A big push over the last twenty years has revolved around personal health and well-being. While we hear often about eating right and exercising more, very rarely do you receive the tips that everyone is really looking for: how to apply to real life. It isn’t a myth or secret to losing weight and getting in shape- burn more calories than you consume. But how can people with busy lives achieve these goals when their days are consumed by office time, children’s needs, and household chores?
Well today is the perfect blog for those of us in the real world, working 40+ hours a week in a office where healthy eating and exercise aren’t really on the top of the priority list. Studies have shown that people who sit more than four hours a day (i.e. all you business folk out there that sit behind your desk all day, every week) are more at risk for kidney disease, heart disease, and diabetes than those who move around, or simply stand around while working. Yup, you read that right- simply standing at your desk rather than sitting at it is exponentially healthier for you than sitting in those big comfortable chairs.
But speaking of those chairs, there’s a use for them other than sitting. Take the first minute or so at the top of the hour in the morning (like 9, 10 & 11 am) and do twenty chair squats. THEN on the half hour (so 930, 1030, & 1130) do twenty or so triceps dips with your chair. When you have a full break, like a bathroom break or lunch break, do some desk push ups, where you lean face down on your desk at an angle, and push up and away from your desk, again around twenty at a time.
So yes, you’re probably thinking, ” I’m going look ridiculous doing this at the office, and everyone’s going to stare at me as if I have three heads.” Well yes. you may look a little odd at first, but trust me, those people you may look at you funny are more than likely thinking “wow I should probably be doing those too.” So hopefully if you incorporate these few and quick exercises into your daily work routine, you’ll start to feel and look better and healthier. And one more thing, if you’re a manager and are looking to boost morale or motivate your employees, why not make this an office-wide activity and place emphasis on the well being of everyone. Healthy employees are good-working employees, and that means far fewer CT workers compensation claims that you’ll deal with on a yearly basis.