How can you be more active when you work in a desk job?
Many of us will have started the year with intentions of improving our health with a better diet and more exercise. Both of these factors play an important role in maintaining our overall health and wellbeing. Research shows that diet and exercise always rank highly on people’s top New Year’s resolutions, yet people often need advice on the best ways to include more physical activity into the workplace.
Small changes make a big difference
If you want to incorporate more exercise into your everyday working life, there are some simple ways to start doing this. For example, taking the stairs instead of the elevator is one easy way to get more movement into your working day. Another option is to take a short walk during your lunch break. Other ideas include walking meetings and moving over to speak to a colleague rather than emailing them.
Move more while you work
Using a sit-stand desk is another way to increase physical activity during your working day, making sure you change your working position regularly. In Scandinavia, the benefits of using height adjustable desks are already widely recognised, with over 90% of all desk workers having access to them. These figures are much lower elsewhere in the world, although they are starting to increase in popularity as more businesses realise the benefits they can bring, including increased productivity and wellbeing.
A better way to sit
If your workplace does not offer sit-stand desks, there are still ways you can increase movement at your desk and make sure you’re sitting ergonomically. Each chair should be adjusted to the measurements of the person using it. The angle between the upper and lower arm as well as the upper and lower leg should be approximately 90°. If the angle is smaller, it can lead to circulatory problems.
If your job involves sitting at a desk all day, it is important to change working positions throughout the day to avoid health risks. One way to achieve this is to alternate between leaning forwards, backwards and also by sitting in an upright position. Even the smallest movement reduces the physical discomfort and relieves the intervertebral discs. In addition, standing up to make phone calls and walking over to the printer are other ways to encourage movement.
Overall, increased physical activity leads to an increase in wellbeing and has a positive impact on our health. By becoming more active at work, you’ll discover that movement really does pay off!
To discover more about our sit-stand desks, please visit https://adapt-global.com/en-hk/ergonomics/products/sit-stand-desks/
