The Benefits of Exercise at Work
We have talked about different cultures that regularly exercise at work on this platform before but today I want to look closer at the benefits of incorporating exercise in the actual work place or during the hours of work.
Physical health
The average American spends dozens of hours a week sitting and gets less than an actual hour of strenuous exercise in that same week. This disparity between the two leads to tons of health problems including:
- heart disease
- diabetes
- stiff joints
- and even some forms of cancer
The sedentary lifestyle is almost embraced in America as a normality that takes thousands of American lives a day according to health experts. A big reason for this is the lifestyle we live in tandem with the diets a lot of Americans have access to. The 9-5 lifestyle we have embraced takes away a huge resource that is time, for exercise and keeping up with your body’s health.
The purpose of this article is not to say you have to go to the gym during the middle of your work day but rather there are smaller steps you can take to stay active and meet deadlines at the same time.
Ways to stay active at work
Walking: A great way to get the blood flowing and burn some calories during work is to take a brisk walk. Bringing lunch to eat during your work day and walking during a break can help you burn hundreds of calories a week while also taking in some nice day time views.
| Weight | 2.0 miles | 2.5 miles | 3.0 miles | 3.5 miles | 4.0 miles |
| 130 lbs. | 148 cal. | 177 cal. | 195 cal. | 224 cal. | 296 cal. |
| 155 lbs. | 176 cal. | 211 cal. | 232 cal. | 267 cal. | 352 cal. |
| 180 lbs. | 204 cal. | 245 cal. | 270 cal. | 311 cal. | 409 cal. |
| 205 lbs. | 233 cal. | 279 cal. | 307 cal. | 354 cal. | 465 cal. |
Above you can see an average estimate of calories burned by distance depending on your weight. These are just estimates and can change depending on the pace and intensity of your walk. Going uphill will increase calories burned dramatically. Squeezing in a quick 2 miles during lunch (depending on your break length) is pretty doable and a good way to thank show your body some gratitude for all its hard work
Stretching: Another easy way to stay active that doesn’t require too much space or time. Stretching is easy to accomplish by your desk, between calls, and during short breaks you might find here and there. Stretching helps with joint pain, burns calories, and increases blood flow to parts of the body that might not get it while sedentary.
The American College of Sports Medicine says that people of almost any age and weight group should perform flexibility exercises for each of the major muscle-tendon groups. This includes shoulders, chest, neck, torso, lower back, hips, legs, and ankles. Try to stretch at least 2 days a week, but obviously stretching every day will result in a greater range of motion and flexibility.
Sitting Exercises: If you’re unable to get away from the desk and don’t have the time or space to go for a good walk, there’s always sitting exercises. These exercises can be done from the comfort of your desk and help improve blood flow while sitting down. All the examples listed in the graphic below are great examples of sitting exercises.
Sitting exercises were originally developed for the elderly as a way to keep their muscles from atrophying without too much effort, but in the modern day they definitely apply to younger workers as well. Sitting exercises range in intensity from mild to feeling like an actual workout at the gym so be diligent in picking the exercises that work best for you.
What are the benefits to staying active at work?
Aside from the general physical health benefits, there are tons of other reasons to stay at least a little active at work a few times a week.
Productivity: Staying active at work is a great way to increase and improve blood flow. Doing so means more oxygen travels to the brain which improves cognitive functions. This all means that it is easier to stay focused and on task after a short workout. If you ever feel stuck on a project or not sure how to proceed, a bit of exercise is a good way to get back on task.
Many of the most successful companies in the world have employed this information to their benefits. According to Shawn Achor, the author of The Happiness Advantage, companies like Google allow their workers to take time during company hours to go surfing or play basketball. Obviously to compare the average office to Google is a mistake, but it is important to learn from them as they are one of the most successful businesses to ever exist, that also keep their workers happy.
Mental Health: Along with productivity, regular exercise improves mental health. In studies examined in The Happiness Advantage, people who exercised and had a history of mental illness actually showed better results than people on antidepressants in terms of recovery. They also had a much lower chance of relapse than those on antidepressants. Taking care of the body is the same as taking care of the mind and it is important that we as Americans begin to understand this on a wider basis.
More Energy: People who exercise regularly have in a way created an “extra hour” in their day. With regular exercise, the body’s stamina increases as well as our ability to focus for longer periods of time. People who exercise with a regular routine are way more productive than people who don’t, effectively creating an extra hour of productivity in their day.
