As businessmen and businesswomen, we invest a great deal of our time and energy in our businesses. It’s naturally the best way to stay focused and devoted to success and very little, if any time or energy, on the life we lead in those offices. The combination of lack of activity, poor eating habits and stress throughout the day not only puts us at a higher risk of weight gain and heart-related problems but also increases lack of motivation and fatigue. The greatest detrimental effect on our health is sitting all the day long. Regardless of whether you work from home or in an office, the greater part of the day is spent sitting, whether you’re at home relaxing, in front of your computer, in meetings or even at lunch.
Being part of our routine every day, sitting can be an extremely difficult habit to break. But adopting the following tips into your workday will not only keep you feeling lively but also healthy, fit and feeling fantastic. Here’s how:
Skip the elevator and instead take the stair
You don’t have to use the elevator. This simple gesture can cause such a big impact in your day. If there are elevators in your building, try to avoid them! Next time, make friends with the stairs and instead skip the elevator. Choosing to take the stairs is a great way of getting your blood flowing and energy levels rising—all necessary to jumpstart your day!
Spread out Your Office
Is there a printer in your office? Move it away from your desk so that you’ll need to get up and walk to retrieve your printed documents. Require a paper clip? Put all your office supplies at the other side of your office. Regardless of the number of steps you’ll need to take to reach the supplies, it’s a reminder to take a break from sitting to boost circulation in your body.
Stretch
The most common outcome of sitting for too long is the occurrence of tight hip flexors. Sitting is the number one cause of knee and back pain complications, if not properly stretched. To prevent this from happening, take about 5 minutes every day to stand straight up and stretch.
Take a Walk
Take a walk around your office and see how many flights of stairs you can climb. Alternatively, take a walk out of the office to get some fresh air for about 15 minutes so as to keep your legs moving.
Exercise with a resistance band
Find and keep an exercise band in your office to help you perform 3-5 sets of exercises during your breaks. This is a great way of resisting strain without the gym.
Drink Lots of Water!
This is another important tip you don’t want to ignore. The recommended amount of water per day is 3.0 litres and 2.2 litres for males and females, respectively. Always keep a refillable water bottle in your office and keep track of the amount of water you are taking to make sure that you are staying properly hydrated. Lack of sufficient amounts of water is a gateway to dehydration, fatigue and muscle tightness.
Remember that you don’t have to do all these exercises every day except the last tip. Start off by performing 1-2 a day, alternating the exercises on different days. Eventually, these habits will become part of your everyday routine towards a healthy body and mind at the office.