Remember the days when “work” meant manual labor where you sweat and moved all day? Neither do we.
These days it seems we’re more likely to log hour after hour idle, with our bums planted in a desk chair. And while you may be an Excel champ by day your body may be hurting by night.
So what’s a worker chained to his or her desk to do? Lucky for you we have some great stretches and exercises to help you and your body survive the work day.
Check them out here!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_JQrTfzZYFE&t=6s
The word exercise comes from the Latin exercere, meaning to keep busy or at work.
But what the typical adult does at work is sit in a desk chair for eight hours, plus a sitting-down commute both ways and an evening spent in front of the TV. This is a recipe for ruin. Sitting all day increases our risk for obesity and puts us at risk for back pain, poor posture, leg cramps, tense muscles and sheer boredom.
So here are some more tips to incorporate into your work day to make sure you keep moving!
1. Stand up to take phone calls. Rather than kicking your feet up on your desk for the conference call, stand up while you talk. OR better yet, do a couple of stretches!
2. Have “standing” or ‘walking’ meetings. Remove the chairs so that everyone has to be on their feet (this will probably keep meeting time to a minimum, too!) Afraid this won’t fly in your office? Encourage regular breaks for people to stand up during long meetings, health and wellness is an important part of the workplace!
3. Walk to see your co-worker. Next time you pick up the phone or start to write an email to someone in the office, take a walk down the hallway to talk to them instead
4. Move things away. Rearrange supplies such as the garbage or printers so they’re off of your desk and in another location—that you have to walk to.
5. Do your business on a different floor. Any time you need to use the restroom or grab a snack, take the stairs to the level above or below you or if your building is only one level take the long way there.
Let us know how you are incorporating movement into your work day!