Tips for Staying Active with a Sedentary Career
Do You Have a Desk Job? No Problem! You Can Still Stay Active
Would you be embarrassed if you were caught exercising at work? We hope not, and we believe that many successful companies should applaud the effort to improve your health!
It is becoming more widely recognized that staying physically active throughout the workday is not only beneficial to your health, but it can also help with productivity, job satisfaction, and psychological well-being.
Even if you work at a desk, there are numerous simple things you can do to get up and move more frequently. Check out these five tips from my physical therapy team—tips that we also use at our clinic!
How can physical therapy help me gain a more active lifestyle?
There’s a good reason why the phrase “sitting is the new smoking” was coined. Excessive sedentary behavior and sitting for too long (e.g., 7 or more hours per day) has been scientifically linked to an increased risk to potentially life-altering conditions like heart disease, obesity, and chronic back pain.
This is why we’d love for you to come meet with a physical therapist at our clinic. We can help you stay more active at work by:
- Recommend specialized tools, like kinesio tape and customized orthotics, to improve your posture and enhance our other healing modalities
- Help you optimize your ergonomic environment
- Address underlying health conditions, like degenerative disc disease or sciatica, which can make both moving and sitting difficult
- Teaching you specific exercises and stretches that are individually tailored to your body’s needs
5 ways to add more physical activity into your workday
Did you know that getting active can vastly improve your health, your comfort, your mobility, and your overall quality of life? That’s why it’s so important to stay active, even when you have a desk job.
Below are 5 ways you can stay active at work, without having to sacrifice any extra time in your day!
- Take advantage of your lunch breaks. Do you love your lunch breaks? Sit down and enjoy your meal, but when you’re done eating use the remaining time to go for a walk around the building or even climb a few flights of stairs. We know it’s tempting to just work through lunch. But if you take even just five minutes to get up and move mid-day, you’ll be staving off health risks associated with excessive sitting and you may very well find yourself with way more energy.
- Be active while still doing business. Instead of sending an email or text to your colleague down the hall, why not walk down and deliver the message in person? You can also take business calls while walking outside.
- Create a more ergonomic workspace. Is there a way for you to install an adjustable sit-to-stand desk in your office? You may not even have to replace the whole desk—these days it’s easy to find high quality and affordable portable options online or in retail stores. You can also consult with a physical therapist to ensure the ergonomic set-up is ideal, so you can minimize any strain on your neck, back, shoulders, hands, and hips during the time you do spend sitting.
- Schedule time to get up and move throughout the day. Getting into the flow at work is a great feeling—but you don’t want to look up from your desk and see that one, two, three or more hours have gone by since you’ve gotten up from your desk! So, set a timer on your watch or phone to go off once per hour (or at least be more mindful of the clock) and use these breaks to stand up, go for a short walk, or do some simple stretches and exercises.
- Drink plenty of water. Drinking more water throughout the day can improve mental clarity and support healthy joints and connective tissues. Plus, if you keep a glass or stainless steel bottle of water on hand, you’ll find yourself having to get up more often simply to refill the bottle or relieve yourself.
Ready to gain a more active lifestyle?
If you are looking for more tips on adding more physical activity to your daily life, we can help!
Contact SMaRT Physical Therapy today to consult with a physical therapist and discover how we can help you live a happier and healthier life.