Are You Working Out at Work?

The 21st century office-goer in large metros or smaller cities, spends more than half his day commuting to work and back and sitting before his desk. This behavior is making us all unhealthy. There are no immediate repercussions but every minute you spend staring at your screen, bustling through meetings and skipping lunch to read the brief one last time, you’re either unwittingly gaining weight, adding to your stress levels and fueling hypertension and anxiety. It is not exactly the healthiest thing for your heart either.

But to battle this silent assailant, people across the world are exercising at work. In small and mysterious ways, the workplace has changed from being a strictly professional work environment to a place where you can take twenty to go for a run, shove your jogging shoes in your drawer next to your files and have health food delivered at your desk. So are you working out at work? 

Though it sounds like a considerable lifestyle shift, it need not be. In small and simple ways, you can make sure that the time you spent slogging it out at the ol’ office is well spent for physical and mental health.

• Stand up for health:

  
  

  Tall work tables are the new thing. Everyone is doing it. Research says that you’re accumulating body weight every minute you’re sitting. Sitting is, apparently, the new eating. So if you’re ready to get slightly experimental, this is the next big thing in work exercises. Stand up and work. And ignore the strange looks this might earn you from your colleagues. You’re going to feel fitter, stronger and lighter. Pretty soon, they’ll be doing it too.

• Move around:

  Make a rule for yourself. No sitting at your desk for more than half an hour at a time. Even if your work requires you to sit at a spot for two hours straight, make an exception. Experts advice that one must take short walks around the office every hour to increase circulation and improve digestion. So carry a smaller water bottle that would need regular refilling, make trips to the loo, or take a short walk to the cafeteria.

• Start a health group:

  If you have like-minded colleagues who share your enthusiasm for exercise, make a group. You can take short power walks around the campus together, plan a brief yoga or meditation session in the middle of the day or plan healthy meals together. If there are enough of you, you can either hit the office gym together, or ask for an area at work where you can arrange to meet for mid-day exercises.

• Stairway to health:

  Take the stairs, always. No matter which floor you have to go, never, never use the elevator.

•   Happy feet:

  Don’t let your feet remain stationary. Try simple exercises, such as lift one foot up to your knee level, hold for two seconds and place it back. You can do fifteen rounds of each foot before moving to the next. Also try simple moves like making a circle in the air with your foot.

•  Hands and arms:

  It is more difficult to exercise your hands at work, but not impossible. Whenever you get a minute or two, stretch your hands above your head and pull. Place your palms together and push till your muscles contract. Ball up your hands into fists and roll them inwards and outwards. Place your hands on your armrest and pull yourself up and remain afloat for a few seconds before lowering yourself back.

• Head and face:

  Tilt your head sideways periodically and stretch your neck. The neck and the shoulders carry most of your stress and cause you to look more hunchbacked than is healthy. Keep moving your shoulders in circles.

• Upgrade your chair:

• Seen those images of people swapping their desk chairs for exercise balls? It’s not a prank. Office-goers are opting to use a gym ball to sit on. Benefits? The ball automatically corrects your posture, straightens your back and relieves the stress on your back muscles.

• Breathe:

  The benefits of deep breathing are grossly underrated. Make it a point to take a breathing break after every task you complete. Take twenty long, deep breathes before your start a new task. Deep breathing calms the nerves, improves blood circulation and steadies your heart.These simple exercises will have you feeling more energetic and less stressed at work in a few weeks. Another plus to trying them out is that they’re fairly easy to keep secret. So get started and get healthy. Make your time at work count.