Four Tips for Moving More at Work

How many hours do you spend sitting? From your commute, to desk chair to the couch it can really add up!  If you’re like many Americans you spend a lot of time sitting. Maybe you even get in hour or two of physical activity; a long walk or a class at the gym, then you go home and…sit some more. If this pattern describes your lifestyle you may be an “an active couch potato”.  An active couch potato is someone who finds the time to exercise, but spends most hours of the day seated.
 
While exercising during your long commute may be wonderful in theory, in reality it won’t do. The next best option is to exercise at work; you spend at least 8 hours a day there, why not burn a few calories?
 
Four Tips for Moving More at Work
1. Set an email or scheduling reminder on your computer to ping you at least every hour. Use this ping to remind you to move for at least five minutes. Walk away from your desk and climb a flight of stairs, or use your five minutes to stretch any tight muscles.
 
2. Use your lunch break to move. You don’t need to break a sweat, but instead of using these 30-60 minutes to sit and eat, use as much of that time as you can to move. Walk around the parking lot, or choose a close destination and walk there and back. This walk can get you moving and the blood flowing,  but you may also find that it will help clear your mind and help you blast through the afternoon with creativity and vigor.
 
3. Find every excuse you can to get up and move. Use a bathroom on another floor, send documents to the printer farthest from your desk and every now and then speak face-to-face with your coworker when you have a question rather than shooting him or her an email.
 
4. If you spend a lot of time on the phone this tip is for you. Try getting a cordless headpiece so you can move around your office and chat. Even standing up and chatting instead of slouched over your computer will activate your muscles.
 
As you’re reading this you may be thinking that you’ll never be able to squeeze five minutes an hour into your crazy work day. But try moving a little more each day and see if you feel better; more energized and more limber. As you make more time for yourself and your health you may find that it becomes a little easier putting yourself first.