Staying Active at Work
We all know that as an office professional it’s hard to find the time to stay active while you’re at work. No matter what, you find yourself sitting at a desk for hours upon hours every day and it can be debilitating to your health.
Every little bit counts: be an example for the children of our community and show them the importance of staying active at work or school no matter the circumstances. Don’t let a business suit stop you from walking a few extra steps every day.
At the Y, we not only encourage children to participate in physical activity on a daily basis, but we also focus on the health of adults. It is important for adults to find the time to focus on their own health by attending health and wellness classes, staying active at work or signing up to work with one of our certified personal trainers.
We understand that taking care of a family can be exhausting, but we want you to be as healthy as possible. Let us help you figure out ways of staying active at work. Here are a few tips to help you out:
Walk during your lunch break. That free hour you get every day is the perfect time to get in some exercise. Instead of grabbing your lunch and sitting back down, take a walk and find a place to eat. Most office building complexes have some sort of court yard on the main level. Consider walking down to the court yard and eating lunch there. If you finish eating sooner than when you need to be back in the office, utilize that time to take a quick walk down the street or around the building.
Take the extra trips. It’s in our nature to make things easy for ourselves, taking the fewest trips possible in order to prevent having get to up again. It can be called being lazy, but it’s also quite efficient, if you aren’t considering the lack of physical activity. When you’re in the office and you have to get up, whether it’s to make a copy, go to your mailbox, or even just grab a drink, do so individually. Try and make as many trips as possible during the day to keep your legs moving. If you drink the water in the office use a small cup so that you need to fill it up more frequently.
Take the stairs. Staying active at work can be easy when you work in a building that has numerous floors. You can easily benefit from using the stairs to get up or down, rather than using the elevator. If you work on the first floor and the restroom is shared amongst the floor in the hallway, use the other floors’ restrooms so that you can get use of out of the stairs. Vise verse if you work on the higher floors.
Taking the stairs is the best workout you could probably have at the office. It works out your legs and keeps the blood flowing, preventing cramps while you sit, as well as some negative long term effects of constantly sitting down, such as weakening muscles.
Along with these tips, take advantage of opportunities such as invitations to walk to the café or go get coffee. The best way for you to stay active while having a career is to make time for yourself. Try a personal trainer or attend group classes before or after work and keep yourself healthy.