It can be difficult to get enough movement in your day if you work a sedentary job. The average person walks a little more than 5,000 steps each day according to research. Some reports suggest that this average could be as low at 3,000.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that adults do 150 minutes of moderate exercise or 75 minutes of high-intensity cardio exercise (or an equivalent combination thereof) each day.
How to Work Movement into Your Day
You don’t need to spend a lot of time or be difficult to add more movement to your day. These are some ways to increase NEAT or planned activity in your workday.
Move Breaks
It is simple and effective to set timers for breaks. Set timers for breaks of 5-10 minutes.
Moving around and doing light stretches can reduce the negative effects of sitting. You can also increase your energy expenditure.
A study found that short, three-minute movements every 30 minutes can reduce the negative effects of sitting. This includes stable blood sugar levels, lower levels of “bad” cholesterol, improved fasting glucose, and reduced levels of “bad” cholesterol. Researchers believe that this is due to the blood flow boost you get from getting up out of your chair.
Pace the Room
Pacing is a better option than sitting still when you are on a call at work. Pacing increases activity and creativity, which is a win-win situation for both your employer as well as your health.
Set up a Movement Workstation
You can significantly increase your movement if you are able to swap out your desk for a standing or walking station. For 10,000 steps, you will need to walk approximately 1 hour 40 minutes or up to 2 hours depending on how fast and long your stride is.
Alternately, you can stand for a portion of your day. Standing can burn more calories than sitting, but they add up. There are also other benefits like a lower risk of developing diseases or death.
Make the most of your lunch hour
Take a break from lunch and go for a walk outside if you have the time. Walking after a meal can reduce blood sugar, which will bring you even more benefits.
Habit stacking is another reason you should walk in your lunch break. You eat lunch every day on autopilot so adding a walk to that habit will anchor you into the daily routine.
Do desk exercises
You can do many types of exercises at your desk. You can also use equipment like an under-the desk peddler to keep you active and burn calories throughout your workday.
Research has shown that these devices are beneficial to overweight office workers. They increase daily calorie burning without discomfort.
Take up walking meetings
You might feel more comfortable talking about walking meetings. If you are having a brainstorming session with colleagues or a one-on-one meeting, it might make sense to walk the meeting. It will increase creativity and allow you to move more in your day.
Make the most of the Stairs
Avoid the elevator if your building has stairs. Instead, take the stairs. This is a well-known and popular recommendation.
You can burn three times more calories than standing or walking.14 Stair walking can also help you reduce your risk of developing a disease and increase your cardiovascular fitness.
Make it possible to walk
Find creative ways to add more walking into your daily life. Do you have a memo to send to a coworker? Instead of relying solely on email or messaging, get up and walk the memo over.
Take a small water bottle with you to work. Fill it up when it runs out. To make it easier to get to the building, park further away in the lot.
Instead of having your lunch delivered to you, take a walk to get it. These small trips can add up to a lot of steps throughout the day.
