The human body was not made to sit for eight hours a day in a chair, typing away. Sitting in a static position all day can lead to back and neck problems and can potentially shorten your lifespan. It’s important to get up and move every hour to keep the blood flowing. Studies have shown that moving and standing up frequently can increase your productivity by 46%. Since many people are confined to a desk during work hours, we wanted to give a few suggestions on how to stay active throughout your day at work:
- Go for “walk” meetings. Some brain storming meetings are possible to do while walking around the office or around the building. Take a small notepad and get outside to stretch your legs!
- Set an alarm on your phone that goes off every hour to remind you to stop, get up, and take a short stretch break.
- Have an active lunch break. Instead of going to the break room to sit again, grab something simple and spend your lunch break walking around.
- Drink plenty of water. We all know how important water is to our health, so this tip has multiple benefits! The more you drink, the more bathroom breaks you’ll need. This way you know you will be moving at least twice per day.
- When doing office stretches, make sure to loosen other parts of your body that don’t normally get any attention. Necks, backs, arms, and legs can all use a good stretch on a regular basis.
What are some tricks you use for stretching and staying active at the office? If you’re not sure how to stretch or have pain after a long day at work, our Physical Therapists can help. Come see one today for a consultation!
