Having a desk job suits many of us down to a tee, but can come at the expense of our health and well-being. A sedentary desk job and lifestyle can lead to increases in cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, obesity and a decline in mental well-being.
Before you pull out the old ‘but people have had desk jobs for hundreds of years’ excuse, remember that our lives have changed greatly since then. We are on the whole less active at home, drive almost everywhere and eat a lot of high calorie and processed foods. These things are only making it more important for those of us with a desk job to keep active during the working day. At MBP, we’re all about looking after the financial health and well-being of our clients, but also their physical too. So, here are a few suggestions on how you can increase your activity levels in the office like we do.
5 Ideas for Keeping Active at Your Desk Job
It’s time to stand up and get active while in the office. Five activities you could choose to try and implement into your daily desk job routine include:
- Using a standing desk or desk raiser – alternate between sitting and standing at your desk throughout the day. If you don’t have a standing desk available, add a desk raiser for your laptop to sit upon, or make one using materials you have around the office or home.
- Sit on an exercise ball – a chair may be super comfy, but it lets your body relax into a position without effort. When you sit on an exercise ball, your core muscles are forced to work. You sit up straighter with improved posture, and you can also move your backside around too.
- Walk around the office – instead of sending emails to others in the office, get up and walk to them if you can instead. Walk the long way to the coffee machine and even take your coffee outside to stretch your legs.
- Stretch breaks – set your time to stand up and do some stretches every hour. Arm swinging, leg lunges, squats, walking on the spot and shoulder shrugs are great active activities.
- Take the stairs – where you can, skip the elevator and take the stairs instead. You could even get off the bus a stop earlier or park the car further away and walk to the office.
If you have any additional staying active at work ideas, drop your suggestions in the comments below. As always, the team here at MBP are here to help, so if you have any questions about the running of your business (not your running program), please get in touch as we’re happy to help.