Work: it’s a pretty inescapable part of adult life. And with work, for many (roughly 60% of you), comes heaps of sitting. It’s no secret that a sedentary lifestyle can have significant impacts on your health, from an increased likelihood of developing diabetes or other metabolic diseases, to cardiovascular disease, or mental health issues.
So how do we get around it? We can try to build it into our day!
Active Commute
Can you walk or ride to work? Is the weather generally good where you live? Why not take it as an opportunity to get some movement in? You don’t need to walk or ride every day – even a couple of times each week is better than nothing! And let’s face it, it’s probably nicer than being stuck in your car for hours too!
Too far to ride or walk? Do you use public transport? Why not jump off the tram, train or bus a couple of stops early and walk the rest of the way?
No choice but to drive? Try parking a bit further away than usual – again, it doesn’t have to be a long distance and any movement is better than none. You might find you even save some time from skipping out on all that driving around the carpark.
Walking Meetings
I’m lucky enough to not have to sit through meetings very often, but boy I’m sure I wouldn’t love them if I did – uncomfortable chairs, stuffy rooms, I’d be asleep in no time. If possible, why not swap them for a walking meeting? The benefit here is twofold: you get some movement and fresh air, and a Stanford study from a few years back even found walking to have a positive effect on creative thinking, so you might get more out of your meetings anyway!
Volunteer for the Coffee Run
Don’t let your secretary, work wife or bestie go on the coffee run without you! You’ll get out of the office, get a few extra steps in, and you can be sure no one is going to mess up your coffee order!
There are plenty of ways to fit some movement into your day, even if you’re the busiest of business people – you’ll almost always feel better, and reduce your risk of chronic disease in the process.
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This post was written by Dr Jemimah Nicholson.
You can find out more about Jemimah here or book an appointment with
Reference
https://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/Lookup/7838D948C8549693CA257BAC0015F644?opendocument
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11745-003-1038-4
https://medlineplus.gov/healthrisksofaninactivelifestyle.html
https://www.apa.org/pubs/journals/releases/xlm-a0036577.pdf