How to Make Exercise Part of Your Work Day
Between getting the kids ready for school, feeding the dog, and making last minute preparations for your 8 am meeting, there’s not a lot of time left for exercise. And when the workday ends, plans to hit the gym can easily be derailed by a grocery list, PTA meeting, or simply fatigue.
If you’re having trouble making time to work out, a better strategy might be blending physical activity into the things you’re already doing. What does that look like? Here are some examples.
1. Bike or Walk to Work
Your ability to commute by bike will obviously depend on your proximity to the office, but (depending on your fitness level) if you live less than 10 miles away and have access to reasonably low-traffic roads and/or bike paths, it’s more practical than you think. People are turning to bikes as transportation by the thousands each year, and cities of all sizes are adding infrastructure to help promote cycling as a real alternative to cars.
Also, according to Chicago’s Active Transportation Alliance, “…bike commuters get to work earlier, submit fewer sick days, are happier, and are less stressed.” In fact, companies are starting to catch on to this, offering incentives to people who bike to work, plus installing racks and showers. If you’re lucky enough to live just a few miles from the office, or have access to public transportation for part of the way, walking to work can offer many of the same benefits.
2. Walk to Lunch
Resist the urge to hop in your car for your daily trip to the local sandwich shop. According to the Mayo Clinic, regular brisk walking helps you maintain a healthy weight, strengthen bones and muscles, improve your mood, balance, and coordination, as well as prevent or manage conditions like heart disease, high blood pressure, and type 2 diabetes. Plus it’s a convenient way to burn off the extra calories you took in by eating that cookie for dessert.
3. Use a Standing Desk
If you’re going to be at your desk all day, why not make the most of it? There’s a growing body of research that ties sitting to diabetes, obesity, and heart disease. For example, a 2010 Australian study suggests that our risk of dying from cardiovascular disease increases by 11 percent for every hour we sit. In a study conducted by the American Diabetes Association, researchers found that participants who alternated between sitting and standing boasted slimmer waistlines, lower BMIs, and healthier fat and blood sugar levels than those who sat primarily. Therefore, switching to an adjustable height sit to stand desk can help reduce your risk significantly.
4. Stretch and Exercise at Your Desk
Walking and biking is great, but doesn’t give you a total body workout or improve your flexibility. Augment your cardio activities with some easy and convenient desk exercises, as well as some office stretches. This will help tone muscles, keep you limber, and may also help alleviate back pain. Stretching ultimately releases blood and oxygen to your muscles, so you feel fresh through the day.
5. Find Creative Ways to Keep Moving
Instead of sending that email or instant message, why not visit the desk of the person you need to communicate with? Walking over will only take a few more seconds, but over the course of a workday, those steps will add up and drastically decrease the amount of time you spend sitting. As we mentioned before, every hour you sit makes you more likely to suffer health problems.
Set Yourself Up for Success
Now that you’re armed with some helpful suggestions, here’s your chance to get out of that chair. A great place to start is to install a standing desk converter, or a full-featured standing desk, and a floor mat for comfort.
A standing desk converter is a simple, inexpensive starting place, and can be easily added to an existing work surface. If you have a bigger space to fill, then take a look at full-featured standing desks. Whatever you choose, choose to move and improve your health while you work.
