5 Creative Ways to Be More Active At Work
- Jeremy Tarwater PT, DPT
- Aug 29, 2022
- 5 min read
Updated August 28th, 2022
Introduction / Arrival / Standing Desk /
Introduction
Do you find yourself sitting more than you stand or move? Are you stuck in a job where your leg is chained to a desk? Many people are in this type of situation, but I’m here to give you a few ideas to incorporate more movement in your day.
For those who do go to the gym before or after work: that’s a very beneficial thing to do, but does it make up for the 8-10 hours you spent stable in one spot? The human body craves movement, so let’s feed it!! In fact, some researchers are saying that sitting may be the new smoking. A difficult comparison to make, but being sedentary in one position for too long can be very detrimental to your muscles, organs, and overall health.
As my coworker and mentor always says, “your best move is your next move”. Read below to see some creative ways to stay active both at work and at home!
1. Work Arrival
Picture this: you’re parking the car and getting ready to head into work. Don’t get all stressed out on me, you aren’t actually going into work right now. How far is your car parked from the entrance? Could you have parked further away to get more steps? 100 extra steps may not seem like a huge physical gain for you, but remember you take the extra steps again as you leave work. Just a little math for you guys because you know I’m a nerd:
If you work full time then you work about 260 days per year (hopefully less with vacations and personal days).
If you took an extra 200 steps per day just by parking a little further from the door, you would take an extra 52,000 steps per year!!!
That’s an extra 26 miles walked because of a simple change that you won’t even notice a few weeks from now.
If you are someone who is dropped off to work or school, is it an option to be dropped off further away from the door? I’m not saying you need to hike miles into work, just some extra steps worked into your daily routine can be beneficial!
2. Utilize a Standing Desk
As mentioned above, prolonged sitting has been very harmful to the health of many over the years as we transition to more people working desk jobs. Sitting doesn’t require good posture, it won’t help you use the muscles of your entire body during movements, and it doesn’t require energy that will help you become healthier. Guess what helps with these things?
STANDING
Standing up puts weight down through your feet and requires your body to work to keep you upright. You may not feel this demand if you have good balance and strength, but your joints and muscles will thank you.
A standing desk may or may not be feasible at your place of work. I have attached a link to my favorite standing desk below that I personally use while typing articles. This desk allows various heights to line up with my eyesight to maintain good posture. If a standing desk would not be an option at your work, don’t worry I have plenty more below to still get movement and standing throughout the day.
(As an Amazon Associate, Peak Movement Health earns from qualifying purchases)
Pro Tip: if you do get a standing desk or already have one, I am proud of you. Just remember that it does move up and down, as you should do as well. Standing is better for you than sitting, but standing in one position for too long can have some negative effects as well. Keep moving!!
3. Make Movement a Requirement
I want you to take a look at your daily tasks at work:
Is everything you need throughout the whole day within your reach? If so, is there space around you that you can keep some of those items further away from you?
Keeping a printer, phone, notepad, stapler, sticky notes, or other conveniences at a distance will force you to either stand up or at least kick around in that fancy chair of yours.
Are you allowed to look at your phone during work? If so, do you keep your phone right on your desk? Think about keeping it in a bag or further away from your desk for a few important reasons:
You will be more productive.
You will be less likely to scroll endlessly on social media.
You will have to MOVE to watch the latest Tik Tok video.
Are there tasks you complete away from your desk or office? Like copying, printing, distributing, or communicating? These are all great ways to get movement in.
See if you can take a longer route to complete each task or one of my favorites: if I have a stack of 5 papers to bring to our beloved secretary, I will bring them up one at a time. Boom, just multiplied my steps by 5!!
If you need to call your coworkers for various reasons, maybe a stroll over to their desk would be more beneficial to your health and promote face to face communication.
4. Using Timers
One of my favorite tricks for making myself move is the use of a timer. If I am sitting down to write notes or complete a project, I give myself a realistic amount of time (no more than 20-30 minutes) to get as much done as I can. As soon as that timer goes off, I am required to move at least a little bit. Maybe that is just standing up and stretching, or using the bathroom, or climbing the stairs next to our office. After using the timer for a while, this movement after tasks will start to become a habit.
Pro Tip: many people believe they need to be totally focused on their work all day to get everything done and be productive. But the human brain can truly focus for about 25-30 minutes on average. So getting up and moving gives your brain that reset it needs to be productive again when you return. If the boss gives you a problem with adding some movement throughout your day, show them this article. And show them how your productivity has actually increased because you move better, feel better, and can focus more during daily tasks.
