In the spirit of Creating Active Lives (the podcast which you can find on all major podcast platforms) I wanted to talk specifically about creating an active office life.
Now, many of us spend a lot of time at our desks, working to deadlines, on Zoom calls or catching up with social media, and the end result is that we become almost chair-shaped!
Research shows that while we are (mostly) aware of the benefits of physical activity and know we need to do something daily, many of us are not aware of the health risks of sedentary behaviour, even if we are active for half an hour or so a day. So, what actually is sedentary behaviour, I hear you ask!
Sedentary behaviour is any behaviour that has a low energy expenditure, usually in a sitting, reclining or lying position. This includes being at a desk for long periods, watching TV, driving, commuting or sitting down with a good book. Studies show that many of us spend over nine (yes NINE) hours a day in sedentary positions and this can increase our risk of poor health by 50% compared to those who include regular bouts of activity during the day. Common risks for desk-based workers include:
- Varicose veins, numbness and tingling in the legs
- Stiff necks and shoulders
- Poor posture
- Tight leg and hip muscles
- Higher risk of cardiovascular diseases, obesity, and diabetes
- Mental health issues such as stress
So, while it’s probably not practical for you to march or do squats around the office all day (you’d look pretty strange if you did!), there are several ways you can break up your sitting time with short bouts of activity. And, accumulating your activity counts just as much as doing it all in one go!
So what can you do?
I’m sure you are aware of the Pomodoro time management method (25 mins work and 5 mins break) so we are going to follow a sitting/moving management method – let’s call it the Slamm method for now (Sit Less And Move Moret!).
Set a timer for ten to each hour of your working day, if you have a wearable activity tracker it probably already nudges you to move or stand then but you may have got into the habit of ignoring it. No wearable? Use an alarm or a kitchen timer, whatever works for you. When you get the reminder, stand up, shake and stretch, then do one of the activities on the Active Office Bingo card (see below) for at least five minutes. There are nine activities to choose from and if you tick six or more of them off during the day, chances are you have accumulated at least 15 minutes of aerobic activity (half the recommended amount) and some muscle-strengthening activity, stretches and relaxation as well! You can combine a walk with a meeting or discussion with a colleague or two, shake, shimmy or stretch together, or walk to the water cooler for a hydration hit or whatever works for you.
Other ideas for office activity (and you can do these over Zoom or Teams if you are home-based) include:
- Take short activity breaks of five or ten minutes each hour with a longer one at lunchtime
- Aim to walk for between 15 and 30 minutes at lunchtime
- Walk up and down the stairs three or four times in one of your breaks or instead of using the lift
- Stand up and sit down a few times each hour to get your heart pumping and your muscles working
- Meet up with a colleague and arrange to walk at lunchtime or set up an office walking group
- Hold walking meetings with your colleagues – outside if possible
- March in place in front of your desk for a few minutes several times a day
- Actually take a lunch break and go for a walk outside
- Do strengthening exercises at your desk in each break, squats, calf raises, lunges for your legs, wall press ups, chair dips or shoulder squeezes for your upper body (you could look for a short online video as well!)
Even if you don’t have time to do the full recommended amount of activity each day, just completing the Active Office Bingo will get you halfway there and reduce your sedentary time which is the main aim.
So grab your bingo card and let’s create an active office life!
You can download the Active Office Bingo card here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1EMUintk125KkV6RWcX2X_8_rxcMnmEq5/view?usp=sharing
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