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6 ways to fit in fitness at work

by Brittany Doohan

In your quest to get healthier, you may sign up for a gym class after work or commit to going on a bike ride every weekend. While that’s a good start (go you!), the way you spend your time when you’re off the clock probably looks very different from the way you spend your time at work each week — when you’re more likely to be sitting down for large parts of your day.

A significant body of research has reported that sitting too much (more than half your waking hours) is associated with a shorter life expectancy. But simply breaking up your sitting during the workday may have a big impact. A 2015 study with more than 3,000 participants found that taking just 2 minutes per hour to be lightly active — like a slow stroll — reduced the chance of death from any cause by one-third. Merely stopping every 30 minutes to get up and do a bit of light exercise — such as 3 minutes of leg raises, squats, or strolling — may also be beneficial. According to a small 2016 study, these kinds of exercises were found to significantly lower blood sugar in people with diabetes. So, why not make your hours at work work for you?

With some simple tweaks, you can turn everyday tasks into calorie-burning activities. Here are some ways to fit exercise into your workday.

• Consider setting a reminder on your smartphone or computer to move every half hour. Walk to the printer, take a bathroom break, do 10 jumping jacks or even gently stretch your arms, upper back and neck.

• On a phone call? Use that time to pace in your office or walk around the block.

• Waiting for your lunch to heat in the microwave? Do some calf lifts by raising your heels and balancing on the balls of your feet.

• Take the stairs to your next meeting instead of the elevator.

• At your desk, stand up and sit down, without using your hands, a few times every hour or so.

• If you stand all day at work, short movement breaks are still helpful, but also look for periods when you can sit down, like while you eat your lunch.

Challenge yourself by adding one, a combination of, or all of these activities to your day! Learn how to set yourself up for success when it comes to a healthier workday.   

Published on April 15, 2016. 

Brittany Doohan is a health and lifestyle writer and editor living in San Francisco.

Additional reporting by Kendra Smith.