May is National Physical Fitness and Sports Month. That means it’s a great time to think about what you’re doing to stay healthy. Since you spend a lot of your waking hours at work, you should ensure you bring your best practices for health into the office with you. In particular, explore ways to avoid being sedentary at work and to get at least a little exercise during your workday.
So, what can you do to move more at work?
Get up from your desk at least once every hour.
Sitting for too long can increase your risk of a host of serious conditions, including cancer and a heart attack. When you sit, electrical activity in your muscles slows down right away. Your calorie-burn rate drops and if you keep sitting for a really long time, you can experience a reduction in glucose uptake in insulin … which can cause diabetes. You need to get up, get your circulation going and get the body moving a little. Walking around even for just a few minutes each hour can help to counteract some of the negative effects of sitting.
Use FitDecks around the office.
FitDecks are customized playing cards with illustrations of different exercises you can do anywhere. Get a few FitDecks for the office and make it a point to do an exercise from the deck several times daily. Even better, get a bunch of co-workers together so you can all do the activity. This will keep you motivated and improve the physical fitness of all participants. Set them up at various points in the office and spend a couple of minutes performing the exercise on the card. Not only will you feel better, your mental sharpness will improve.
Take office walks to restaurants.
Instead of ordering lunch to be delivered, burn a few calories and get some exercise by walking to a restaurant. You can either dine in or pick up your food, but the key is to take this midday chance to walk. If there aren’t nearby restaurants, walk in the local neighborhood to get fresh air and increase your heart rate. If it’s not a safe place to walk with too much traffic, drive a short distance and find a local park, mall or neighborhood to stretch your legs.
Consider plank breaks.
Get into the plank pose with your feet and elbows resting on the floor and holding up your body weight. Hold the position for as long as you can (ideally around a minute or 90 seconds). This simple step alone can significantly improve your fitness by working your muscles in a really effective way.
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A big part of being healthy is loving your job. Technology Partners helps candidates find IT work with great companies that care about their health and well-being. We also help companies to find workers who are committed to being healthy and productive staff members. To find out more about the services we offer, give us a call today.
