Health and fitness guide for office workers

If you work in an office in most cases it means sitting down for very long hours, glued to your desk. This minimal movement can be incredibly unhealthy not just physically but mentally as well. It can prevent you from being active and focused due to lack of enough oxygen through your body. Not to mention you can easily become fatigued.

This is why it is very important and beneficial to include some kind of physical activity along the day. If you are wondering how you can get in a work out in the middle of your already busy day, read on…

Guy doing a plank workout. (Source, https://lh3.googleusercontent.com)

Here are six tips to help you keep fit in the office:

1.Take short fitness breaks– Instead of sitting at your desk all day even for lunch, take a fitness break. Walk around the block or if you work in a building you can use the stairs a couple of times. Also, you can keep a jump rope in the office and use it to do a 20-minute jumping session. This can provide a very effective cardio.

2. Maintain a healthy diet– We all know that fitness begins in the kitchen. It is very important you maintain a healthy diet as much as possible. Begin by always taking breakfast and having very light meals between your day. Limit them to only healthy kinds of food. Include some type of fruit in your meal everyday since its rich in fiber and can be very healthy.

3. Shorten your commute– On your way to work, you probably take a matatu or bus. You can alight a few blocks from where you work and walk. If its not far from home you can walk all the way. You can also decide to walk back home or to your bus stop since you have been sitting down all day.

4 Move around the office– Instead of sending that email to your colleague, go talk to them. Walk around while searching for work equipment gear. Walks, no matter how short they are, can prove to be very effective

5. Maintain a good sitting posture– Bad sitting posture can increase fatigue and make you feel dull and inactive. Be sure to sit tall and upright. Make sure your computer are aligned with you and you don’t have to struggle or make awkward movements when using your equipment. You can also keep your legs up and down and do that repeatedly.

6. Drink plenty of water– Since its just you and your computer and you don’t have so much going on, its important to include water as part of your daily routine. Have a bottle next to you and take sips from time to time. This will not only force you to take laps to the washroom but will have many health effects to your body.

7. Stretch regularly– Since you spend a lot of time sitting, your skeletal muscles can become very tense and stiff. After some minutes, stand up and do a light stretch and take a deep breath. This releases tension from your body you didn’t think you have.

Feature image: lady using a laptop while sitting. CMD Ltd