Many people spend way too much time sitting at their desks. Even if you spend a few minutes in the morning for a bit of cardio and try to meal prep whenever possible, it almost always feels like these steps aren’t enough. As a result, most people go to bed feeling like they’ve ended doing nothing. They might feel they finished the day with a net surplus in calories and a net loss in physical activity, regressing any improvement you’ve made over the weekend.
Luckily enough, getting a bit more from your work time at the desk is possible. With a bit of creative thinking, it’s not beyond the realm of reality to stay active even though it sounds counterproductive with the idea of sitting down. Specifically, you must master the art of taking productive breaks, avoiding snacking on the job, and using your outside time for better things.
1. Master The Art Of Taking Productive Breaks
When it comes to staying active, productivity is king. You don’t have to be super-efficient with your work quota, but find a balance in your schedule to do everything necessary. Often, people grab a cup of coffee and make small talk to pass the time, but there’s a lot you can accomplish with a good 30-45 minutes on your plate. So instead of going with the flow, you will find a lot more success with planning things out.
- Stretch Things Out in Between Responsibilities: Stretching is an excellent way to spend your breaks. Not only does it promote flexibility, but it relaxes those muscles that have been feeling a bit cramped for staying in the upright seating position for too long. In fact, stretching has long-term benefits over regular exercise. If you can get up to do some lunge stretches, it’s an excellent way to wake yourself up if you’re feeling a bit sluggish.
- Think Good Posture and Give Your Eyes a Rest: No matter how hard we try, it’s only natural to start slouching and leaning forward once you’re in the zone and engrossed with work, but while meeting your deadlines is good, backaches are not. So whenever you have the chance to take a breather, constantly remind yourself of good posture because even moving things around can help your situation immensely. Plus, it doesn’t hurt to close your eyes for at least 20 seconds to reboot from all that blue light exposure.
2. Avoid Unhealthy Snacking Habits on the Job
Moving around won’t cut it if your goal is to live a healthy lifestyle. That’s because eating takes as big of a responsibility, if not even more impactful, than a mix of resistance training and cardio exercises. That being the case, avoid unhealthy snacking habits on the job like reaching out for cookies or packing heavy, calorie-dense snacks. Opt for something a bit more on the healthier side.
- Increase Your Daily Water Intake: Water is good for the body. Everyone naturally benefits from increased water intake in the form of a better complexion and more energy. And if it can encourage Troy Aikman to drink more water like Tom Brady, then it might work just as helpful for you who’s struggling with staying on the grind. A few extra trips to the bathroom fix up your bladder issues and add more steps to your counter, which is a neat benefit.
- Take Your Pick Between Trail Mix And Fruit: Some people just can’t get through a workday without a bit of snacking. Instead of drooling over the nearest canteen, you can pack either trail mix or fruit for your foodie options. Both these snacks are very healthy. Since they’re also very customizable, you won’t have to worry about eating the same old meal every day. You could also try a bit of greek yogurt if you’re feeling funk and want to sprinkle your snacks with toppings.
3. Use Your Outside Time More Efficiently
At the end of the day, there’s only so much you can do at the desk to help with physical activity and healthy living, so the time spent outside before arriving home also plays a vital role in reaching and maintaining your fitness goals. As a result, you want to negotiate a balance between convenience. Introduce more challenges using your outside time because putting in that extra thought will be necessary to narrow down your choices.
- Ditch the Car and Try Using a Bike: While some people can’t afford to ditch the car due to long distances from work, if your home is relatively close, taking a bike or simply walking back are excellent ways of staying healthy. Plus, it gives you some time to yourself to work through some problems or maybe self-reflect on battles with addiction. It’s all about maximizing your time until it’s meant for you to sleep, so if squeezing in a few hours at the gym works, then more power to you.
Often, sitting gets a bad reputation, but if you can offset some of the adverse effects, it shouldn’t be that bad to stay at your disk. Feel free to implement some of these healthy and active habits in your life ASAP.
