Office Physical Activity
Physical activity can be great way to clear our mind, relieve stress, help us focus, and burn kilojoules (calories). However, most of us are finding we are increasingly restricted to a chair for the majority of our work day; as a result we need to find alternative ways to keep active.
While it may seem like insignificant amounts, being active for a couple of minutes each hour will increase your incidental activity rate, which is the activity we get from going about our daily tasks. By increasing our incidental activity we may get benefits may such as relieving muscle tension, increasing energy and an increase in productivity.
Here are some tips on how to increase your activity levels at work;
- Use the stairs instead of the lift.
- Organise a group of colleagues to walk or run together 1-3 times a week. This can be a great way to get a team of supportive like minded individuals to motivate each other. Alternatively sort out a work step challenge using pedometers to see who can walk the most steps in a month.
- Get up from your computer every hour and walk around the internal perimeter of the office.
- Sit on an exercise ball instead of a chair. A great way to get those stomach muscles firing. Added benefit of being able to be used for wall squats during your hourly break from the computer.
- Take the long route to get to the office bathroom or kitchen, perhaps use a bathroom on a different floor.
- Set your computer up to print to the printer farthest away from your desk.
- Park further away from the door so you have to walk that extra bit.
- Walk to someone’s desk to talk to them instead of emailing or phoning them
- Perform a quick 15 minute exercise routine from your chair once or twice a day. Not only will you get a mini workout but it can relieve back pain, and give your eyes and mind a well deserved break. Try these exercises below;
- Run while in the seated position - sit on the edge of your seat with your back straight. Lift one knee upwards till your thigh is off the chair, and then lower. Alternate your legs for 1 minute speeding up as you get used to the movement.
- Leg extensions - Do single leg lifts in the chair. Slowly raise one foot off the ground and straighten your leg, hold for 2 seconds and then lower back down. Repeat 15 times and then try the other leg.
- Standing push ups - Stand about 40cm away from a wall, and place both hands on the wall (about mid-chest level) shoulder-width apart. Slowly lower your body toward the wall by bending your elbows until your nose is an inch from the wall and then push back up to original position. Do 10 repetitions.
- Tricep dips - Place both hands on the arms of your chair and lift your bottom off the seat lower yourself back down and lift yourself off again before your bottom hits the chair, try to do this 15 times.
- Abdominal exercises - Sit upright on the edge of your chair, hold the edge of your seat, squeeze your abdominal muscles in toward your spine and hold for a slow count of ten and release. Think of pressing your abdominal muscles to your spine. Do 10 repetitions.
- Shoulder stretches - To free up those tight shoulder muscles, place hands on your shoulders and try to pull your elbows backwards, till you feel a stretch across the chest.
Remember exercise comes in different forms and we need to combine incidental activity and exercise sessions with a healthy eating plan, and good sleep patterns to get the greatest benefits.