Eight Ways to Add Movement to Your Working Day
Are you bound to your desk, sitting in your chair, hunched over your laptop, working away through the day? Little changes in your daily life can have considerable benefits. Movement is one of them.
You might not realise it, but sitting for longer than 3 hours a day has significant long-term impact on your health, some of which are the increased risk for heart attack, stroke, and diabetes, not to mention the accumulation of fat around your abdomen. Needless to say, movement improves your physical and mental health and increases your productivity.
Here are some practical tips and also some fun ones to make sure you keep moving throughout the day, whether you are working from your home or office.
Stand up. Sit down. Stand up.
Reduce long hours of sitting by standing up at least 2 minutes twice an hour. Set an alarm if you have to. Try to accumulate two hours of standing or light activity daily during your working hours and eventually try progressing it to four. You can do that by breaking up seated work with standing work regularly and using accessories such as this one to simplify the transition.
Stand on one leg
Practice one leg balancing at least twice a day. If you find you are good at it, then try it with your eyes closed. It’s not only a fun way to stay active, it is also an indicator of overall health and an actual physical age predictor. Balance declines with age and you can overcome it by practicing one leg standing.
Use the stairs
You’ve heard it often enough: take the stairs! It’s a great cardiovascular exercise, burns more calories than jogging, strengthens your core muscles, and gives you the sense that you are smarter than everyone else. Depending on how many stairs are in your office or home building, you could simply start by getting off the elevator one floor early as you gradually build your fitness.
Move before food
To avoid your afternoon slumps and improve your metabolism and digestion, get moving before you have your lunch and then sit down while having it. Use your lunch time to switch off, with no mobiles and laptops, and enjoy your colleague’s company if you have them around.
Hip hitches
These are simply a combination of standing up and balancing. You can mimic the benefits of walking at pace by practicing hip hitches. Simple to do anywhere (you might get strange looks) but especially good if you are waiting for the kettle to boil.
Here’s a 90 second video to explain.
Hula Hoops
Now that we’ve covered the basics, let’s move to the fun stuff that would get you moving. Keep a hula hoop next to your desk. This is one of the things a lot of us did when we were younger, really enjoyed, and then forgot about. A Hula hoop is cheap, doesn’t require a gymnasium, can be done quickly, and improves balance and coordination.
Swing Ball
Another fun one is keeping a swing ball around. It doesn’t need a lot of space and serves as a quick and fun activity. It improves hand-eye coordination, gives you a great upper body workout, and most importantly increases your standing time.
Skipping
While practicing standing on one leg with your eyes closed, you have improved hand-eye coordination and your reaction time is improving. Take it to the next level and start hopping on one leg with a skipping rope. It improves circulation, bone density, and concentration and it’s fun!
In short, the more you move, the less you sit and the less you sit, the more energy you have. So get moving!
