A lot of people tend to start putting on weight when they work in an office setting; this is because they begin to stagnate, they move a lot less, spending most of their time sitting at their desks, and they also tend to snack more. Simply put, working in an office can have a significant impact on your fitness levels. Luckily, there are a few simple habits that you adopt to improve your fitness when working in an office setting. Keep reading to find out more.
Desk Exercises & Stretches
Sitting down at a desk all day can wreak havoc on your joints and muscles. In an effort to build more movement into your day, you can look up desk exercises or stretches. They help to burn calories and limit the likelihood of muscle pain. They get the blood flowing and the heart pumping too, which can also help to improve your productivity levels, and as more blood flows to the brain, your cognitive function receives a boost too. Depending on the exercises, they are also pretty subtle too, which means you won’t draw necessarily draw any attention.
Prioritize Face-to-Face Communication
A large portion of the communication in an office building takes place digitally via email or work-sanctioned chat apps like Microsoft teams or Slack; however, this also removes the need to get up from your desk. Ideally, if you can, you should try to have these conversations face-to-face because it gives you the opportunity to get up from your desk, stretch your legs and include more movement into your day. You could also take phone calls via a headset so that you can move and talk unless, of course, you need to be by your computer for whatever reason.
Use Your Breaks for Movement
A lot of people get between thirty minutes and an hour for their lunch breaks which realistically doesn’t seem like that much. If you can, you should try to eat your lunch at your desk while working so that you can use your lunch break to get out of the office and get moving. You could also choose to pack more portable foods and take them with you. This isn’t to say that you should be jogging while trying to eat a sandwich, but if you can use your lunch break to get the blood pumping by taking a walk and getting out into the fresh air, then you should. Those with a longer lunch break have more options still; they could head to the gym for a class and still make it back in time to start work.
Consider a Standing Desk
Often it is sitting at a desk all day that has the biggest effect on your fitness levels; however, you don’t have to have a traditional desk. There are other options to consider. A standing desk can be a great option. Standing burns more calories than sitting and has been thought to have a number of other benefits to consider, both mentally and physically. An adjustable desk provides you with the best of both worlds. If you wanted to take things further still, you could also go for a treadmill desk. Branch Furniture has a range of desks, including adjustable and standing desks to choose from as well as insightful resources like Branch’s guide to hot desking.
Avoid Elevators, Take the Stairs
Now, this will depend entirely on the building that you work within, but most office buildings do span multiple floors, which means there will be elevators or stairs to navigate. Choosing to take the stairs rather than the elevator can help to avoid stagnation and burn more calories throughout the day. It is a simple habit to form than can help again to get the blood and the endorphins flowing. If you really wanted to try and challenge yourself, then you could jog up the stairs or try to take more than one stair at a time.
Avoid Snacking
Working at an office lends itself to snacking really easily, and often it is an idle behavior that you might not even be aware of. However, choosing to snack on unhealthy foods does mean consuming a lot of empty calories, which can make your weight go up. This isn’t to say that you should stop snacking completely; although you should try to cut down, you could simply look for ways to make healthy swaps. Start snacking on healthy snacks like fruit, veg, nuts or grains – they tend to be lower in calories and can have a positive impact on your cognitive function.
To Conclude
Working in an office can have a significant impact on your fitness levels which is obviously not ideal; however, you can avoid picking up bad habits by trying to cultivate healthier ones. You simply need to be more self-aware of how your habits are affecting your health. Luckily, cultivating healthier habits is pretty straightforward; think about the advice above. For the most part, it comes down to finding little ways to incorporate more movement into your day, like taking the stairs, going for walks during your lunch break or investing in a standing desk.
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