It’s so easy to show up to work at 9:00 AM, sit at your desk till lunchtime, once lunch is over go back to your desk and then the day is done. During our daily routine, many of us spend most of our days sitting down and chances are it’s greatly increasing our risk for a long list of negative long term health effects. We all need to move more and make it count where they spend most of their time—at work.

We don’t need to sprint around the block every hour to stay healthy, but we do need to find time to get your body moving throughout the day. It’s possible for you to take your health into your own hands and increase your productivity and well-being while you work. 

Try these simple tips to get your body moving at work.

• Explore your options for using a standing desk, treadmill desk or sit-stand desk riser. Alternate sitting and standing throughout the day, with lots of walking and stretching breaks.
• Take the stairs instead of the elevator, park furthest from the door in the parking lot, convert conference room meetings to walking meetings or get up and walk to someone’s desk instead of sending an email.
• Schedule walking meetings for informal discussions and brainstorming. Use a voice memo app on your phone to capture notes. You may find you’re more creative on your feet!
• Take a walk on your lunch break. Don’t focus on the step count or the minutes, just move more when your schedule allows.
• Take advantage of workplace wellness offerings. Ask your supervisor or human resources department what employee wellness resources and incentives are available.
• Use our chair yoga guild to move more at our desk. It is possible to be more active without moving from your seat. Chair yoga is an easy way to promote balance and flexibility while getting the blood flowing.
• Stand up at least once every hour. Stretch your arms over your head and breathe deeply. If standing isn’t an option, do seated stretching and extend your legs on the floor out in front of you. Gently bend over to touch your toes.
• Take the long way to the bathroom. Use the stairs to visit the bathroom on the floor above or below you. If the only bathroom is close by, take one lap around the interior of the building before going back to your seat.