Are you one of those who kicks off the year with fresh resolve? Come new year and everyone starts talking about resolutions, filling their social media feeds with the changes they are going to bring into their lives. Apart from finances, health is the one area that concerns everyone. People either talk about losing weight or becoming healthier by adopting an exercise or diet regime. But how many of us are actually able to succeed as the months go by? Sadly, not many. One of the biggest reasons given for this is lack of time.
Health is the backbone on which our lives run. Despite this, it is the one thing that we constantly ignore. Our daily routine is so busy nowadays, that it hardly affords us any time for exercise. As a result, we end up with low immunity and frequent illnesses. It is not a surprise that a lack of exercise has been considered as dangerous as smoking. This also affects our productivity and performance at workplace. If we really want to lead a fulfilling life, including being productive at work, we have to find ways to take care of our health.
So, if you are not getting time to exercise, why not bring exercise to your desk! By making small changes we can break through our inertia and be able to work out even while being glued to our seats.
Exercise while you work
Below are a few things that you can do, while at your desk, to loosen those stiff muscles and give them some exercise:
• Take the stairs instead of elevators.
• Park your vehicle at some distance from your office and walk the distance.
• Perform simple body stretches while sitting or standing in your office, such as hugging the knees, rotating the neck, stretching the arms, bending, and shrugs.
• We are constantly interacting with clients or colleagues on the phone. To get some movement walk while talking on the phone.
• Take short breaks from constantly sitting on your desk and indulge in some form of physical activity, such as a walk in your compound, running/jogging in place or lunges.
• Walk down to your subordinate’s desk rather than calling him/her to your desk.
Take in some fresh air
Man is a creature of habit, however, we often give up exercising because we get bored of the routine. To ensure you don’t miss out on physical training, it is important to make it as fun as possible. Vary your routine or do a mix of exercises such as:
• Yoga: there are numerous ways in which you can benefit from this exercise. Yoga not only improves health but focus as well, helping you improve your productivity at work.
• Walking, jogging or running: A simple jog for half an hour in your park, 3 times a week, is enough to fuel your stamina. Alter it with a brisk walk or a run to break the monotony.
• Sports: Take up an outdoor sport. It not only trains the body but mind as well. At the same time, having a sport buddy, who you play with regularly, will keep you motivated to keep going.
• Dancing: For those who cannot stick to the traditional exercise routines, dancing is a great way to involve the entire body and have fun at the same time.
• Swimming: An excellent workout where you don’t even sweat and feel refreshed even after finishing one round.
• Gym: Gyming not only involves a cardio workout but helps in toning the body. Sign up to a gym near your office. Some office buildings have Gyms, where people can be seen exercising early morning, afternoon or evening after office hours.
These days, many developers are creating applications and software that help you monitor your activities. Through these applications, you can track how many of your goals you have accomplished and how far you have to go.
Though work is important, striving for good health is also a need that requires immediate attention. In short, an active lifestyle is essential for a fulfilling life.
