Ways to Sneak Exercise into your Work Day

What better way to exercise than to do it in a way you barely notice?? The World Health Organisation recommends that we should be active for 30 minutes daily or 150 minutes per week.  For those who, like me, are sitting at desks or even spending a lot of time on the road, numbers like these can feel very difficult to achieve.  Plus as we all know its not as simple as just going out and being active just like that. For some people, they need to travel to find an area to walk or run in comfort, which not everyone has the extra time for in their busy lives. 

For the purpose of this blog and Workplace Wellbeing Day which is happening on March 31^st, I’m going to share some ideas with you that involve getting those extra few minutes or steps in during your working day. 

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1.  Don’t get on/off at the stop closest to your workplace or home: Take a few extra minutes in the evening by not getting off at the most convenient stop. If you drive to work, park further away from the entrance. That is if you’re not running late!

2.   Take the stairs: A great habit to get into. Much like parking as close to the door as possible, we always pick the easier option, foregoing the healthier choice if an easier alternative is presented.

3.   Deliver messages personally: Instead of emailing someone to tell them you have received their post, take a walk over to their desk or office. It will help you get your steps in, provide you with additional opportunities to communicate with your colleagues, and give you a much needed break from your office chair.

4.   Walking meetings: If there are only a few of you that need to meet and there is not a necessity for laptops or equipment, why not take a walking meeting? Get some fresh air, grab a takeaway tea or coffee.

5.   Walking Phonecalls: Spend a lot of time on the phone for work? If you can walk around while on the phone, brilliant. Even pacing around your office is better than remaining seated. If your call lasts 15 minutes, that’s a 15 minute walk that you’ve just taken.

6.  Take standing, walking and/or stretching breaks: This can be vital to your posture, as well as motivation and mindset.

7.   If you’re a bit more used to physical activity and need something more challenging: There are exercises that you can do while sitting at your desk if you are finding it hard to get away, however I think that it is always beneficial to get an occasional standing or walking break to completely separate yourself from your desk.

• Flex or tighten your abs and hold for 30 seconds. Release, and repeat 10 times.
• Squeeze your glutes and hold for 30 seconds. Release, and repeat 10 times.
• Buy a hand gripper and use it at your desk to work out your forearms and hands.

Most smartphones have a pedometer already installed within their health app. Use this to track your progress and see how much you can fit in to your day. Challenge yourself! At the beginning it might only be about taking 5,000 steps. You can build towards your workplace activity goals by starting small and seeing what you can manage.

We are turning Workplace Wellbeing Day into Workplace Wellbeing Week at Full Health Medical! For all of this week, we are offering FREE CONSULTATIONS to employers and HR managers who want to improve the health status of their workforce. Email us on wellness@fullhealthmedical.com and one of our experts will arrange a virtual meeting a time which is convenient for you!