Posted by:
Maya Mohan, Department of Public Health
Maya is the Physical Activity Coordinator for DPH, and is an "active" worker bee.
... isn’t as hard as you think. We tend to think that we have to go outside, change our clothes, sweat a lot or wear fancy gear to be active, but there are creative ways that we can add activity to our day… right in cube-land.
The first thing you should do is start wearing a pedometer to see how many steps you get in during a typical workday. This will help you get a feel for how active you are right now. Ideally, you should take 10,000 steps every day.
Not getting as many steps as you would like? Try these ideas:
- Walk to your coworker’s desk and talk to them in person, rather than sending an email or calling them.
- Go to the bathroom two floors up— and make sure you take the stairs to get there!
- Speaking of stairs— if your knees are kind to you, and will allow you to do so, take the stairs any chance you get. Especially when you’re going just a couple of flights. If you can help it, try not to be that person who takes the elevator to go down one floor.
- If you do have to go to the bathroom on your floor, then do like my friend Amber does and lunge all the way back to your desk. You may want to do them quickly so that your coworkers don’t catch you. Of course if you do get caught, you’ll be setting a good example for the others!
- Set your default printer to be one that is farther away than your current printer. But, try to keep the printing to a minimum… we also want to be green here, people!
- As I mentioned in my first blog, go to the Dunkies or Starbucks that’s a block or two farther away than your regular spot.
- And, the good old standby: Grab a friend and take a walk during lunch- even if it’s just for 10 minutes.
As I said, you’ll want to buy a pedometer so that you can track your steps and make sure you’re on track to increasing your activity. You can find one almost anywhere these days - retail outlets, sporting goods stores or online. They can be pricey (around $30-$40), but you can also find a basic version for 4-5 bucks.
Another way to sneak more activity into your workday is to make it a policy to hold “active” meetings - particularly when the meetings are several hours in length. Check out MDPH Healthy Meetings + Event Guide for more tips.
And there’s no need to stop there. You can stretch and tone your muscles at your desk too. But, we’re not going to get into that today…. stay tuned for a future blog on that.
I can guess what you’re thinking… it sounds pretty silly (um, lunging across the office floor? Come on, now!) But do me a favor and try it out. You’ll be surprised to see how these small changes quickly add up to lots of activity over the course of the day. (But remember to leave time in your day to do your actual work though. I would hate to get angry emails from employers!).
Tell us some ways that you are active at work!
Absolutely! Glad you like it!
Posted by: Suzanne Crowther, DPH Communications | March 12, 2009 at 04:39 PM
Hello. I am wondering if I could reproduce this article on the Amherst, MA Employee Wellness Blog. Please contact me if that would be at all possible. Thanks!
Posted by: Keith Carlson, RN, BS | March 12, 2009 at 03:39 PM
I do tricep dips. Make sure you use a stable chair without wheels!
Posted by: Peggy Leung | March 10, 2009 at 03:56 PM
No, no, not crazy at all! Think of it as inspiration :-)
Posted by: Maya Mohan | March 10, 2009 at 02:07 PM
That Amber-girl sounds crazy!
Posted by: Amber Dallman | March 09, 2009 at 05:18 PM