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Ways to Stay Fit at Work
Ways to Stay Fit at Work
Why is sitting at your desk all day so bad for you?
It’s claimed that ‘sitting is the new smoking’. The NHS says on average, UK adults sit for 9 hours a day excluding sleeping. An increased amount of sitting can increase risks of chronic health problems, heart disease, diabetes and some types of cancer. It can also impact your mental health and make your working-self less productive. Exercising at work doesn’t have to be an arduous task, there are some simple activities which you can do daily that’ll help you stay fit.
Moving throughout the day is important to maintain a positive and health attitude as well as staying physically fit. It also means a higher rate of productivity and enables you to sleep better at night.
Your morning commute
Make your commute a time for a workout. Walk, cycle or run, to boost your positivity and to increase your motivation for the day. If you have to take public transport, why not get off the bus or train a stop or two early and walk the rest of the way.
Be conscious of your posture.
The majority of people get into bad habits while sat at a desk, however maintaining proper posture throughout the day is important. If you are looking at a computer screen bad posture will cause painful neck and back issues as well as headaches. Sitting poorly impacts your digestion and can cause heartburn and discomfort.
Good posture improves the function of muscles and joints and increases people’s mood and energy levels.
What you eat is important.
What you eat from day to day will obviously impact your physical health, mental health, energy levels and immune system. We are fully aware of how snacking is a common part of office life, and therefore suggest having a draw full of healthier snacks to avoid temptation.
The best way to stay on track with your eating is to have a clear and simple routine to follow, as it’s important not to skip meals. If you have a busy day, plan when and what you will have for lunch, to avoid missing it all together. Skipping meals significantly impacts your mood as it will mean a dip in your blood sugar and energy levels, which decreases your work productivity.
It’s healthy at lunchtime to completely switch off from work for an hour, so you have a full break, which allows you to be able to work to your maximum potential in the afternoon.
Drink!
Drinking water and saying hydrated is important while at work. Most of us will fill ourselves up with coffee and tea throughout the day to keep us going. This however is not great for our bodies and will not keep us hydrated.
Maybe try buying a re-usable water bottle, possibly one with timings to keeps track of where you should be when throughout the day. If staying hydrated is an office problem, buy a water machine or make drinking water a competition. I can guarantee this will boost people’s motivation to drink water.
Team drinks are always fun and it’s important to communicate with your team outside of a work environment, but excessive alcohol will dehydrate you and mean you don’t sleep well.
Utilise your lunchbreak.
Your lunchbreak is a prime time to exercise and get moving. Possibly even map out what you plan to do each day in order to motivate you to stick to it. During your lunchbreak you could go for a walk, cycle, or run around the block. Maybe even check out if there are gym facilities nearby you to go to. This way, in the winter you have no excuse that it’s too cold or too rainy. Maybe even find a workout buddy in the office to keep both of you motivated to get moving.
Deskercise
Deskercise is becoming a new trend, which entails exercise at the office, and even at your desk. There is now a push for people to work out in some way while working to keep their bodies moving.
There are many simple ways to exercise at the office:
Try always taking the stairs, and ban yourself from getting into the lift. Additionally, set 30 minuet timers and when it goes off either stretch, stand up or walk around the office.
Sit on an exercise ball instead of an office chair to improve your posture and to engage your core while working.
Standing desks are adjustable work surfaces which allow you to either sit or stand and are a good way of exercising whilst working. Standing desks are proven to boost productivity while also boosting your health and fitness.
Obviously, we know that not all offices would be suitable for standing desks, therefore seated exercise instead is a viable option. Maybe try some triceps dips, or some leg lifts under the desk, stretches.
It’s important to keep moving whilst at work. As well as boosting productivity and motivation, it’ll also help you stay fit and healthy and reduce risk of illnesses.
Stay Safe,
Team Affecto.