A pretty large percentage of the UK workforce spend a lot of their day sitting behind a desk. You might commute to an office building, or work from home, sat at a desk or on your sofa. With the daily grind and the sedentary routine, it can be easy to put on weight, lack energy, and feel generally quite low. So how can you stay active when so much of your day isn’t active? If you can find some things that will work for you, your lifestyle, and your routine, it can benefit you massively, for your health and your happiness. So here are some things to do each day, to make sure that you’re moving, and having a less static experience.
Regular breaks
In the UK, you are entitled to have a formal break (of at least twenty minutes), if you work over six hours in a day. Many offices will have the facility for drinks like water and coffee, as well as the option to make your own if you are working from home. But the key thing is to use this time wisely. If you have a formal break at your place of work, how about going for a walk? If you work from home or can take what time you need, then try to fit into something practical, like walking to post a letter or collect a parcel, every few hours or so. You’ll feel better, but also be more productive if you take breaks.
Join the Gym
A lot of corporate offices are becoming equipped with gym equipment, as employers are really seeing the benefit. So if you have an on-site gym or a trainer that can help you, are you making the most of it? You can use the facility during lunch, or before or after work. You could also look to join a local gym to attend at weekends. Look out for classes like strength training yoga, spinning, or circuits, to really boost your fitness levels and get you active. Your employer might also have a corporate discount that they could offer you.
Stand up meetings
If your place hasn’t adopted the new trend of having standing meetings, then could you introduce them to it? It is exactly what it says; having a meeting, standing up. The obvious benefit is that it means that you aren’t all stood around a desk for the meeting. But it can also make meetings more ‘to the point’ and shorter, as people can’t stand for hours on end. You can eliminate distractions, as you can’t bring your laptop with you, and it will keep the meeting focused.
Use Breakout areas
There are more and more offices that are giving their employees a comfortable breakout room or space. This is where you can rest on a break, but also have an informal meeting or brainstorming session with a small team, for example. Using this space can break up your day, mean that you move from your desk more, and generally be more active and engaged.
