Top Tips To Stay Fit When Working At A Desk

Working at a desk has many benefits. You get to stay indoors when the weather is far from ideal, and you normally have plenty of opportunities to forge relationships with colleagues and senior personnel. Unfortunately, sitting down all day can affect your fitness. You shouldn’t have to sacrifice your health for a job that you love, so here are a few methods you can use to stay fit when working at a desk.

 Use Your Lunch Break To Your Advantage

Anyone that works for longer than eight hours in the UK is entitled to a half an hour break, although most companies provide their employees with a full lunch hour. This break means you aren’t fixed to your desk all day. However, many people will eat their lunch sitting at their desks or perhaps just move from their desk to sit and eat elsewhere.

While it is important to eat during the workday, you should also use this time to your advantage. Take this time to stretch your legs properly by going for a walk. Even a twenty-minute walk is enough to get the blood flowing around your system again, and fresh air and perhaps sun on your skin can do wonders for your mental health. A healthy lunchtime walk can help you to feel refreshed, so make sure you use this time wisely.

Encourage Hot Desks

Hot desking is the term used to describe an office layout with no assigned seats. This means that employees can freely move around the office and log in to any computer that is available, rather than sticking to one spot all day. This approach encourages people to move around the office more, improving blood flow and reducing the risk of any ill consequences of working at a desk all day.

Therefore, anyone concerned about their health should discuss the idea of hot-desking with their boss. Companies have a duty of care to their employees so anything that can help reduce ill-health should be encouraged by your managers.

Employers have a responsibility to ensure all employees understand the appropriate health and safety requirements in the workplace which might just be internal training, but you could also ask to be registered for an online health and safety training course. Your employer would be required to pay for this and you would complete the course in working hours.

Avoid The Lift

Any company that operates on two or more floors is likely to provide lift access to its staff. It is normal for even the healthiest individuals to skip the stairs for an easy ride; however, this is not ideal for anyone wanting to stay fit.

It is estimated that climbing ten steps consecutively burns roughly one and a half calories. Therefore, those who work on the top floor can get in a quick cardio workout at work before sitting at their desks by skipping the lift every day – an easy way to help you stay fit when working at a desk all day!

Exercise Good Posture

It is common for desk workers to hunch to see the screen better. However, this action can have lasting effects on your posture. Maintaining a good posture while working at a desk is easier than ever now that the proper research has been conducted. All you need is the appropriate chair and to perform regular exercises to improve your posture.

Once again, your employer has a legal liability to ensure you have an appropriate chair, desk and screen at appropriate heights. Many people also extol the virtues of standing desks, an option which can be particularly effective in hot desking environments.

The importance of good posture should never be underestimated!

Conclusion

Working at a desk shouldn’t have any adverse effects on your health in modern times. Workplaces have conducted the appropriate research to avoid these issues, so make sure you are following all the recommended guidance and it won’t matter whether you work at a desk or on your feet all day.