This post is brought to you by our friends at Furniture At Work™.
If you work in an office, you probably spend far more time sitting down than is good for you, which can contribute to a range of nasty health problems, including obesity, type 2 diabetes and cancer. Spending day after day on your derriere can also seriously impact on your fitness levels. If you want to avoid excessive sitting and boost your fitness, check out these exercise ideas.
#1) Turn your office chair into a yoga mat – Ok, so this one might not always get you out of your seat, but it’s sure to help you resolve troublesome aches and pains associated with prolonged sitting. There are a range of different yoga poses you can do without having to leave your desk, so why not take five minutes away from that report you’re working on and start stretching? For inspiration, check out the blog section of office furniture specialist Furniture At Work™ where you’ll find a handy infographic detailing some easy-to-do positions.
#2) Say goodbye to desk lunches – In the race to meet targets and deadlines, it can be tempting to work through your lunch hour, making do with a sad sandwich or salad at your desk. However, this kind of behaviour will do nothing for your fitness, not to mention you stress levels. Instead of spending another hour sitting down, why not get up and take a walk outside or go for a run? If your workplace has the facilities, you might even be able to hit the gym on your break. Not only will this extra time on your feet improve your fitness, you’re likely to feel reinvigorated and more able to achieve your goals in the afternoon.
#3) Go on an email diet – Need to discuss a meeting or project with a colleague? Before you hit the ‘compose’ button, ask yourself if you really need to send an email or could what you want to discuss be talked over face-to-face? If it could, get up out of your seat and walk across the room or climb the stairs to pay your co-worker a visit. Not only can this minor change in behaviour significantly increase your step count for the day, it could also help you to strengthen your working relationships.
#4) Muscle while you work – We’ve all heard the phrase ‘use it or lose it’ when it comes to muscles. If you’re sitting down all day and are too busy or tired to workout in the evenings, losing it is a definite likelihood. Whether you’re looking to tone up a bit or make serious gains, strength training at your desk can give you the edge to help you achieve your goals. For example, to get you on your way to the abs you’re after, simply sit upright and contract your abs as hard as possible and hold for three seconds. Let go and repeat the exercise for a set of 12. This and many other strength training exercises can easily be done while you’re hard at work so there’s no excuse for slack muscles.
I LOVE this! While I don’t work a desk job, I’m a student who spends way to much time sitting at a desk. Muscle while you work is genius! 🙂 Great post!
Yes!! Thank you