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Top Four Fitness Tips for the Cube Dweller

office-wellness-exercise-tipsBy Jill Kurtz
Online Career Tips Contributor

I am not a fitness expert beyond my desire to keep myself healthy. As I have gotten older, I have found that my desk job and my fitness goals are at odds.

I recently took a new look at my habits, got some advice from a personal trainer, and changed my workplace routines a bit. My overall goal is to move more. As a fitness pro said to me, “Sitting is the new smoking. If you don’t move, you die.”

Here are the top four tips I have for healthy habits in the office.

Put Multitasking Aside

Do you wait until you have several tasks to do away from your desk before you get up? Stop that. Do one thing at a time. Get up, go do one thing, and return. Then do it all over again with the next task. The more times you break away from your desk and computer, the more exercise you build into your work day.

Get Up for No Reason

Be sure to stand up frequently during the work day. Do some basic stretches or walk in place for a bit. Give your muscles a chance to do something different and get your heart rate up a bit. Not only is this a good health habit, it will likely give you an energy boost when you return to your work tasks.

Take the Long Way and the Stairs

Taking an elevator does nothing for your fitness; always take the stairs when possible. When going from point A to point B, ignore what your math teacher told you about the shortest distance and take a more circuitous path. This will add more active time to your day, but is not likely to take too much time away from your work. If the long way is really a lot longer, you can use the time to make a call or check your email on a mobile device.

Embrace “Far Parking”

Never park your car closest to the office door and don’t pick the door that is closest to your workspace. Always look for a spot that will let you get in a decent walk before you get to your cube.

The bottom line is to find ways to add movement to your work day. Every stretch and step is a boost to your overall feeling of health and well-being. Give these tips a try and I think you will find that they also add to your productivity each day.

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