BRINGING EXERCISE INTO YOUR WORKPLACE

12th June 2013 sees the third year of ‘Workout at Work Day’

Aimed at promoting physical and mental wellbeing in the workplace this day is  also an opportunity for employers to encourage staff to be healthier, take proper breaks and get exercising helping to improve productivity and morale and reduce absenteeism.

We all know how important taking regular exercise is and how sometimes our heavy workloads and busy lives can make the reality of attending an exercise class or going to the gym quite difficult.  This is why I like the idea of bringing manageable exercise into our lives as part of what we do.  So whether you work in an office, at home, spend most of your time travelling in a car or plane helps is at hand.

Before writing this I looked into the various research and companies that promote these things and found some interesting ideas.  One title I was drawn to was

‘Workplace exercises: How to burn calories at work‘ (Mayo Clinic). I read on...

They indicate 10 points to help this happen which I have paraphrased and written out here.  The bit in italics are my own thoughts.

No. 1: Make the most of your commute

Walk or cycle to work. If you take the bus, get off a few stops earlier or drive, why not park slightly further away than usual and walk the rest of the way. In your building, take the stairs rather than the lift.

No. 2: Look for opportunities to stand

You'll burn more calories standing than sitting.  Stand while talking on the phone. Better yet, try a standing desk — or improvise with a high table or counter. Eat lunch standing up. Swap emails and phone calls for walks to other desks or offices.

No. 3: Take fitness breaks

Rather than sitting to have a coffee break, take a brisk walk or do some gentle stretching. For example, a quads or hip flexor stretch - won’t take long and really helps when we’ve been sitting for a long time.

No. 4: Trade your office chair for a fitness ball

Consider trading your desk chair for a firmly inflated fitness or stability ball, as long as you're able to safely balance on the ball. You'll improve your balance and tone your core muscles while sitting at your desk. You can even use the fitness ball for wall squats or other workplace exercises during the day.  

A couple of things I would highlight here is that you need to get a ball that is the right size for you at your desk - not the easiest thing to do.  Also you need to keep it at its optimum size all the time and finally if your muscles start to fatigue it’s important to get off it and sit on something else or posture can become really bad!  If you like the idea of this try using it for 10 minutes in every hour and build up time sitting on it.

No. 5: Keep fitness equipment in your work area/with you

Keep resistance band, small hand weights etc in your desk drawer and do some arm curls between meetings or tasks.  Another suggestion might be to take a skipping rope to work and use it in the lunch hour.

No. 6: Get social

Organize a lunchtime walking group. You might be surrounded by people who are ready to lace up their walking shoes — and hold each other accountable for regular exercise. Enjoy the camaraderie, and offer encouragement to one another when the going gets tough.

No. 7: Conduct meetings on the go

When it's practical, schedule walking meetings or walking brainstorming sessions. Do laps inside your building or, if the weather cooperates, take your walking meetings outdoors.

No. 8: Pick up the pace

If your job involves walking, do it faster. The more you walk and the quicker your pace, the greater the benefits.

No. 9: If you travel for work, plan ahead

If you're stuck in an airport waiting for a plane, grab your bags and take a brisk walk. Choose a hotel that has fitness facilities — such as treadmills, weight machines or a pool — or bring your equipment with you. Skipping ropes and resistance bands are easy to put into a suitcase. Of course, you can do jumping jacks, crunches and other simple exercises without any equipment at all.

No. 10: Try a treadmill desk - Interesting!!

If you're ready to take workplace exercise to the next level, consider a more focused walk-and-work approach. If you can safely and comfortably position your work surface above a treadmill — with a computer screen on a stand, a keyboard on a table or a specialized treadmill-ready vertical desk — you might be able to walk while you work. In fact, Mayo Clinic researchers estimate that overweight office workers who replace sitting computer time with walking computer time by two to three hours a day could lose 44 to 66 pounds (20 to 30 kilograms) in a year. The pace doesn't need to be brisk, nor do you need to break a sweat. The faster you walk, however, the more calories you'll burn.

Although this sounds tempting with the amount of calories that can be burnt I think Health & Safety might have something to say about this!!  I remember running on a treadmill whilst  watching a dance video and nearly ending up on the floor as I started to shift to the right with the dancers!!! 


There are lots of different things you could do in your day that are more exhausting than these suggestions but these are aimed at those who are time poor.  I hope they help.  Above all - have fun!