Standing briefly interrupts harmful posture patterns. An easy way to increase your movement throughout the workday, either at home or in the office, is to take small active breaks every hour or in between meetings. These breaks don’t have to last long and can be simpler than you think. Unfortunately, the truth is that many people eventually realize that it is the sedentary nature of their work that directly affects their health and job performance.

Take Your Meetings and Lunch Breaks On the Road

Most adults spend an extra two hours every workday sitting at home, let alone the number of hours spent sitting on days off of work. Regardless of where you spend your time seated, prolonged sitting can harm your health. It is important to note that getting active can vastly improve your health, your comfort, mobility, and overall quality of life. That’s why it’s so important to stay active, even when you have a desk job. No matter what your current level of physical activity may be, physical therapy can help you increase your fitness level, reduce your chance of injury, and eliminate pain from sore muscles.

If you’re served an oversized lunch portion, don’t be afraid to ask for a doggie bag so that you can enjoy it for another meal.5. Replace candy and chips with fruits and vegetables as a snack.6. Replace your desk chair with an exercise ball. Working long hours while sitting affects your body in ways you may not notice at first. Over time, this adds up—lower energy, stiff joints, and reduced circulation.

Tips For Staying Active At Your Desk Job

Activity, even walking, helps re-activate the muscles and keeps you conscious of desk posture. If you stand while working, use an anti-fatigue mat. Try a small footstool under your desk to vary your posture. These tweaks reduce slouching and give your muscles more to do. A stability ball isn’t just for workouts—it can improve core strength when used occasionally as a seat. Also, if your home setup is tight, external storage can also help.

A unit can give you a reliable place for your exercise equipment, freeing up valuable floor space. This keeps your workstation clear without cutting off access to the gear you still use regularly. It is recommended that adults exercise for 150 minutes per week. However, you may find it difficult to complete this as you have just worked a long day.

Desky Headquarters

People who consistently stay seated in a chair at work are more likely to experience some sort of cardiovascular disease compared with those who have a active or laborious job. At least once per hour, pause what you’re doing and take a few minutes to run through some simple exercises or stretches. These can be done in the privacy of your own office or even out where everyone can see or possibly join in. If you aren’t sure what stretches to begin doing, ask a physical therapist to provide you with an individualized program that can address your specific needs and be tailored to your job duties.

Drink lots of water.

Movement keeps our bodies healthy and our muscles strong. If you sit for the majority of your workday, it’s essential to find a way to get moving more frequently. If your workspace (and perhaps your office manager or human resources department) allows it, consider arranging your desk into an adjustable sit to stand workstation. The ability to stand more at work has been shown to boost productivity and psychological health in research studies, including 2018 randomized controlled trial published in BMJ. There are certain parts of the body that tend to hold physical tension when you are mentally stressed.

Do you stretch before and after your workout? If not, you should start.

Stay in that position and slightly lower your chin to your chest and repeat with 3 deep breaths. Gently return your head to an upright, neutral position and switch sides. “We’ve talked about the benefits of moving every day before, but when you’re living behind a desk these are even more important. You’re being inactive for long periods every day – try balancing it out with a little bit of active, healthful movement every single day. Stretching while waiting for your lunch to heat or the printer to finish adds a few seconds of mobility. Calf raises, shoulder rolls, or side bends are easy and quiet.

With an adjustable sit-stand desk, you can work your way up from sitting all day to splitting your time between both standing and sitting gradually. Ideally, your sit-stand desk would be height-adjustable. A height-adjustable desk lets you dial in the top surface of the desk to the correct position for you to work comfortably while standing or sitting. You’ll also need an adjustable monitor arm to ensure your screen is at eye level whenever you’re sitting or standing. Check out our guide to choosing the best monitor arm if you’d like more tips. Also, most adjustable desks have an electric or pneumatic motor, meaning you won’t have to physically lift your desk to move its work surface.

• Also, major muscle groups in our body work harder when standing or exercising.
• Can you park farther away from the building?
• A stability ball isn’t just for workouts—it can improve core strength when used occasionally as a seat.
• “That’s not necessarily good for flexibility, muscular strength, and the health of our lungs and heart.”Schmeltz suggests building a fitness routine into your daily life is important.
• Regular walking helps reduce blood pressure and supports mental focus.
• We can help you heal from and prevent work-related injuries like carpal tunnel syndrome and sciatica.

Fultz Physical Therapy & Joint Rehab

Stretching these areas 1-3 times throughout the day can help relieve physical pain brought on by stress. First take your right arm up and over your head so your fingertips are touching your left temple. Gently pull your head towards your right shoulder. Take 3 deep breaths (at least 4 second inhale and 4 second exhale).

Business Hours

The easiest way to treat these disorders and increased risk factors is to find ways to introduce standing and light activity into your busy day. Of course, that can be easier said than done without some help. Daily travel gives you a built-in chance to move. If you take public transit, exit one stop early and walk the rest. Then, if your workplace is close, consider walking or biking a few times a week. If remote work has removed your commute, treat that time as an opportunity.

What daily habits do you suggest to minimize sedentary lifestyle risks?

A few flights a day lead to long-term improvement. Regular walking helps reduce blood pressure and supports mental focus. Taking advantage of your commute routine is an easy way to meet movement goals without adding extra time elsewhere. How much of your day is spent engaging in physical activity?

This can include shoulder shrugs, neck rolls, side bends, upper body twists, torso stretches, hip rotations, and toe touches.3. Body weight exercises also can be performed in the office. Such exercises could be toe raisers, seated leg extensions, wall push-ups, doorframe pushes, book curls and overhead press, and stair climbs.4. If you must go out to lunch, don’t overdo it.

How to Stay Active When You Have a Desk Job

Even if you are spending 1 hour at the gym is madmuscles legit every day, it could still mean you’re in a sedentary position for the other 23 hours. So, set a timer to go off at least once per hour. Use this time to take a brief movement break—a few stretches or be active in your office or a stroll down the hall. Our physical therapy staff is also trained in work-hardening programs.

All that sitting is slowly hurting your overall health. Lack of physical activity is linked to health problems like heart disease, diabetes, and even breast or colon cancer. Unfortunately, desk jobs are becoming more common in our modern life. And we need those jobs to take care of our basic necessities.