Office jobs, something I'm totally not familiar with, kind of like co-ed high school. See I went to an all-girl high school, so my idea of "normal" co-ed high school is basically American Pie, although my husband assures me that's not even remotely accurate. I digress, office jobs, the opposite of what I do. I spend my day treating patients, demonstrating exercises, & walking all over our clinic. I average 5-8 miles of walking per day & if I float over to the hospital to help out that distance can double! That doesn't even include the work out my arms or legs get with exercise demonstrations & manual therapy. So in a way I'm lucky, I can get a mild work out just by showing up to work that day. However, the majority of America is not that lucky.
Less than 20% of jobs in the US require any sort of physical activity, which means most of us are sitting the day away. Blah!! Boring, and soooo not healthy. But hey you can't pick your job based on how fit it makes you, can you?? Sure you can! Bring that fitness to you!
If you are a worker bee at a desk all day you are already at a disadvantage for a healthy lifestyle, so take matters into your own hands & move more! This leads me to the challenge of the week for all my sedentary workers out there: MOVE! Below are my tips for getting some exercise & staying healthy despite your seated occupation, use this week to give them a try!!
Tips for moving, even though your job is stagnant (hopefully not literally):
1. Walk every hour: Even if it's just a trip to the little boys room getting up and walking helps to keep the blood circulating & the muscles awake (so to speak). Walking often does not allow the body to go into a rest mode, keeping the metabolism going. Obviously some light walking allows you to have some minor cardiovascular activity & a slight caloric burn. Can't walk every hour? Even every 2 hours is better than what you're doing now!
2. Stretch: Feeling tired? Shoulders &/or hips are tight from sitting too long? Perform some light stretching to keep those joints loose! Even if it's just taking a deep breath & raising both arms up over head, that works! Roll those shoulders, circle your head/neck, stand up and do a hamstring stretch, anything will help.
3. Pack you lunch: Being healthy at work does not just have to do with how much you move, it's also what you are putting into your body! It's a fact that those of us who order off menus weekly or daily consume more calories & are more apt to picking unhealthy choices during the day. So take an extra minute at night & pack that lunch so you are already prepped for healthy food choices.
4. Breath: Stress piles up at everyone's job. Trust me I get behind on paperwork, patients & have a million things to do most days & if I don't stop and breath I am mentally exhausted. This stress can lead to unhealthy snacking throughout the day & missed work outs due to fatigue at night. Don't let yourself reach a stress level of 10, take some deep breaths, close your eyes & move on!
5. Desk set-up: Just because your have an office job does not mean you are locked to sitting at that desk all day. Try sitting on a medicine ball chair to keep the core engaged, improve posture & work your legs. Try a standing desk and see if this keeps you moving more. If these are not options, get an ergonomic assessment either from your company or a physical therapist. If your desk space is not ergonomically correct you are at even more of a disadvantage due to the poor posture you are maintaining in order to work! Getting that office set up properly will improve your posture keeping the correct stability muscles engaged, also good posture prevents unwanted strain on the spine. Good office set up = core engaged, healthy spine & overall improved outlook on your day!
Give these tips a try this week & I promise you won't be disappointed!
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