When working at a desk job it can often be tricky to find ways to fit movement into your day and keep healthy. In an ideal world, we would all be waking refreshed after a perfect 8-hour sleep, heading to a yoga class on our lunch break and hitting the gym or going for a run after work. But in reality, our working hours are getting longer and harder and we simply have less time and motivation to focus on healthier habits. The issue is all that sitting isn’t doing us any good! As a result, we have bad posture, aches and pains and an obesity crisis.
So, how can you balance your desk job with your health and fitness? It takes some work, but it’s possible to incorporate healthier habits into your daily routine. If you’re someone who spends a significant part of their day sitting at a desk, then read on to discover our handy office health tips to stay active while working.
Desk Based Exercises
It’s well established that good physical fitness can reduce stress, increase productivity, and inject a boost of energy. Research shows that people who live a sedentary lifestyle are up to twice as likely to develop diabetes and heart disease than those who move frequently.
You don’t necessarily need any special equipment to stay fit at work. Body weight exercises are a great way to introduce more movement into your working day. All of these exercises can be completed without having to leave your desk area.
Exercise Examples
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Seated Leg Raises - sitting upright in your desk chair, bend one leg and extend the other one out. Flex the foot of your extended leg and slowly raise the leg until it’s approximately one foot away from the floor. Slowly lower and repeat, remembering to swap legs halfway through.
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Desk Plank - place your hands on the surface of your desk, keeping your feet on the floor and push your body away from the desk. Hold the position for as long as you can and then slowly release.
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Desk Push Up - get into the same position as your desk plank, but this time push your body up and down so that your chin meets the surface of your desk.
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Chair Sit and Stand - stand in front of the chair with your legs shoulder-width apart. Squat down like you are going to sit on the chair but without actually touching it. Try to maintain a proper position: back straight, knees above the feet, weight on the heels. Straighten your legs to go back to the starting position.
Anyone who regularly works a desk job knows just how stiff and achy you can feel at the end of the day. Incorporating stretches into your working day will help expand your muscles out, ease any stress that may have built up in your body and will also relieve the tension that comes from keeping your body in the same position for a long time.
Stretch Examples
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Seated neck stretch - Sit tall on your chair, feet flat on the floor. Relax your chin down toward your chest and hold, then lift your chin up toward the ceiling and hold. Next bring your head forward and tilt your right ear toward your right shoulder and hold. Then bring your head up and tilt to the opposite (left) side and hold.
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Seated chest and back stretch - Clasp your hands behind your lower back. Push your chest outward, and raise your chin and hold, breathing deeply. Then, hold your arms out straight in front of you, palms facing down. Lower your head in line with your arms, and round your upper back while looking down toward the floor and hold.
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Ceiling stretch - Clasp your hands together above your head with your palms facing up toward the ceiling. Push your arms up, stretching upward, hold and breathe deeply.
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Seated shoulder roll - bring both shoulders up toward your ears, then slowly roll them backward. Repeat, rolling forward. Sit tall and do not allow your upper back to round.
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Wrist/forearm stretch - Stretch your arm out in front of you. Slowly, point your fingers down until you feel a stretch. Use the other hand to gently pull the raised hand toward the body. Then point your fingers toward the ceiling until you feel a stretch. Use the other hand to gently pull the raised hand toward the body.
Stretches and exercises can be completed any time during the day and the bonus is they don’t need to be completed all at once. If it’s easier for you to spread the stretches or exercises throughout the day, that is just as effective for improving health. To start with, why not aim to complete some exercises on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday and some stretches on Tuesday and Thursday one week? Then, alternate to stretches on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday and exercises on Tuesday and Thursday the following week—and repeat.
Regular Movement Breaks
Just because you work at a desk doesn’t mean you have to be sat there all day. Have a bathroom break, make a drink or take a moment to look out a window. Try and make sure you take a break from prolonged sitting every 30 minutes. If you can, focus on short micro breaks of 1-2 minutes every 30-60 minutes, even if it’s just to stand up and stretch your body and get the blood flowing again. It’s also important that when you have a break, be sure to move away from your desk. A change of scene however small can be good for the mind and the soul.
Ergonomic Workspace Setup
Our posture can really be affected when we spend lots of time sitting at a desk, especially if your workstation hasn’t been ergonomically assessed. If your screen isn’t at the right eye height, your keyboard isn’t at the right angle, and if your chair is uncomfortable and not set at the right height or angle for you, there can be consequences over time. Sitting for long periods of time places a high amount of pressure on the spine. Over time, sitting can result in compression of the spinal disks and because muscles are tight from pressure, sudden movements can lead to injury. One way to avoid this is to alternate standing and sitting throughout the day. Some office environments encourage standing at your desk with special desks that allow you to either sit or stand. If you don’t have one of these, try standing every time you make a phone call.
Healthy Snacking
Snacking at the office tends to get a bad reputation, especially if there are weekly team “fuddles” or treats coming in. However, snacks are a great way to induce that extra little boost of energy and revitalise yourself and your productivity. We know it’s tempting to head for the vending machine or reach for the chocolate to satisfy that sugar craving, but an easy way to keep yourself on track to a healthy work life is to make sure you prepare nutritious and healthy foods. Bring in home cooked food full of fresh fruit and vegetables, and plan your meals to make a little extra and have healthy leftovers for your lunch. Include healthy snack options such as nuts, granola and dried fruit. Start the day with a substantial and healthy breakfast to keep you satisfied until lunchtime.
Also, drink lots of water throughout the day. It’s tempting to reach for the coffee and the caffeine to get you through a busy day but staying hydrated can help promote weight loss by reducing your appetite, staving off overeating and removing fat by-products. Drinking water can also boost your energy levels, relieve fatigue and help you stay fit at work.
Mindfulness Practices
When working in an office environment both mental and physical activity play an equally important role in promoting good health. Exercising your body is one thing but exercising your brain is another important component of a healthy lifestyle. And ultimately, this can help prevent burnout on the job. Get into the habit of focusing on your emotional and mental well-being by including some meditation and mindfulness practices throughout the day.
With mindfulness meditation, you:
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Sit in a comfortable position.
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Control and stabilise your breathing to relax.
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Let your mind focus solely on the present (not the past or future).
Research suggests that this type of meditation may help ease stress. And even better, it only takes a few minutes, and you can do it anywhere.
Utilising Desk Accessories
There are lots of different types of desk exercise equipment you can buy these days and most of it is very discreet. You’re certainly not going to get out of breath and work up a sweat using desk exercise equipment, but importantly, you will be moving, burning calories and toning your muscles, which is more than you’d be doing if you were just sitting at your desk all day. Most desk exercise equipment targets the lower half of the body and will fit snugly under your desk. Exercises such as cycling and walking can all be carried out from the comfort of your office chair, allowing you to stay active whilst working.
Creating a Daily Routine
We are creatures of habit and while it may feel challenging at first, once we start including movement at work into our daily routine it will eventually come as second nature. Don’t be daunted or overwhelmed, break up physical activity into smaller durations of time—such as 10 minutes before work, 10 minutes at lunch and 10 minutes after work—if longer durations of exercise don’t fit within your schedule.
Setting alarms throughout the day for rest periods, stretch periods and breaks can help structure your day and remind you to be more active. We’ve all been there at the start of the working week with the best of intentions, but busy days mean the time just runs away with us and before we know it, we’re heading home and we’ve done no movement.
Social and Accountability Strategies
Socializing with your co-workers can help reduce stress at work and significantly improve your mental health. Interact with your team members at work by working together on projects, having a quick chat by the printer or while refilling your water bottle. Doing so will help you create healthy relationships at work and help maintain a healthy working lifestyle.
Work together to be more active! Introduce a little yoga session on your lunch break together, go for a walk, have walking meetings and have a friendly step count competition. Being more active doesn’t have to be an individual pursuit, it can be more appealing to have some company and is more likely to be maintained with support from peers. And let’s not overlook the fact it will benefit the whole team and its morale.
We know finding time to be active when you work a busy desk job can be difficult. But hopefully after reading this you’ll see that it’s certainly not impossible. Just by making one or two simple changes, it can have many benefits for both you and your health, and the workplace. Research shows that those who are active at work feel healthier and experience positive associations with job performance, including better time management and mental performance. Individuals are also more likely to demonstrate better moods, increased motivation, greater stamina to complete work, less stress and better interactions with coworkers.
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