On average, employees spend 30% of their lives at work. For most of this working time, many employees sit at a desk. Moreover, most employees don’t find the time to exercise during their work hours.
Unhealthy American Employees
Data from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) shows that American workers suffer from myriad health conditions, including:
- Insufficient physical activity/exercise
- High levels of cholesterol
- Cardiovascular disease
- Obesity and overweight
- Hypertension or high blood pressure
Ways to Exercise at the Workplace
One of the best ways to exercise at work is to incorporate physical activity into your daily routine. To this end, you can do the following things:
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Take the Stairs
Research shows that healthy adults ideally need to take 10,000 steps daily. It’s difficult to walk 10,000 steps if your job entails sitting all day. However, you can walk more by opting for the stairs instead of the elevator and by parking your car further away from your office. You can also take a longer route on your way to your workspace. Find as many ways as you can do a little bit more walking throughout the day.
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Move and Stretch at Your Desk
Stretching and moving at your desks offer numerous health benefits as well as reduce stress. Therefore, every hour, take a few seconds to stand up and stretch.
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Encourage Walking Meetings
Meetings are a constant feature of office work. However, instead of hunkering down in a conference room for your meetings, you can opt for a walking meeting where your walk around the block or office as you flesh out your ideas and craft your next project. According to researchers at Stanford, walking boosts creative thinking, meaning your walking meetings are likely to be much more productive.
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Take Hourly Breaks
Hours of sitting at your desk can take a toll on your body. Therefore, you should take intermittent breaks, which will not only improve your focus but also give your mind a break. Maintaining steady focus for hours burns lots of energy, and therefore, can leave you drained both physically and mentally at the end of the day. Moreover, by taking breaks, you’ll have enough energy left at the end of the workday to engage with other important aspects of your life, such as family and hobbies.
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Workout Weekly
At a minimum, you should aim for 30 minutes of physical activity daily. However, if you are striving to meet set fitness goals, maintain weight loss, or lose weight, you may need a more intense exercise regimen. Additionally, you can get much more health benefits by extending your workout sessions to 300 minutes or even more per week.
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Meditation
While the workplace is often a source of severe anxiety, stress, and burnout, it can also be a fantastic place for meditation and mindfulness. At the workplace, meditation helps to reduce frustration and stress. Additionally, it bolsters productivity, energy, focus, and compassion. Given most of us spend a huge junk of our lives at work, the office may be the most consistent and easiest place to meditate.
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Boost Your Performance and Creativity
When you’re healthy and your mind is clear, you can think in a much more organized manner; your thoughts become tools that help you make better decisions rather than obstacles. Furthermore, you’re able to make decisions faster and take action with confidence.
These are some of the main benefits of workplace health and wellness programs. If you’d like to learn more about vitality and living in your prime, contact us at Genesis Performance today. We will help you incorporate sustainable techniques to optimize your health and vitality. We help clients across the nation virtually and are ready to help you get started today.
