Workplace Exercises

This year I had the amazing opportunity to attend the SCAN (sports and cardiovascular nutrition) conference . One of the most stimulating presentations was The Inactivity Physiology Revolution: The Story behind the New Physical Activity Recommendations by Marc Hamilton, PhD. During his presentation Dr. Hamilton proposed the theory that the amount of time we spend each day inactive can have a detrimental effect on our health despite one or two very active hours in our day. For many Americans this can be very disturbing research because many jobs demand long hours of inactivity behind a computer or a desk.

Clients at RBA have expressed that their long hours spent at work make finding time to exercise difficult. I decided to do some research and see if there were a tips or tricks to increase activity during the workday and here is what I found:

·         Stability Ball

-Trading in your office chair for a stability ball will help strengthen your core and increase your balance while sitting behind your desk during the day

·         Resistance Bands

-          Resistance bands are small and portable and enable you to stretch and strengthen your muscles between meetings or during lunch.

·         Grip Squeezes

-          Small balls or grips for your hand allow you strengthen and work the muscles in your hands and forearms increasing your overall activity during the day.

·         Walk at work

-          Use your lunch break to take a walk. Instead of working through lunch or hitting the vending machine take your lunch outside and then enjoy a walk around your building when you are done.

·         Use your commute

-          If you are lucky enough to be in walking or biking distance from you work take advantage of that opptunitiy to save money and get exercise. If you take public transportation set a goal to get off a stop or two early and walk the extra distance. Finally, if you have to drive park far away and increase your daily steps!

Resources:  Livestrong.com, mayoclinic.com