Studies have found that sitting for prolonged periods of time can lead to chronic diseases like heart disease, diabetes, and obesity. With a lot of today’s business work spent sitting at our desks, it is important to stay mindful of our activity level throughout the workday.
Whether you work remotely or in an office, there are a variety of ways to incorporate exercise into your daily work schedule. Try one of these four ideas to get moving during the workday.
1. Get your Heart Pumping
Cardio activity is a key component of a healthy lifestyle, has been shown to increase workplace productivity, and is an effective way to strengthen your heart, lungs, and circulatory system. Any movement that increases your heart rate over an extended period of time, such as running, swimming or biking, is referred to as cardio exercise.
Cardio during the workday can be as simple as:
- Walking up and down stairs for a few minutes straight. You might be surprised at the kind of aerobic workout the stairs can provide.
- Marching in place while on a conference call is another great idea – anything that gets your heart pumping.
2. Tone it Up
Muscle strength directly affects our ability to perform life’s everyday activities, like climbing stairs or lifting objects such as groceries or children. Inactivity is one factor that decreases muscle strength and makes these common everyday activities more difficult. Resistance training is a type of exercise that strengthens muscles and is perfect for the workplace because it doesn’t require a lot of space or equipment to be effective. Try out some resistance band exercises that work your biceps, triceps, chest, back, hamstrings, and obliques.
3. Balance it Out
Incorporating balance training is key to keeping our muscles, ligaments, and tendons loose, long, and strong resulting in increased stability. Balance exercises can be incorporated in a variety of different ways during the workday. While standing, for example by the printer, improve your balance by doing simple heel raises or one leg balance holds while you’re washing your hands at the sink. If allowed, increase activity by adding a balance disc to your desk chair. Sitting on one of these inflatable cushions for just 30-minutes at a time is an effective way to strengthen your core, which improves both balance and posture.
4. Stay Limber
Regular stretching during the day decreases muscle and joint pain while improving muscle conditioning, posture, and oxygen flow to the brain. Specific stretches might be more beneficial to you depending what profession you are in and the type of work you do. For more sedentary jobs, focus on stretching your hamstrings, hip flexors, chest, abdomen, and forearms. People with more active jobs should focus on stretching your calves, quads, glutes, lower back, and upper back.
To help you get started, try these stretching exercises for 10-30 seconds each and be sure to inhale and exhale deeply at least three to five times when completing each exercise:
- Shoulder Rolls: Relieve tension in your shoulders by drawing circles with your elbows in both a forward and backward direction.
- Seated Figure 4: While sitting, loosen tight hips and glutes by lifting your right foot off the floor and cross your right ankle on top of your left thigh. Flex your right foot drawing your toes back toward your shin and gently encourage your right knee towards the floor. Repeat with the left leg.
- Side Bend: Open up your chest and improve breathing by lifting your right arm up and over to your left. Then, lift your left arm up and over to your right.
- Seated Child’s Pose: Loosen a tight lower back by leaning forward in your chair and resting your forearms on your thighs. Tuck your chin in to stretch your spine.
Additional Activity Tips for PHP members:
Get PHP Fit! classes and videos: Consider taking advantage of free exercise classes and videos available to PHP members located within the Get PHP Fit! site. Yoga, HIIT, Pilates, and stretching are just some examples of the classes and videos available to PHP members.
Member discounts: PHP members can also snatch up discounted offers to local organizations, including gyms and fitness centers. Simply show your PHP ID card at one or more of our partnered organizations and receive a variety of discounts just for being a PHP member! Visit phpni.com for more information.
Remember, always talk with your doctor or healthcare provider before starting a new exercise program or routine, particularly if you have a chronic health condition. They can help you find or modify a program that is best for you and your specific needs.
