How to fit physical activity into a busy work day
Whether you work on site or telework, it can be tough to fit everything in during your shift. Here are some general ideas and suggestions:
- Pace yourself – if you find your calendar full of meetings, try to build in a break in between each meeting. Humans can only do so much in a day and non-stop meetings will leave you feeling exhausted (plus your brain can’t work well at that pace). Aim for at least five minutes between meetings, but 10-15 minutes would be better!
- Get moving – if you’re in the office, try to make at least one meeting in your day a walking meeting…meaning you and the other person get up and walk while you talk. Perhaps even get outside. Even a phone meeting has the potential to be a walking meeting.
- Use your body – at your desk/workstation you can sneak in a quick strength training exercise or two…stand up from your chair and sit back down and you’ve just mimicked a squat. Aim to do that up/down movement 10-15 times in a row (and a few times a day). Then work your upper body – use your desk (or wall) as a push-up platform…make your body a straight line from your shoulder to your ankle and then lean (as one straight line) toward your hands and push away. Your chest should end up between your hands when you lean your body toward your hands. Another option is to hold yourself in that top part of the push up position for 15-30 seconds (keep breathing during that time) and you’re working on a “plank” position. The squat, pushup and plank will become easier the more often you do them!
- Kickstart your brain – the next time you start to feel sluggish or sleepy, get up from your workstation and take a quick lap around the office or building. If you can’t leave your spot, stand up and march in place. That will get your heart rate up a bit, which will circulate blood faster through your blood vessels and usually gets the creative juices flowing again.
- Get reminded – if you wear an activity tracker, you can set it to prompt you to move more often. If you don’t have a device to do that for you, set a timer on your phone or add reminder in your electronic calendar.
- Increase your steps – consider keeping track of your number of steps in a day. See what your average total is for a week and then make a goal to increase the total number of steps gradually (aim to add 1,000 steps at a time). Remember 2,000 steps is roughly the equivalent of one mile. Work toward 10,000 steps a day or more. Maybe even have an office challenge – individuals or teams compete to complete a certain number of miles within a week, month, quarter, etc.
Check out this link from Cleveland Clinic for more suggestions and information – https://health.clevelandclinic.org/desk-exercises/ But don’t be thrown off by the treadmill desk picture – we realize that type of equipment may not be a realistic option for many folks. Be sure to scroll down, as the article has many other suggestions. Remember, all activity counts, so look for opportunities to move more in your daily work day.
