Office Workers: What do you do during the day to keep acive?

katherineclarkson

Hi I'm Katherine,
I work in an office environment that involes a lot of sitting. I am walking inbetween to offices 3 to 4 times a day. Does anyone have any tips for activity at your desk?

StaciMarie1974

Occasionally get up & jog in place for a minute or two. Take a walk around the building. Use lunch hour for some activity. But mostly, I'm ok with the fact that I'll get most of my activity in the evening hours.

DemoraFairy

I always go for a brisk walk for an hour at lunch which usually burns 200-300 calories depending on how fast I feel like walking. During the day I drink a lot of water so am always getting up to go to the toilet! You can also use toilets on another floor (if you can) to get a few more steps and floors in. I also walk quite a bit for my commute, and on warmer days walk to train stations further away to be a bit more active.

katherineclarkson

Thank you, that's a good idea. I have strange hours and it doen't really leave time for me to do much in the evenings but I do try. I like walking at lunch but it has been horrible weather today.

krissyrey

Everytime I go to the bathroom which is often since I drink a lot of water, I do about 20-30 squats in my heels. I sink my butt low down, and I feel the burn

SueInAz

I often pick a restroom that is further away. When I was in a two story building I always went to the one downstairs so I'd have to climb the stairs. I park my car at the back of the parking lot. I use my two 15 minute breaks during the day to take a half mile walk and if it's not a running day I'll take a half hour walk at lunch.

miss_rye_

Can you do something before work? I used to run in the mornings. I personally am at a desk 10 hours a day, and have 40 minute commute (one way) so I am sitting like 11 hours a day. I take time in the evening to make sure to work out. I personally go to gym more, mainly to make up a lot of the seditary through the week.

Safety_Princess

I'm also in an office all day long. I make sure I go to another floor for the washroom, as others have suggested. I've also been doing some basic yoga a few times a day. Helps to stretch out and keep my body loose and limber.

katherineclarkson

This is some really good advice thank you

williams969

I'm a college student and teaching assistant (which mostly involves grading papers, so very sedentary work). I make sure to get 1,000-2,000 steps before I leave the house in the morning (10-15 minutes of jump roping/jumping jacks/mountain climbers, etc.), brisk walk for 40 minutes during lunch break (that's upwards of 6,000 steps), plus incidental walking throughout the day. I hit 10,000 steps without fail doing this routine.

shannonstube

I work in a large building, so anytime I get up to get water or use the restroom, I take the long way around my floor to get in extra steps. I also walk at lunch every day. If I can't get outside because of the weather, I walk downstairs and through the lobby/food court area of my building a few times. If you don't work in a large building, could you just walk laps of each floor, or walk the stairs (if you have any)?

yesimpson

Walking at lunch is a great solution. I wish I had time to go for a walk during my lunch break, but I work in the pastoral team at a college and our break time coincides with the students' so obviously that's when they drop in. Oh well. I try to squeeze in a few extra steps by walking to the printer/toilets/water fountain that's in the next block rather than the one on my floor, and physically going to people's offices rather than emailing and phoning all the time. Probably doesn't achieve much, but it's nice to stretch my legs.

StaciMarie1974

Sometimes I will jog in place while watching a tv show on Netflix or another app. When the weather is not friendly.

katherineclarkson wrote: »

Thank you, that's a good idea. I have strange hours and it doen't really leave time for me to do much in the evenings but I do try. I like walking at lunch but it has been horrible weather today.

kandell

Walking at lunch is great. My coworkers and I sometimes take laps around the building (indoors because of the cold) when we need a small break. Fidgeting at your desk is also pretty good. I like to do twists in my chair (grab the edge of the desk, use my abs to rotate my hips/chair) and move my legs as much as I can.

Azathera

I use a fitness ball to sit on instead of a chair. It takes a few muscles to sit in an equilibrium and my butt hurts less, plus it's much better for my back.

And should you wish you if nobody sees you you can bounce up and down on it. It gets your blood running and a good butt and thighs workout.

mburgess458

I have a standing desk so I stand all day at work and only sit in the car during my commute. The standing desk I have can be moved down if I want/need to sit for a while.

If you can't handle the cost (or your employer won't pay for it) you can create your own standing desk using boxes/books/whatever. You really just need a way to raise the monitor, keyboard, and mouse. If you work on a laptop it's even easier.

lizzocat

I have such a hard time with this too. When it's not freezing, I'll take at least half an hour walk during my lunch break, just to get moving. Right now it's SO COLD in NYC, so I'm staying indoors. I get up every half hour just to walk around. I also am trying to watch my water intake so I'll get up for another glass of water almost every hour and try to take the longest way back. If I need to talk to someone, I'll usually get up instead of calling or IM'ing.

Sugarbeat

I walk around the parking lot during breaks and sometimes lunch. I can't wait for it warm up a smidge, though, as I don't care to walk when its in single digits. Kudos to those who can, I'll wait and go to the gym this evening.

mburgess458

lizzocat wrote: »

I have such a hard time with this too. When it's not freezing, I'll take at least half an hour walk during my lunch break, just to get moving. Right now it's SO COLD in NYC, so I'm staying indoors. I get up every half hour just to walk around. I also am trying to watch my water intake so I'll get up for another glass of water almost every hour and try to take the longest way back. If I need to talk to someone, I'll usually get up instead of calling or IM'ing.

I sometimes walk up and down the stairs during lunch time in the winter to get a little exercise without freezing. Is that an option in your building?

cwolfman13

My biggest tip would be to make time for deliberate and sustained exercise 5-6 days per week.

Beyond that, if you need something from a colleague get up and walk to their office or cube rather than paging them on the phone or shooting them an email. Just get up and walk around for 5 minutes or so every hour...go get some water, go to the bathroom, check the fax machine, etc. Park further away from the office building. Take the stairs if you have a multi level office building...in that same RE, use facilities and break rooms on other office floors than the one you work on...and take the stairs. Park further away from stores, etc when you're running errands.

These are all great ways to improve your NEAT...but you need to make time for deliberate and sustained exercise, especially if you work in an office setting.

WillLift4Tats

Agree with the above. I take advantage of my 15 minute breaks and take a brisk walk around the area. I also just switched out my office chair for a balance ball. It's my third day, my back feels better by the end of the day, and my posterior can feel the challenge of stabilizing!

I also take advantage of nice days like today and bike to work whenever possible. Of course these are little things, but they are better than nothing. I depend a lot on workouts outside of work time.