Thursday, 28th March 2024
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Office Hacks for a More Fit You

We know the drill; many of us drive to work at 7:30am and close for the day between 4 – 5pm daily. We sit, counting hours at a desk, staring into bright computer screens, mostly numbing ourselves to the outside. And then, when work is over, we drive through traffic, back home to meet dinner.…

We know the drill; many of us drive to work at 7:30am and close for the day between 4 – 5pm daily. We sit, counting hours at a desk, staring into bright computer screens, mostly numbing ourselves to the outside. And then, when work is over, we drive through traffic, back home to meet dinner. Nneedless to say, a good meal after a long day of corporate slavery is often followed by watching the news and going to sleep; ready to repeat the next day. All in all, not a very fit day.

If you take fewer than 5,000 steps per day (approx. 4km for the average adult), you are living a sedentary lifestyle – according to research by the Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge, LA. This lack of sufficient physical activity can have serious negative effects on your health, most notable of which is a high risk of heart disease.

By making little changes to our daily habits, we can improve our fitness levels significantly, which in turn can improve productivity at work and family life at home.

 4 hacks to becoming more fit in the office;

  • Instead of sending an e-mail or making a phone call to your colleague, walk over to him or her to deliver the message.
  • Form a walking group and set distance/number of steps targets to be completed during your lunch break. Using a pedometer will be useful for accurately measuring your steps. This is also a good form of healthy competition between colleagues and something the Human Resources department can take advantage of.
  • Set an alarm for every hour to get up, stretch and walk over to the water dispenser, a colleague’s desk or to a designated spot in the office premises.
  • Choose a parking spot that is a little further away from the office building than usual. Also, once you get into the office, resolve to avoid elevators/escalator and take the stairs.

As with everything, it is important to realize and gain the benefits of walking more and being physically active daily. Small changes in our lifestyle go a long way to improve and maintain our health so start with what works best for you, get your friends and family involved and grow from there.

Have a wonderful week, full of steps and increased productivity.

Photo credit www.sheknows.com

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