Stuck Behind a Desk? Here are 10 Simple Ways to Boost Your Activity

How much time you spend sitting matters to your health. Research has shown that sitting too much can raise your risk for obesity, heart and vascular disease, Type 2 diabetes, certain types of cancer, and neck and back pain. The good news is — even if you're stuck behind a desk at work — there are ways to get up and get active to be healthier.

 Move Wherever You Are

Try these tips to help you be more active at work:

• Stand up and move whenever you have a drink of water at work
• Take a walk after lunch
• Stand up when you're on the phone
• Take the stairs whenever you can
• Consider using a standing desk instead of a traditional workstation
• Have walking meetings and brainstorming sessions
• Walk and go talk to someone instead of sending an email or calling
• Get up from your desk and do some light stretches
• Replace your office chair with a stability ball
• Download a phone app that can remind you to get up and move

How Long Should You Exercise?

Current physical activity guidelines for adults call for 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity every week, plus muscle-strengthening activities on two or more days per week. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reminds us that we don’t have to do all of our exercising at once. Try spreading your activity out during the week.

Taking a 30-minute walk at work can decrease your risk of stroke, reduce your cholesterol, and lower your blood pressure. Or even break it into smaller chunks of time (10 minutes) during the day at work. 

But even smaller increments of activity can yield health benefits. In fact, a recent randomized crossover study of middle-aged and older adults in the journal of the American College of Sports Medicine found that taking a break every 30 minutes to walk for five minutes significantly reduced blood sugar as well as blood pressure. 

“Regular exercise, such as walking, can increase your cardiovascular fitness, improve your muscle endurance, and strengthen your bones," says Brooke Bulgarelli PT, DPT, OCS, a physical therapist at Doylestown Health's Clark Outpatient Rehabilitation Center.

Consistent exercise also helps to improve your mood, ability to focus, and efficiency with work tasks.
 
If you'd like to track your steps to see just how much you are walking, a smart watch, pedometer, or various fitness apps will tell you. Aim for the recommended 10,000 steps (about five miles) throughout the day. Your body will be happy you did.

• For more ways to stay active at work, contact our Clark Outpatient Rehabilitation Center therapists at 215.345.2894.
  
  

Further Reading 

• Learn more about physical activity and your health by visiting The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
• To read the study in the journal of the American College of Sports Medicine, visit Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise.