxygen levels, perform breathing exercises at regular intervals. To strengthen your core, do kegel exercises. Perform knee tucks. To stretch different body parts, perform arm circles, shoulder shrugs, neck tilts, and wrist rolls.
5. Stay hydrated
Employees often put staying hydrated on the backburner. If you too use having your hands full as an excuse to drink less water at work, we have news for you. Studies suggest that dehydration can result in daytime fatigue and have a negative impact on your metabolism, dragging down your productivity.
To stay focused at work, drink at least half your body weight in ounces of water. If you don’t have enough time to get up and get water from the cooler every time, keep a bottle of water handy at your desk. Take hydration breaks at regular intervals. Replace unhealthy snacks with fruits with high water content such as watermelon, cucumbers, berries, and cantaloupe.
6. Reorganise your workstation
Reorganize your desk in such a way that the things that you use often are placed a little out of your way. This will force you to stand up or stretch at regular intervals. Designate an area to keep your family photos. If your office has standing desks, try using one of them.
7. Improve your posture
Maintaining the right posture at work holds the key to avoiding spine problems. Keep your monitor at eye level. Always pull your shoulders back. Avoid crossing ankles or legs. If you are unable to keep your upper back straight, use a lumbar support tool.
