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Ideas For Staying Active With A Desk Job

Efficient Lifestyle, health |

When I transitioned from an active operations role to a desk job there was a lot of transitions to make. Some positive and some negative! But the most negative was the struggle to stay in shape and not let sitting at a desk for 9+ hours a day (and the commute on top of it) make me less healthy. And honestly at the beginning it did. It took me awhile to learn how to stay healthy when working an office job. But with time I learned and was able to become the best shape of my life while working a desk job! And today I am going to share these helpful ideas for staying active with a desk job.

Let’s get right into these ideas so you can start your journey to being healthier while working a desk job!

Ideas For Staying Active With A Desk Job

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Ideas For Staying Active With A Desk Job

How to stay in shape while working in an office:

Idea 1: Get extra steps when going to work.

If you are able to walk (or bike!) to work that is obviously super helpful for staying healthy when you work in an office. But for many of us that isn’t feasible. But what often is, is parking at the very back of your parking lot and walking into the office. An extra 500 steps a few times a day really can add up. A mile is about 2000 steps for reference!

Idea 2: Get an under desk pedal.

I can’t take credit for discovering this because my husband was the one who introduced me to this.

You have probably seen walking pads and walking desks all over the internet. And for a good reason- they are awesome! I now work from home and am writing this article while walking on a treadmill desk! But for most people who go into an office they are way too big and distracting to bring in. But that is where desk pedals can come in.

They are smaller, less obvious, but still efficient for helping you get some active time in while doing your work at a desk.

And they won’t break the bank! Here is one you can get that is less than $50 and it comes in black and white so you can pick based on your aesthetic.

Idea 3: Stay hydrated with water.

This has two big benefits!

First- staying hydrated of course is a huge part of being the healthiest that you can be. And when you are working it can be easy to drink tons of coffee or pop but substituting a few of those for water is super beneficial for your body and easy to do when you work a desk job.

Second- drinking plenty of water forces you to get up and move around to not only refill your water bottle but also to go to the bathroom! Which seems like a strange benefit but it can help you stay moving regularly.

Side tip- if you can go to a bathroom that is further from your desk to help you get some extra steps during the day.

Idea 4: Try out walking meetings.

Do you have coworkers also interested in being more active during the workday? Then see if they would be interested in trying out walking meetings. Depending on the weather and where your office is located you could do these outside! Or just walk around your office building while holding a small meeting like your morning daily meeting.

Idea 5: Set a “stand up” timer.

Use technology as your friend.

Grab your phone and set a timer for whatever interval works for you as a reminder to stand up and walk around a bit. Even if it’s just doing a simple exercise in your cubical/office. Or taking a lap around your office floor.

In terms of how often that will depend on what your work days look like. But for me it worked to do 25 minute intervals!

Idea 6: Utilize your lunch break.

Lunch breaks are a great opportunity to get movement in. If you are able to I highly recommend walking around outside and getting both fresh air and some steps in during your lunch break.

I found that it worked best for me to bring a lunch that I could eat while walking (such as a smoothie or a wrap) so I could eat and get some movement in all in one. Or if you prefer to get lunch then try walking to your lunch spot!

Idea 7: Stretch more.

The final idea for staying active at a desk job is to stretch more often while working at your desk.

Stretching is so important for your short and long term health. And it also can be a great way to keep your body moving and be less stiff during the work day.

You can even do simple stretching while at your desk when you are on calls or taking a short break! Stretching doesn’t need to be overly complicated. Any stretch and movement that is keeping your bones from getting stiff is good for you!

Korra-Shay

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