The average typist’s fingers travel over 12 miles per day. I wish that I could put my Fitbit on my fingers and that it would somehow count as exercise.
[ctt template=”3″ link=”qIUHR” via=”yes” ]The average typist’s fingers travel over 12 miles per day![/ctt]
As much as we are all crazy busy every day, and as much as we feel like we are active at work, we are not.
We’ve all heard that sitting is the new smoking and that sitting all day takes years off our lives. The American Heart Institute tells us to sit less and move more. On a study sponsored by the National Institute of Health, we sit an average of 12.3 hours in a 16-hour day. I don’t smoke, and I certainly don’t want my desk job to kill me, so moving and standing more makes perfect sense logically.
[ctt template=”3″ link=”odb4H” via=”yes” ]We sit an average of 12.3 hours in a 16-hour day.[/ctt]
Realistically, that’s hard to do when you have a desk job, isn’t it?
We know we need to move more, but at the same time, I need to get my job done, and my job requires me to be at my desk! How can I sit less and move more while at work?
Here are some tips that I have incorporated into my daily routine at work:
- I have a stand-up desk! Can I yell that any louder to show you how excited I am? Now before you tell me that your company won’t get you one, let me tell you about mine (and you will buy it yourself).
My workspace is a corner desk with shelving on each side of the monitor hole. That meant that I could never find a stand-up desk that would fit as they are all too large.
I have an AnthroDesk: A Standing Desk in Canada and I can set it at my height, I can move it, I can sit down and work, I can safely keep my cup of tea on my new workspace too, and I can pick it up and move to another location if I want to as it isn’t permanently attached to my desk. And the price point is significantly lower than any other stand-up desk I’ve looked at.
I am up and down throughout the day. There are times I work well sitting, and times when I am more creative and effective standing. I find that I am loving working at my new desk, which invigorates me to do the other things I’ve listed in this article.
- I get up every hour to move. If you have a Fitbit, you can set it to remind you every hour if you haven’t walked 250 steps (which is virtually every hour I am in the office). It gives me a little buzzing sensation reminding me to get up and move.
When it buzzes, I will get another glass of water, walk around a bit, or take a quick 60-second break, all the while getting my 250 steps. If you don’t have a Fitbit, then set a timer for each hour.
Coincidentally, I try to stay out of my email constantly as well, and the hour buzz reminds me to check my inbox and clean it up.
- Get a Fitbit, a step counter, or an app on your phone to ensure that you are moving. The goal is typically 10,000 steps per day, which is very difficult to do for anyone who has an office job, but with a little strategy and willingness, you can do it!
The movement up and down reminds me to move, the buzz on my FitBit reminds me to walk every hour, and the goal of 10,000 steps per day (and a competitive support partner) keeps me accountable for moving.
Get out of the building at lunchtime, park your car further away, join an exercise club. Make time to keep moving to keep yourself healthy.
- Drink a lot of water. That in itself is quite healthy for you, but it will help you get your steps each day, help you move each hour, and keep your kidneys working well.
When it is time to go to the facilities to rid yourself of this extra water, then take a couple of lunge steps, kick your heels to your butt (careful if you are in high heels!), do arm circles while walking, etc.
- Take phone calls standing up. If working at a standing desk isn’t an option, or you are trying to train yourself to stand more often (habits are tough to break), put a note on your phone/cell phone to take your phone calls standing up.
[ctt template=”3″ link=”Y_LUX” via=”yes” ]Do you take your phone call standing up? This is something I will start doing today![/ctt]
You will sound more professional, and you’ll be standing instead of sitting.
I do try to lead a healthy lifestyle. Knowing that my job is killing me because I’m sitting all day is not something I want to ignore. I want to be healthy at work and home. For me, that means be aware of how much time I spend sitting and doing whatever I can to change that.
