Updated August 28th, 2022
Introduction / Arrival / Standing Desk /
Introduction
Do you find yourself sitting more than you stand or move? Are you stuck in a job where your leg is chained to a desk? Many people are in this type of situation, but I’m here to give you a few ideas to incorporate more movement in your day.
For those who do go to the gym before or after work: that’s a very beneficial thing to do, but does it make up for the 8-10 hours you spent stable in one spot? The human body craves movement, so let’s feed it!! In fact, some researchers are saying that sitting may be the new smoking. A difficult comparison to make, but being sedentary in one position for too long can be very detrimental to your muscles, organs, and overall health.
As my coworker and mentor always says, “your best move is your next move”. Read below to see some creative ways to stay active both at work and at home!
1. Work Arrival
Picture this: you’re parking the car and getting ready to head into work. Don’t get all stressed out on me, you aren’t actually going into work right now. How far is your car parked from the entrance? Could you have parked further away to get more steps? 100 extra steps may not seem like a huge physical gain for you, but remember you take the extra steps again as you leave work. Just a little math for you guys because you know I’m a nerd:
If you work full time then you work about 260 days per year (hopefully less with vacations and personal days).
If you took an extra 200 steps per day just by parking a little further from the door, you would take an extra 52,000 steps per year!!!
That’s an extra 26 miles walked because of a simple change that you won’t even notice a few weeks from now.
If you are someone who is dropped off to work or school, is it an option to be dropped off further away from the door? I’m not saying you need to hike miles into work, just some extra steps worked into your daily routine can be beneficial!
2. Utilize a Standing Desk
As mentioned above, prolonged sitting has been very harmful to the health of many over the years as we transition to more people working desk jobs. Sitting doesn’t require good posture, it won’t help you use the muscles of your entire body during movements, and it doesn’t require energy that will help you become healthier. Guess what helps with these things?
STANDING
Standing up puts weight down through your feet and requires your body to work to keep you upright. You may not feel this demand if you have good balance and strength, but your joints and muscles will thank you.
A standing desk may or may not be feasible at your place of work. I have attached a link to my favorite standing desk below that I personally use while typing articles. This desk allows various heights to line up with my eyesight to maintain good posture. If a standing desk would not be an option at your work, don’t worry I have plenty more below to still get movement and standing throughout the day.
(As an Amazon Associate, Peak Movement Health earns from qualifying purchases)
Pro Tip: if you do get a standing desk or already have one, I am proud of you. Just remember that it does move up and down, as you should do as well. Standing is better for you than sitting, but standing in one position for too long can have some negative effects as well. Keep moving!!
3. Make Movement a Requirement
I want you to take a look at your daily tasks at work:
Is everything you need throughout the whole day within your reach? If so, is there space around you that you can keep some of those items further away from you?
Keeping a printer, phone, notepad, stapler, sticky notes, or other conveniences at a distance will force you to either stand up or at least kick around in that fancy chair of yours.
Are you allowed to look at your phone during work? If so, do you keep your phone right on your desk? Think about keeping it in a bag or further away from your desk for a few important reasons:
You will be more productive.
You will be less likely to scroll endlessly on social media.
You will have to MOVE to watch the latest Tik Tok video.
Are there tasks you complete away from your desk or office? Like copying, printing, distributing, or communicating? These are all great ways to get movement in.
See if you can take a longer route to complete each task or one of my favorites: if I have a stack of 5 papers to bring to our beloved secretary, I will bring them up one at a time. Boom, just multiplied my steps by 5!!
If you need to call your coworkers for various reasons, maybe a stroll over to their desk would be more beneficial to your health and promote face to face communication.
4. Using Timers
One of my favorite tricks for making myself move is the use of a timer. If I am sitting down to write notes or complete a project, I give myself a realistic amount of time (no more than 20-30 minutes) to get as much done as I can. As soon as that timer goes off, I am required to move at least a little bit. Maybe that is just standing up and stretching, or using the bathroom, or climbing the stairs next to our office. After using the timer for a while, this movement after tasks will start to become a habit.
Pro Tip: many people believe they need to be totally focused on their work all day to get everything done and be productive. But the human brain can truly focus for about 25-30 minutes on average. So getting up and moving gives your brain that reset it needs to be productive again when you return. If the boss gives you a problem with adding some movement throughout your day, show them this article. And show them how your productivity has actually increased because you move better, feel better, and can focus more during daily tasks.
5. Optimize Break Time
Hopefully most of you get a break throughout the day at some point. How do you usually spend this break? Scrolling on your phone? Sitting and talking to coworkers? Doing even more work?
You have already been sitting all day and now you have 10-30 minutes (or more) to do something to take your mind off the work day. What a great time for a walk with a coworker, a trip up/down the stairs, or a few of the exercises I’ve attached below. Whatever you decide to do, incorporate movement into it and your body will thank you later.
I hope you find these suggestions useful and applicable to your job. If you have some strategies that you already use at work that help you move more, please share them with me below. I love learning new ways to stay active and keep my body moving as well!!
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