Reducing stress helps you focus better on your job, become more productive and most importantly: improve your overall health. Here are some easy ways to get moving at the office, without losing time!
Multitask at your desk: while taking a call why not pump some iron? Store small hand weights in your desk, or use water bottles or soup cans as resistance. While you take a call, you can use your other hand to exercise your arms, just don’t forget to switch arms though!
Try a few simple leg lifts while you are on the phone, reading emails or memos or even typing. Simply keep on foot firmly on the floor, while raising the other leg several inches off the ground. Move your leg up and down ten to twenty times without touching the floor, then switch legs. You can also improve your blood circulation by rotating each foot in small circles, make sure to alternate directions. You can do the same with your arms. Why keep your hands on the keyboard when reading from your computer screen? Try to make movement into a routine by rotating your hands from the wrist while reading, or even using small hand weights to improve circulation and muscle tone. Even if you just move your arms up and down a few times, doing so several times a day can really add up.
During your lunch break, get into the habit of taking a brisk walk. Preferably outside; the “fresh” air and change of scenery will do you good and clear your mind. Five minutes will already make a huge difference. If you need to go a few floors up or down to deliver paperwork, use the washroom or go to a lunchroom, take the stairs instead of the elevators. Every little bit will help and add up. These little changes will soon become routine, and just like depositing ten dollars a week into a savings account adds up at the end of the year, these little bits will add up and improve your posture, health and reduce stress levels. You may even shed a couple of pounds in the process and just feel more energized!