Break into Activity throughout Your Work Day

Do you take active breaks during your work day? Do you know what an active break is? In short, an active break is an action that involves body movement such as standing, walking, and moving your whole body. Examples would be getting out of your chair to file papers, walking to the water cooler or a short stroll to drop-off some mail or pick-up office supplies. If you think about it, there are many good reasons that allow you to take an active break. Breaks that keep you moving can improve your health, productivity and even lift your mood. Instead of reaching for a soda or candy bar to keep you going, get moving and get energized with a little exercise; energy begets energy!

If you work a standard eight hour day and have two fifteen minute breaks, going for a walk during both breaks is a great way to work some exercise into your day. It’s a common choice among those dedicated to maintaining health for a good reason; it works! For some, there are just too many obstacles to walking: - Working in a location where there is nowhere to safely go for a walk. - Inclement weather can be a common factor preventing people from going for a walk, especially in areas that can experience climate extremes such as Rochester, Minnesota. - Inconsistent or non-existent breaks. Since consistency is the key to success in most of life’s endeavors, it’s unrealistic to bank on something one may or may not have time for on a regular basis.

The great thing about obstacles to activity is that they can be overcome most of the time with a bit of ingenuity and imagination. For instance, if there is nowhere to walk or the weather is being uncooperative, take some time for some desk-side exercise. Squats, calf-raises, lunges and triceps’ dips are all easy to do by a desk. Basic yoga poses like tree pose, warrior pose and mountain pose can be performed easily in your work space. Feeling shy? Take a bathroom break and do the standing yoga poses in a private space.

Do you tend to be tethered to your desk and unable to get away for a solid fifteen minutes? Multitask! If desk-side exercise is an option, schedule it without taking a break or missing a beat. All leg exercises can be done while typing, writing, filing and/or talking on the phone. Can you stand up and sit down while maintaining a steady word per minute count? Why not try standing on one foot while typing? Standing on one foot increases balance, strengthens core muscles and adds some variety to the day. If you’re mentally struggling with a project, try doing something physical while working on a solution. Physical activity can help you mentally think outside the box.

If more discretion is required or if space is simply too limited in your work area there are still options available to keep you somewhat active. Without challenging or disturbing attention from the must-do tasks on your desk, partial calf raises can be done. Partial raises won’t do nearly as much as standing calf raises, but some muscle movement and exercise is better than none at all.

Do you ever have to reach for something at work? You can turn that simple reach into a fully focused stretch. Instead of just grabbing at whatever you need, pay attention to your muscles and find ways to engage more of them at one time. Instead of reaching from your shoulder, start your reach from your hip. Tightening and flexing muscles may also be done, though the benefits are limited and those with heart issues may want to exercise some caution. As with any exercise, it’s best to talk with a health professional before beginning.

Comments? Questions? Email Here

© HowtoAdvice.com

How to Advice .com