If you’re like me and work a desk job, then I’m sure hours can go by where you’re glued to your desk and you never get up. Or you get up, fill your water bottle, stop in the restroom, and make another cup of coffee before returning for another couple of hours.
I have a love / hate relationship with my Fitbit sometimes because it means I get to see just how little activity I get during the day, especially if I’m not getting in a long walk or a run before work that day. It becomes a lot harder to achieve my daily step goal on those days.
We know that sitting all day is not good for our health but with bills to pay, it’s not like I can just quit my job because sitting isn’t good for me. (Some day I would LOVE to get a convertible desk that allows me to switch back and forth between standing and sitting but that’s not in the cards at this moment.) With that said, I’ve been working on other ways to sneak in a little extra activity into my work day and thought I would share with you today. I’m sure some ideas won’t work for everyone or some don’t work for me every day, but take what sticks and leave what doesn’t:
PIN IT
Squats in the bathroom
I get this sounds kind of weird and admittedly, I won’t do it if there are others in the bathroom, but when it’s just me, I’ll do 10 air squats when I get to the restroom. It helps get my blood flowing which wakes me up a bit and helps me get a little more activity in my day.
Get up and walk at least once an hour
This is a lot harder to do, but I’m trying to embrace it. This may include filling my water bottle, walking to the break room for more coffee, or just taking a quick lap around the office. It doesn’t have to be long but the blood flood is sure to help that afternoon slump too!
Stretch it out
There are a handful of stretches you can do without even leaving your chair. Even better, it’s great for reducing stress too!
Run (or walk) at lunch
Unless you have access to a shower, it can be hard to run at lunch when you’re in the office, but this is something I’ve been doing somedays when I work from home. That quick run can be just enough to help me come back and focus for the rest of the afternoon.
Do you have any other ways that you stay active at work?
