Accomplishing your weekly exercise plan is not easy when you have to go through gruesome worksheets, read through reports, meetings and conferences – the hours spent in the office is overwhelming and takes up 60 to 70% of our weekly schedule. With 60 hour work weeks, how can you even have the energy to go to the gym?
Most people who are engaged in office work are prone to diseases of the heart and lungs. They are mostly complaining of aching backs or carpal tunnel. And these are caused by lack of physical activity.
However, there are ways to be physically active in the workplace. Even in short aerobic bursts, you will be able to multitask with your other work, and still accomplish two things at once. Physical activity in the office will also help clear the mind, not to mention have better blood circulation.
Here are ways to make the office a happier place by engaging in the following:
1. Take the stairs.
Taking the stairs is a great cardio workout. If you can’t take the stairs all the way up, take the elevator for half the way and the stairs for the other half. This way, you are burning those calories and getting to work at the same time. You can also park further from the office building, so you can have a few paces and warm up a little before coming to work.
2. Avoid unnecessary emailing.
Instead of emailing Suzanne from accounting, and who just happens to be three cubicles down from you, why not walk over there and talk to her face to face? Sitting down for long periods of time is not good for blood flow, and spending more time relating to colleagues develops teamwork and good relations.
3. Do jumping jacks.
Set an alarm for at mid-afternoon and find a vacant office room or a conference room. Do 20 to 30 jumping jacks to kick start your energy again. Mid afternoons are usually the time that the body feels the exhaustion of the work day. So if you still have a long way to go, do a couple of jacks.
4. Jog.
Similar to the routine of the jumping jacks, set aside time to jog in place. For a more intense cardio, try to jog like the football players do, and jog with high kicks. If you are a beginner, start with marching in place. Once you gain mobility, start jogging.
5. Do calf exercises.
While waiting for the 200 page report to print, or as you’re waiting for an important fax, don’t just stand there idly. Try to strengthen your calves by standing on your tip toes and then hold for a few seconds. Then go back down.
6. Try desk squats.
It’s lunch break and everybody’s gone out. Push your chair aside and stand up straight. Put your feet together and raise both arms up. Bend your knees and squat as if you’re sitting down. Hold for a few minutes. Then repeat for 20 times.
7. Raise your legs.
From under your desk, raise your legs and bend them down again without touching the floor. This will help you strengthen your hips and legs. Do this while going through emails or studying a worksheet, so you can accomplish more while seated.
However, the best workout techniques are the ones that are done in the gym. Find a gym near your office or home, so you can conveniently stop by and do a day-end workout. Release all the pepped-up work stress into a nice hour of dance class or hot flow yoga. These classes are available in gyms like Fitness First and Gold’s Gym.
Having a regular gym routine not only relieves stress but increases your productivity because your mind will be free from clutter. You will have more focus and longer concentration abilities. Because of the endorphin rush, you will notice that you are not easily annoyed anymore.
Many people underestimate the importance of exercise in one’s work schedule. And a lot of adults feel that since office time is already occupying most of the day, then the need to work out is not necessary anymore. Most adults feel that after a long day, the best thing is to just sit on the couch, watch TV, and munch down a bag of chips.
What a lot of adults don’t realize is that a lifestyle that is not physically active is a life that is sedentary, lifeless and dull. This type of lifestyle will eventually help the way we work, and what we accomplish on a daily basis.