7 ways to stay active at work
After finding your fitness groove you might start to panic about how to keep it when you start spending hours at work. Fear not, here are 7 top tips for how to stay active on the job that might help you through.
1. Take the stairs
Instead of opting for the lift, take the stairs at every opportunity at work – and when you do, make sure you push your heels down when you’re walking up them. Heels down means you’re switching your glutes on – powering your steps with a big muscle group to burn a good amount of incidental calories throughout the day.2. Walking meeting
Walking meetings have been a new trend for the past few years and with research suggesting walking leads to an increase in creativity, what better reason to get out of your chair and the boardroom and opt for some fresh air and activity? Being out of your usual office environment can also stimulate your mind. A walking meeting means less stress and more engagement from colleagues.3. Lunchtime training
If you have trouble squeezing a workout into your busy morning or evening schedule, try a lunchtime exercise session instead and reap the following benefits:- More energy for the afternoon
- Clear your mind and refocus
- Reduce stress
- Increase productivity levels
Goodlife Health Clubs have a convenient selection of lunchtime group fitness sessions to get you moving, from high-energy cycle classes to calorie-burning circuit classes or a range of mind body classes to reduce stress, improve mindfulness and increase flexibility.
4. Pick your printer wisely
An easy way to be more active at work, get out of your chair and onto your feet, is to print to the furthest away printer. Yes, the one right down at the other end of the office, because you have to walk further to retrieve your print out. In a hurry? Walk a little faster to get there and back quicker!5. Set a reminder to move
A simple trick to get you moving more at work is to set yourself a reminder. Set up an alarm in your calendar for every 1.5 hours throughout the day and no matter where you are up to on a piece of work, stand up, walk around for three minutes and then continue your work. Make a tea, go to the bathroom, walk down stairs and back up again, chat to someone in the office, just make sure you’re moving. Your mind and body will thank you for it.Recent studies have shown that those who take a break from work every hour or so, perform better then those who don’t. If stepping away from the screen is good for our performance, then an added active break which is good for the body too has to be an extra bonus!
6. Walk that extra kilometre
You can start your day with a little extra activity too – try parking your car 1km away and walking to work from there. Or if you commute on public transport, get off the train or bus a couple of stops earlier and walk the rest of the journey.7. At desk exercises
If you feel like you’re tied to your desk all day, give these desk exercises a go – you don’t need much space, you can do most of the exercises just sitting in your chair, but it’s a great way to stay fit at work.Chair squat:
Move your chair away from your desk so you have a little space, stand up in front of your chair, sit back down but as your glutes tap the chair, push your weight through your heels to stand back up again. Repeat 20 times.
