05 Apr Keeping Fit At Work

Maintaining a good work-life balance can be difficult, so unless you have a physically demanding job most of us will spend several hours a day sitting down. Such a sedentary daily routine can have serious consequences on our health and productivity. In fact, a recent report suggested that an inactive lifestyle is as bad for you as smoking. As such, health experts recommend a minimum of 150 minutes of moderate aerobic physical activity per week – just over 20 minutes a day.

The reason for this, for many of us, is that there simply isn’t time to fit in exercise into the working week. But have you ever considered trying out some fitness ideas around your working day? Here are some tips to show you that work and working out don’t necessarily need to be mutually exclusive

1. Make the most of your journey

Your daily commute presents a great fitness opportunity for those within walking, running or cycling distance of the office. If you don’t want to take this option every day, even just a return journey a few times a week could help boost your fitness levels. However, having changing facilities at your workplace is also a must for anyone working up a sweat on the way to work.

2. Take the stairs

If you’re interested in keeping fit while still keeping a close eye on your finances, then this could be the perfect option for you. Why not skip the lift and try taking the stairs? For anyone on the second floor or above, this is sure to provide regular workouts throughout the day.

3. Use your colleagues

Getting colleagues on board with office fitness ideas is a great way to motivate yourself and others. You could suggest a few laps of the local park at lunchtime or join the local swim centre to do some laps together.

4. Start a lunch time bootcamp

Corporate bootcamps are becoming more and more popular. How many times have you seen people working out in Hyde Park at lunch? Why not approach management or your boss to see if there would be interest in starting a lunch time thing. Its great for morale and productivity along with your own fitness.

5. Don’t sit for too long

Even if you can’t manage fitting any strenuous exercise into your working day, it is important to take regular breaks away from your desk. A report from the European Heart Journal showed that taking lots of short breaks – even as quick as a minute to stand up, move around or climb the stairs – can be beneficial for your waistline and heart health.