Fitness in the Office for Fun and Activity
If you work in an office-based environment, you know all too well how difficult it can be to stay active during your work day. Staying physically active can be a challenge, and the toll it takes on our mind and body can be difficult to cope with. Long hours spent sitting at a desk and poor movement can lead to issues such as back pain, decreased energy levels, and increased risk of chronic diseases. The stress of trying to fit in more exercise can add to pains and worries too! However, incorporating fitness into your office routine doesn't have to be complicated or time-consuming. With a few simple strategies, you can stay active and energized throughout the workday. Here are our five favorite tips for easy office fitness from FlexiSpot.
Make Time to Move
One of the best ways to combat sedentary living and the negative symptoms that come with prolonged lack of movement is to take deliberate and regular breaks to encourage movement. Try setting a timer or building a walk into your lunch break to get you going! Light stretching or small opportunities to walk around the office also all add up. Even a few minutes can make all the difference in improving circulation, reducing muscle tension, refreshing your mind, and boosting energy levels.
Flex at Your Desk!
There is a surprising amount of exercise you can do at your desk, so even in those periods where you can't get away from your screen, you can still incorporate movement and exercise for better health. Seated leg lifts, desk push-ups, or some simple chair squats can help strengthen muscles and release tension, whilst also invigorating the mind and body and keeping you in better overall health. Small ankle or wrist weights can also add some extra resistance for even more of a workout in the time you can get a walk away from your desk. Try just a few minutes a day at first and see how you feel.
Incorporate A Standing Desk
The movement itself is essential, but there are also plenty of ways we can make our workplace furniture work better for us - and at FlexiSpot, we love to work like new. A standing desk can help create more opportunities for standing and movement in your workday, allowing you to elevate your desktop to suit your needs. Alternating between sitting and standing can help improve posture, alleviate body stress from prolonged sitting, and in turn release long-term aches and muscle tension. Consider investing in a standing desk or desk riser to see the difference it could make to incorporating fitness into the office day.
Keep Your Meetings Active
A long boardroom meeting or planning session can start with the best of intentions, but long presentations paired with hours of sitting can wreak havoc on our wellbeing. Wherever possible, it's a great idea for the mind and body to encourage walking or standing meetings, or breaks in longer meetings, to allow people to move around, take a break, and refresh. This simple effort can also help foster better team morale and a more collaborative and friendly team environment.
Say Yes to Active Transport
If your workplace is near enough to allow for it, try walking or biking to work instead of driving or taking the bus or train. An active start to the day can boost our creativity and problem solving skills, whilst also optimising the time we have to nurture our fitness - before we've even reached the office.
For those that work from home, the luxury of a much shorter commute(!) means you have time for more sleep, more house chores - or more fitness before you make it to your home office for the day. Perhaps make time to take a morning coffee for a walk around the block, or a quick online yoga session before you sit down to work.
These habits can quickly become part of your daily routine and make all the difference to your office focus, workplace productivity, and overall health and fitness.
Fitness for Home and Office
Getting creative with fitting fitness into your office day can make a difference to successes at work and at home, and nurturing your adaptability to make fitness a focus is another great skill to bring to life's challenges. Using a standing desk, encouraging public transport and active meetings, and getting flexible with how you use your office space and commute can all be great starting points for adding more fitness into your office day. With a little creativity and determination, you can make fitness a priority in your office environment and reap the many benefits of a more active lifestyle.