Imagine a 25 hour day, one more hour for you to have leisure time and relax after work! People who do not exercise can start to feel the opposite. They feel a lack of time to complete all the day’s tasks and find it easy to fall behind.
To sum it all up
You don’t have to start by training like you’re running a marathon. Starting with a simple mile walk a day while listening to music is a great way to begin a path to regular exercise. You’ll notice the miles getting shorter and shorter, or the exercise becoming not enough so you add more distance, or aim for a shorter time. That’s how true progress is made, just with small steps that eventually grow into larger ones. Don’t bite off more than you can chew and try to start with a few minutes a day using the exercises above!
For more information about where the statistics and studies mentioned come from, check out our review of The Happiness Advantage
Thank you for this great and informative article! It is so very important to stay active at work, especially a desk job! I like to walk up and down the hallway during small breaks and look out the window. I also like to walk outside during my lunch break. Great to get fresh air and a little exercise
For sure, definitely keep it up and get other coworkers on the same wave. If one of us wins, we all win! Thanks for the feedback!
This is innovative and surely can be more helpful for people like us who sit down for many hours a day at work.it is even more better knowing how to make the best use of staying at work to keep the body fit too. I think what you have shared here is definitely great and it can be better with time as one get acquainted with it more and more too. I like this here. thanks so much for sharing here
No problem and I appreciate the feedback!
The idea of exercising at the work place is great, but may sound odd to some people. Taking a good look at it, it is very possible for exercising in a work place, in fact some the woke we do are more of an exercise or somewhat related to some exercise routine. There are simple exercises that can be easily done in a work place. I think you have been able to share more light on that with this article.
For sure it can be embarrassing to get up from your desk midday and a full calisthenics work out but that’s a bit more extreme than I’m suggesting. Starting small is a great way to push the issue and help your body. Plus when more people become aware of what you’re doing, it becomes less awkward.
the choice of topic title is superb, i like the ”starts with you” title, atleast we all now know that whatever excersise routine we have out there it starts with you making a choice of doing it, the attitude of parking your car next to the entrance of a building to avoid the long walk should be done with.
Haha I love the connection because it’s true! It’s all about understanding that the only one who can make you change is you. Nobody can want growth for you, more than you yourself
Hello there
What a nice article from you. Both the pictures and the writing just complemented each other so well. The simple mile walk would make a great change for many people. I have seen great changes on my body. It makes humans develop well and stay healthy at all times. Thanks for sharing this
Mental health a lot of times starts with physical health! Taking care of fitness and hygiene can go a long way for boosting confidence, focus, and overall productivity at work!
Being an HR practitioner, l really appreciate how exercising can be beneficial to the organisation. Exercising makes more oxygen to be released to the brain which makes us concentrate better and longer. During exercise, our body also produces hormones, such as endorphins. These hormones ensure that we have less stress and that we feel better about ourselves. Fit employees are then more alert and perform better.
l will definitely share the link to this article with my colleagues. The infographic has a lot of actionable exercises that are easy to perform in the office. Better than risking exposure to the Corona virus at the gym.
Thanks a lot for the feedback and extra information!
Great article you have here and it is true to say that most of us sit way too much to be healthy. There are lots of great suggestions including taking a walk during lunch break and doing chair exercises. I also think things like a standing desk may help as well as taking the stairs rather than the lift at work.
I think as we get older it is more and more important to stay active, and this doesn’t mean hitting the gym every day, it simply means keeping your body moving and not staying in one position for too long.
Standing desks are great alternatives as well, you’re right. Staying active helps boost heart health and as Americans, that’s mostly what we need to look out for.
I agree with your statement that you should regularly walk, run and invest in yourself, today I walked only 4km, but I feel great because I trained martial arts before, it is very important that we do not just sit at home. I like your quote a lot and I know how good it is to stretch since I practiced taekwondo
Stretching: Another easy way to stay active that doesn’t require too much space or time. Stretching is easy to achieve at the desk, between calls and during short breaks that you will find here and there. Stretching helps with joint pain, burns calories and increases blood flow to parts of the body that may not come while sitting. All pain can stop if we use this exercise often at least once a day. I wish you a lot of success in your work.
Thanks for the feedback and I’m glad the article spoke to you in such a meaningful way!