5 Ways to Incorporate Exercise into Your Workday

MV PlusNovember 28, 2022

The day-to-day grind can take its toll on our health pretty quickly if we’re not careful. The good news is that it doesn’t have to be this way.  Even if we enjoy exercise and love its benefits often, time we used to devote to fitness gets allocated to other priorities in our lives.

advertisement

Here are five easy-to-incorporate ways to increase physical activity throughout the workday.

Park Further

Portrait of young stylish Londoner in urban environment

There are plenty of ways to transform your conventional commute into an active one. Parking farther from the office when you get to work provides an opportunity to get in some extra steps. Or choosing to take a walk rather than taking a taxi to get to the office.

Use Stairs

Using the stairs are a great way to add in exercise throughout the workday. You burn an estimated 3-5 calories per flight of stairs — if you’re adding in some extra steps throughout the day, it adds up.

Set An Hourly Timer As a Reminder to Move

Set an hourly timer as a constant reminder to keep moving. It doesn’t have to be anything extravagant or time-consuming — even 2-3 minutes of movement is great.

Volunteer to Do Some Lifting Tasks at Work

Does the water jug need to be changed? Offer to do the heavy lifting! Try deadlifting the water jug before squatting down to place it on the stand. Or, instead of carrying all the packages at once, take several trips to carry them inside. Its all about keeping the body moving.

Stretch It Out

Take a break from your screen and stretch it out. A simple stretch can reduce fatigue, improve posture, reduce the risk of shoulder, neck, or back pain, and even reduce your risk for carpal tunnel from all that typing.

Keeping good posture can also actually help you stay fit by working the muscles that help keep you upright and support healthy movement. Consider adding a post-it note on your desk to remind you to maintain good posture throughout the day. Also, doing simple things such as flexing or “sucking in” your stomach muscles while at your desk or doing arm raises, shoulder rolls, etc. now and then can make a positive difference in the long run.