The benefits of exercise in reducing stress and supporting your body’s overall health are well known. If you sit in an office at a desk all day, then you may feel compelled to exercise alone outside of work hours by walking, running, or participating in a fitness program at a gym. While this is certainly useful, it stays fixed on your desktop for hours on end every day. Essentially, you have a sedentary lifestyle interrupted by intense periods of exercise.
If you can add small amounts of exercise to your day, throughout the day, the health benefits multiply. Keeping your muscles and heart working harder at various intervals throughout the day helps reduce stress and builds endurance. Some people have developed a set of specific exercise routines that you can do while sitting at your desk. That may work, but engaging in a workout routine that distracts you from work where you count reps, breathe heavily, and rack up sweat can attract unwanted attention from your bosses and co-workers.
You can make a few small adjustments to your work routine that will keep your body moving and add plenty of minutes of exercise to your daily life. Start with where you park your car at work. Don’t pick the closest spot you can find next to the building. Park your car on the far corner so you have to walk a hundred yards each way. If your office is on the lower level of a skyscraper, take the stairs when going up. Climbing three flights of stairs may take your breath away at first, but soon your muscles will strengthen and climbing will be much easier.
If your office is on the twelfth floor, go up the first few floors and take the elevator from there. Of course, going down a few more flights of stairs is much easier. Since we’re talking about the stairs, every time you get up to use the bathroom, choose a bathroom two floors above or below yours. Take the stairs to the bathroom and you’ll be more relaxed when you get there. You will also feel stronger when you return.
If you spend hours on the phone every day, try standing up while you talk. You’ll use more muscle and energy when you stand up than when you’re sitting down, and your voice will project better on the phone as your diaphragm relaxes. If you can make it work, replace your chair for as many hours as possible with a large inflatable exercise ball. Sitting on this ball while working out keeps the muscles in your legs, ankles, and abdomen working for balance and forces you to maintain good posture.
If you take breaks for lunch or coffee, add a ten-minute walk as part of the break. Better yet, use ten-minute walks as a quick stress-relief tool and as a way to talk about an important or urgent topic with another person. There’s no need to sit at your desk and feel your stress level rise as the topic is presented when you can keep your stress low while getting some exercise by walking and talking at the same time. Stay calm, be creative and keep moving for better health and optimal performance throughout the day.