How To Be Less Sedentary At Work

Unfortunately, office work doesn’t lend itself to a healthy lifestyle. When you’re chained to a desk all day, opportunities to get the body moving can be few and far between. That is unless you make a conscious decision to be less sedentary. Let’s find out how. 

Surely you’ve heard of a standing desk. As the name suggests, it’s an elevated table at which workers stand while doing their work. Many people currently use adjustable desks which can go up and down. 

Standing burns more calories than sitting — in fact, according to Healthline, an afternoon of standing at your desk would lead to you burning 170 calories more than if you had sat down for the same period. Additionally, research indicates that standing at your desk rather than sitting will also improve your mood, concentration and energy levels. If you’re feeling game, you could even invest in a treadmill desk which allows you to walk while you work. 

Fun fact, you can turn your desk into a mini gym if you’re feeling up to it, as there are several different exercises you can do with just a table and a chair. Here are a couple of quick examples courtesy of Healthline.

Triceps Dips

• Stand with your desk chair behind you (make sure it doesn’t have any wheels).
• Put your palms flat on the chair with your fingers facing away from you. Ensure you keep your heels on the ground.
• Lower yourself until your upper arms are almost parallel to the floor.
• Return to the starting position and aim for about 10 repetitions.

Desk Push-Ups

• Face your desk and lean against it with your arms slightly wider than your shoulder width.
• Straighten your arms and lower yourself forward until your chest almost touches the desk.
• Return to your starting position and aim for about 10 repetitions.

If all else fails, try doing a few star jumps at your desk. Sure, this may attract a few weird looks from your co-workers, but if you’re getting healthier, who cares?
 

Got a big phone call or meeting coming up? Why not try to add an element of exercise to it? If you’re on a mobile phone, get up from your desk and have a bit of a meander around the office. That’ll get your step count up. Likewise, if you’ve got an in-person meeting, ask your co-workers whether they’d like to walk and talk. 

You have a one-hour lunch break, right? So, why not use it to kick some health goals? Grab your lunch, get outside and go for a stroll in the sunshine. Is your office near a gym? Brilliant, go out and pump some iron for 45 minutes. An hour is plenty of time to get some decent exercise, so make the most of it — the endorphins may even help you during the latter stages of the day.

Everything is more fun when friends are involved. We already talked about roping your co-workers into mobile meetings, but that’s just the start. Have you ever considered forming a running club so you and your co-workers get together and have a little jog? Studies have shown that many people are more likely to engage in positive activities if other people are there to hold them to account, so if you’re trying to get a little more running (or walking) into your workday, you should ask your co-workers to join you!

If you’re interested in learning more about integrating exercise into your everyday life, you should read our piece on incidental exercise. Also, if you’re keen to learn more about combating weight gain in the office, check out this blog, here.