10 Tips That Would Help You Stay Active In Office All Day
Introduction
With long working hours, our jobs have become more sedentary.
A sedentary lifestyle often leads to diseases. According to a report, there have been increasing cases of strokes due to this sort of lifestyle.
Solution? Taking breaks and staying active.
We are here to give you ideas on how to make your life more active despite a desk job and not much time to hit a gym.
1. Have A Healthy Snack
You might love to have a samosa or a pack of chips on an office break. But why not exchange it for a healthy protein bar or a fruit? It won't only give you health benefits but also is a great way to stay energized and productive. If you ask us how? Food provides fuel to the brain through glucose, which helps one stay alert. You will not be distracted but rather more focused on the task. It could also encourage colleagues to have a healthier lifestyle. Also, you won't hit mealtime with starvation when you have a healthy snack. So leave your office chairs and go grab a healthy snack!
2. Good Posture And A Ergonomic Chair
When you are deep into work, posture is one of the last things you might think about. But it is one of the most important things when it comes to a desk job. Office chairs are mostly not built keeping in mind the needs of the employees.
So, you must avoid hunching while sitting on an office chair. Maintain an upright posture. Hunching often causes strain on the back. When one hunches, the back muscles have to work harder to hold the body up and keep it from falling forward. That's why ergonomic chairs are the best for the office. To start with, it supports your posture, reduces the risk of neck problems, and, moreover, reduces back pain issues. It supports the natural curve of your spine. Office chair with reclining function also helps to rest angle greater than 90 degrees.
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3. Hydrate, Hydrate, and Hydrate!
Do you know that hydration affects your body and brain functions? Water keeps your memory sharp, your thinking clear, and your motivation intact. So, it is an important driving force for a person's work performance. More than half of our brain is water, so it mainly helps us attain optimal functioning. Dehydration can lead to fatigue, headaches, and insomnia. So, drinking water at regular intervals will improve concentration and helps with regulating stress and tension. In short, hydrate yourself, have a great mood, and stay focused at work.
4. Stand Up Regularly
According to research, an office worker must stand up for at least two hours to avoid a sedentary lifestyle. And eventually reaching four hours to avoid prolonged sitting. Researchers believe standing and walking are more doable for workers than proper exercise. Standing or light activity for two to four days a day helps. A study by Iowa University found that workers who did 60 minutes more standing lost 87 calories more than their colleagues sitting and working. Sit-stand desks are a great way to practice this. Overall, it helps to avoid back pains, causes weight loss, and helps in keeping lower cholesterol and blood sugar.
5. Stay Active During Lunchtime
Walking during lunchtime can be good for your mental health and well-being. Instead of ordering, walk to a shop and get your food. Make sure to move in at the allotted time. Walking for 15—30 minutes can help a lot.
Walking 10,000 steps daily is a must for an active and healthy life. Doing this can at least finish a part of your target. It is not mandatory to walk, you can also exercise or go to the office gym. If there is an option for cycling, go for it! It will surely keep you motivated for the rest of the day. Start with maybe a 10-minute walk, then increase it as much as possible. Remember, small habits help everyone in the long run!
6. Walk or Bike to Office
If you can walk or cycle to the office instead of using a car, nothing like it.
Often, people avoid cycling or walking to the office to reach on time, but most people overestimate their time or have an incorrect idea about it.
Cycling would not only be beneficial to reduce weight, but you won't need to additionally go to a gym to exercise. Moreover, it also lowers the risk of cardiovascular disease.
7. Small Changes to your Routine
This goes a long way. All you need to do is be intentional about staying active. One of the most basic things one can do is to have a pedometer that can track your steps on a daily basis. Start with 100 steps, then move to 500. This itself will make you feel more refreshed and energized.
Instead of writing emails to colleagues, walk to where he/she sits. Take the staircase instead of using the lift. Park your vehicle a bit far away from the entrance, so you will have to walk to it. Go and get your printing done on your own.
These are a few of the ideas to make a difference in your lifestyle and stay active. We are sure you will have better ones that will benefit you despite the long working hours. So ditch your office chair and go make some friends who probably sit at the other end of the office.
8. Have Standing or Walking Meeting
Meetings often stretch to an hour or so, but if it's a one-on-one meeting, why not make it quicker? Doing meetings while standing will help to lose calories, plus increase efficiency. Try organizing a standing meeting for 15 minutes — one can complete the meeting while doing physical activity. It will also lead to more creativity, and ideas will flow.
Sitting often causes strain on our bodies, whereas standing is great for the back, neck, and shoulders. According to research, sitting in a meeting makes it last 34 percent longer. Why not keep it short and use that time for something more important?
You might also need high chairs or stools for the meeting so that colleagues can opt for a half-seated or semi-upright position. Don't forget to keep a whiteboard to jot down all the good ideas flowing!
9. Stretch
Stretching might sound like an insignificant activity but trust us, it does help. You can try to stand up and stretch once in 30 minutes. Stretch out your chest and extend your spine to reverse the hunched position of sitting. You could also do simple exercises, such as shoulder raises, neck stretches, and leg raises.
10. Make Some Changes to the Work Environment
If you want to stay active, the office environment also plays an important role. So many offices are providing mental health leaves and giving yoga breaks in the office, so why not make some more changes in the workspace for the employees?
In one of the studies, researchers found that re-engineered work environment led to workers losing weight, and the company's revenue increased by10 percent in the first few months.
Getting ergonomics chairs, creating walking tracks, introducing games to the workplace, adding desks with treadmills, and providing the option to sit on bounce balls are some of the ways employers can help employees. It will be a win-win situation both for the company and the employees.
Conclusion
These are some of the ideas that can help you with staying active and healthy. There might be days when you are not able to follow some of these tips but don't feel bad about that. Also, follow the ideas that best suit your work routine and time. Bringing small changes to your lifestyle can go a long way.
