Sitting all day, which is what a lot of us office workers do day in day out, is bad for just about every aspect of our health. It has been associated with every other lifestyle disease there is and the increase of the same has been attributed partly to sitting behind a desk all day. But work has got to be covered and sitting all day is the most viable option a lot of us have for now. So how do we make sure that as much as we’re forced into this unfortunate situation we still make the best of it and get some exercise in the course of the day? All is not lost. There’s a lot we can do and we can start now.
- Arrange your office in such a way that not everything is within immediate reach and you’ll have to get up to fetch some items like files and other documents.
- It’s easy and more convenient to write an email or text message to a colleague a few cubicles away within your office but for the sake of your fitness, walk to them and convey the message in person especially if it’s not necessarily on a crucial official topic.
- Do not always be keen to look for some means of fast transport outside of the office. If the distance you want to cover is not too long, take a walk instead.
- We’re operating on mobile phones a lot – both for personal and increasingly for office matters. If a call comes in while you’re in the office, get up and moving around when talking.
- Set a ringer on your computer or mobile phone to remind you to get up and move about every hour or two. It could be to the water dispenser, copier machine or to a filing cabinet away from your desk.
- Learn to say no to snacks and treats from colleagues. Someone, including yourself, will always have something to share and this habit will amount to your consuming lots of calories over tea break every day.
- If your office affords you the privacy, get up and do a minute or so of on the spot stretching and kicking around before you start your day or in the course of breaks.
- Use half of your lunch break to have your lunch and the other half to walk around the building.