5. Optimize Break Time
Hopefully most of you get a break throughout the day at some point. How do you usually spend this break? Scrolling on your phone? Sitting and talking to coworkers? Doing even more work?
You have already been sitting all day and now you have 10-30 minutes (or more) to do something to take your mind off the work day. What a great time for a walk with a coworker, a trip up/down the stairs, or a few of the exercises I’ve attached below. Whatever you decide to do, incorporate movement into it and your body will thank you later.
I hope you find these suggestions useful and applicable to your job. If you have some strategies that you already use at work that help you move more, please share them with me below. I love learning new ways to stay active and keep my body moving as well!!
DISCLAIMER
Last updated April 24, 2022
WEBSITE DISCLAIMER
The information provided by Peak Movement Health ("we," "us", or "our") on peakmovementhealth.com (the "Site") and our mobile application is for
general informational purposes only. All information on the Site and our mobile application is provided in good faith, however we make no
representation or warranty of any kind, express or implied, regarding the accuracy; adequacy, validity, reliability, availability or completeness of any information on the Site or our mobile application. UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCE SHALL WE HAVE ANY LIABILITY TO YOU FOR ANY LOSS OR DAMAGE OF ANY KIND INCURRED AS A RESULT OF THE USE OF THE SITE OR OUR MOBILE APPLICATION OR RELIANCE ON ANY INFORMATION PROVIDED ON THE SITE AND OUR MOBILE APPLICATION. YOUR USE OF THE SITE AND OUR MOBILE APPLICATION AND
YOUR RELIANCE ON ANY INFORMATION ON THE SITE AND OUR MOBILE APPLICATION IS SOLELY AT YOUR OWN RISK.
EXTERNAL LINKS DISCLAIMER
The Site and our mobile application may contain (or you may be sent through the Site or our mobile application) links to other websites or content belonging to or originating from third parties or links to websites and features in banners or other advertising. Such external links are not investigated, monitored, or checked for accuracy, adequacy, validity, reliability, availability or completeness by us. WE DO NOT WARRANT, ENDORSE, GUARANTEE, OR ASSUME RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ACCURACY OR RELIABILITY OF ANY INFORMATION OFFERED BY THIRD-PARTY WEBSITES LINKED THROUGH THE SITE OR ANY WEBSITE OR FEATURE LINKED IN ANY BANNER OR OTHER ADVERTISING. WE WILL NOT BE A PARTY TO OR IN ANY WAY BE RESPONSIBLE FOR MONITORING ANY TRANSACTION BETWEEN YOU AND THIRD-PARTY PROVIDERS
OF PRODUCTS OR SERVICES.
PROFESSIONAL DISCLAIMER
The Site cannot and does not contain medical/health advice. The medical/health information is provided for general informational and educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional advice. Accordingly, before taking any actions based upon such information, we encourage you to
consult with the appropriate professionals. We do not provide any kind of medical/health advice. THE USE OR RELIANCE OF ANY INFORMATION
CONTAINED ON THE SITE OR OUR MOBILE APPLICATION IS SOLELY AT YOUR OWN RISK.
AFFILIATES DISCLAIMER
The Site and our mobile application may contain links to affiliate websites, and we receive an affiliate commission for any purchases made by you on the affiliate website using such links.
TESTIMONIALS DISCLAIMER
The Site may contain testimonials by users of our products and/or services. These testimonials reflect the real-life experiences and opinions of suchusers. However, the experiences are personal to those particular users, and may not necessarily be representative of all users of our products and/or
services. We do not claim, and you should not assume, that all users will have the same experiences. YOUR INDIVIDUAL RESULTS MAY VARY.
The testimonials on the Site are submitted in various forms such as text, audio and/or video, and are reviewed by us before being posted. They appear on the Site verbatim as given by the users, except for the correction of grammar or typing errors. Some testimonials may have been shortened for the
sake of brevity where the full testimonial contained extraneous information not relevant to the general public.
The views and opinions contained in the testimonials belong solely to the individual user and do not reflect our views and opinions. We are not affiliated with users who provide testimonials, and users are not paid or otherwise compensated for their testimonials.
The testimonials on the Site are not intended, nor should they be construed, as claims that our products and/or services can be used to diagnose, treat,
mitigate, cure, prevent or otherwise be used for any disease or medical condition. No testimonials have been clinically proven or evaluated.
Disclaimer created using Termly.
Comments