How to Squeeze in a Little More Activity While Working a Desk Job

Posted on May 2nd, 2011 by Julie Rodrigues

Does your typical day sound something like this: Wake up, drive to work, sit for hours, go home, sit on couch, sleep?

A schedule like this will have anyone panting like there’s no tomorrow on moving day. Don’t let your desk job get the best of your body! You can squeeze in a little activity everyday and burn calories.

MovingCost.com knows how hours at a desk can cause strain and make you a little flabbier. Whether you have just landed a job at an office or have had one for a while, these tips and tricks will help you prevent injury, limber up, have more energy, and help you look and feel a little better.

First of all, you have to utilize your time as best as you can. Before, during and after work, you must incorporate special ways to get your body moving.

Before work:

• Waking up early to take care of yourself is ideal. Within 30 minutes you could either take a short stroll around the block, take the bike out, walk the dog, stretch every muscle, lift light weights, jog in place, etc. Don’t just sit there!
• Start the day with plenty of water and be sure to drink water during work. Have a filling, low-calorie breakfast with healthy foods, such as a smoothie. Take supplements to be healthy, such as the ones we recommend. Always have fruit.
• Consider riding your bike to work if it is close enough. Even if you do so only a few times a month, it is worth the benefits to your body and the planet. Park as far as you can from the door. Got to take a few floors? You guessed it – take the stairs.

During:

• Make a conscious effort to keep abs tight at your desk. This will help you keep a good posture. Also, remember to keep your legs uncrossed. Crossing them can hurt joints and decreases blood flow.
• By drinking plenty of water, you will visit the restroom regularly, which is healthy. Take this opportunity to stretch and get some blood circulating. Sitting for prolonged periods literally puts the body in shutdown mode.
• Lunch should be light. Step away from the vending machine. To keep portions, ingredients and quality under your control, whip up something with lots of vegetables the night before and brown bag it. Bring fruit and a few nuts to snack on. Base most of your calories on fresh ingredients.
• Occasionally look up from your screen and look around. Eye muscles can be worn down after looking in the same direction for too long. Look to the far left and far right, up and down.
• Limber up from time to time. Stretch your back, shoulders, legs and hips. Reach arms way up and try to create space between your hips and ribs. Sitting and slouching will cause belly bulge.
• Set up a reminder every hour or so to move around, tighten ups, fix posture, etc.
• For more tips on staying healthy at the office, click here.

After:

• When you get home, make a huge effort not to sit. Do dishes, cook, read the paper, clean the bathroom, hit up the gym, go for walk, and so on and so forth.
• Stretch. Roll out your hips, ankles, shoulders and neck. Stretch your face, too. Yoga is a great way to fix muscles and bad posture.
• When you go out, stand as much as possible. You already sit a lot, so why go out to sit more? Stand while at a bar, a concert or just dance. Your night will be a lot more fun.
• On the weekends, again, don’t sit around. Go to the woods, a park, the beach, buy some workout DVDs, try new things. You will like seeing and being out in the world, and you will experience cool things while you’re not on your bum.

A special note: If you haven’t been active for a while, DO NOT just try jogging one night on a whim. You need to prepare you muscles and build them up to strength for this type of high impact aerobic exercise. Many physical therapists have patients who suffered the repercussions of trying to jog or attempting any other intense workout after months of being sedentary.

To change your lifestyle so your body can be fit and tone, you just have to continually strive to keep it in motion. You’ll be a new person once the moving services arrive.

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Related Articles:

1. Do You Sit at a Desk All Day at Work? If So, These Tips Can Help You
2. Heal and Protect Your Back During Your Upcoming Venture with Osteopathy
3. The 5 Things that Every Employee Should Have on Their Desk at Work

Tags: healthy diet, lifestyle, workout

This entry was posted on Monday, May 2nd, 2011 at 8:40 am and is filed under Moving Tips. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.