Sitting for long hours at work kills the body and the organism, causing different diseases related to sedentary lifestyle such as obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disorders.
Office jobs are one of the great enemies to combat sedentary lifestyle, but are there exercises that can be done while we work without losing concentration on what we are doing?
Productivity experts and personal trainers recommend 5 truly innovative methods to keep your body in shape at work and, in turn, improve your health.
5 methods to stay in shape while you work
1. Treadmill-Mounted Desks
Traditional desks are seen by many experts as causing many health problems. Instead, many people are opting for different alternatives, such as a desk with a built-in treadmill.
In the city of Los Angeles, for example, desks that have a built-in treadmill are being used a lot, since they are programmed to go at a slower pace instead of using a walker-type desk. The idea is that with these equipment you can be on the move, burn calories and exercise your muscles while doing your work .
Meanwhile, other experts ensure that exercise desks can be used as long as they are adapted to body capacity. That is, you have to know how to combine exercise with sedentary activities in order to give your body a rest without saturating it.
2. Tall and adjustable desks
The high desks are ideal to combat the endless hours of sedentary lifestyle by moving the body when you need it. This type of desks are adjusted between the foot and the seat, giving the possibility of eliminating many hours of sedentary lifestyle, alternating it with exercises while working.
The desk can be adjusted in a way that helps you stay focused while working. These types of desks are recommended for people with ADHD, since they are natural candidates for a standing desk, while for other people, not so physically active, a standing desk may not be so beneficial.
3. Exercise in a group
There are cases in which you cannot detach yourself from your desk since you have a lot of work. That is why it is advisable to form a team within the office in which you can alternate work and exercise in a group during work hours. Responsibility and motivation for competition help some get moving. For example, meet for lunch and go for a walk before sitting down at the desk again. There are also companies that organize days in which employees have the opportunity to share different sports activities, in turn improving cohesion within the organization.
4. Hold meetings by walking
It is recommended that when you schedule a meeting you try to be as little seated as possible. For example, you can arrange a meeting by walking around the building. It sounds a bit strange to walk business meetings but, as long as your client or boss accepts the proposal, it is a way to make the meeting more pleasant and healthy.
Another good idea is that while you work in front of the desk you stand up and walk with some frequency. For example, if you make calls, it is not necessary to be in front of the computer, you can make standing calls and walking in circles to activate the muscles.
5. Work while sitting on an exercise ball
One of the best ways to train while working is sitting on a stability ball . Thanks to this, you can easily alternate positions, standing for 30 minutes and another 30 minutes resting on the ball, which allows you to activate the body through different postures.
It is important to clarify that there are some specialists who are against this method, but the important thing of all is to try to change the daily routine of how to sit at work.
conclusion
We all have habits so deeply ingrained that even when we hear about how negative they are, we have a hard time changing. It is time to take better care of our health when working, so take into account these ways of exercising in the office to take better care of your body and reduce any problems that sedentary lifestyle can cause.
References
- Kylie Ora Lobell, “5 ways to stay fit at work when you sit at a desk all day.” For Business Insider. [Revised June 2016]
