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Five Tips to a Healthier Lifestyle at Work
Working full-time can make it difficult to stay active, despite best intentions for early-morning workouts of after-work jogs. One way to focus on overall health is to incorporate healthy habits into the work day. “Leading an active and healthy lifestyle is not only beneficial to your body, but it can have a positive effect on your office life,” says Sarah Yedlick, office expert and marketing manager for Boise Paper.
If you’re looking to add healthy habits to your office life, use the following tips to incorporate fitness into your daily routine.
Stand, Don’t Sit – Unfortunately, the sedentary nature of most desk jobs isn’t conducive of a healthy lifestyle, and the cumulative impact of sitting all day for years is associated with a range of health problems, from obesity to diabetes to cancer. The solution? Start standing. Whether it’s replacing your desk with a standing workstation, or simply getting out of your desk frequently, standing has been shown to burn more calories than sitting. Standing can also improve posture and reduce neck and back pain. Start small by opting to stand for certain tasks—such as proofreading documents or for short discussions—and gradually try to add more standing activities into your daily routine.
Take Active Breaks – Instead of heading to the break room or catching up on social media, take advantage of nice weather and consider a brisk, 10-minute walk around the block instead. If the weather won’t cooperate, consider taking a stroll around the office or climbing the stairs. Even a short walk will boost your metabolism and burn calories, which can help alleviate stress and provide a boost of motivation for the rest of the day. If you can’t stray too far from your desk, set a timer to remind yourself to get up and move once an hour—even if it’s just to the other side of the office and back.
Utilize the Commute – If you have trouble getting in workouts during the week, look for opportunities to add physical activity during your commute. If you live close by, your commute can pull double duty as a workout simply by biking or walking to the office. Or, if you take public transportation, get off the bus or train one stop early, and walk the rest of the way. Similarly, if you drive to work, park at the far end of the parking lot—or in a nearby lot. It may seem insignificant at the time, but over the course of the week, all those extra steps can add up!
Harness Fun Fitness Challenges – Office fitness challenges are a great way to get the whole team involved, and adds incentive to those who may have trouble working out on their own. There are many activities that can be done as a friendly challenge between colleagues. Consider holding a “plank challenge” once a week to see who can hold it the longest, have a hydration contest to see who can gulp down 8 oz. of water 8 times a day, or utilize mobile apps to track and compete with each other on number of steps reached each day.
Track Your Progress – As the day progresses, it’s easy for fitness to take a backburner to other office duties and deadlines. To stay on track, create a daily chart to keep on top of healthy habits, such as drinking water and taking exercise or stretching breaks, so that you have a physical reminder for your goals. Print it out on copy paper, like one of America’s top selling copy paper brands* Boise X-9® or Boise ASPEN®. As you go about the day, be sure to check off each item as it’s accomplished. At the end of the day, you’ll have a completed chart to remind you of your accomplishments.
For more tips from Sarah, as well as expert office advice from Boise Paper, visit www.bepapersmart.com.
IAAP Edge 