Here are a few facts that stopped me in my tracks—or in this case, made me want to run around the track!
- In today’s American workplace, 80% of jobs are sedentary.
- An estimated one in three Americans is obese.
- While diet, lifestyle, and genetics play key roles, a major culprit in the obesity epidemic is the modern workplace.
Makes you want to walk a few flights of stairs right now, doesn’t it?!
Physical inactivity can put you at risk for cardiovascular disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, elevated cholesterol, and even cancer. A sedentary lifestyle can contribute to muscle atrophy, osteoporosis, blood clots, depression, a weakened immune system, among other things.
I take these risks very seriously and made it a point to promote activity at our office.
We love our active office
Our social media pages are filled with examples of how, “We’re not your typical accountants, we actually have fun!” We often incorporate outdoor activities into our team building. Scroll through our pictures and you’ll find us doing things like river rafting together. And, I haven’t been shy about sharing pictures that show my love for obstacle course and Spartan racing.
I recognized long ago that a typical desk job can have negative effects on one’s health and well-being. At Brigade Bookkeeping, our employees know that activity is encouraged, we even incorporated a small gym at our office!
Ramping up activity at work
In addition to team activities, there are several ways you can be active even if you have a desk job:
- Park your car far away from the front door.
- Use the stairs.
- Set a timer, and when it goes off, get up, walk around, stretch your back, and take some deep breaths.
- Perform leg lifts under your desk with ankle weights.
- Do repetitions of shoulder raises, neck stretches, and leg raises.
- Walk during meetings, and while taking calls.
- Use part of your lunchtime to walk or exercise.
- Turn time waiting for the copier, the microwave, etc. into moving time.
- Treat yourself to a step tracker. Measure your progress, and set goals to maintain or improve your activity.
Get intentional about making changes
Our traditional desk jobs keep us sitting, possibly snacking, and most likely tensing, eight-plus hours every day. Adding activity has to be intentional and consistent. If your current work life is making you less healthy, making small changes is better than none at all.
I would love to think that I inspired you to get active. A health-conscious workplace can be your norm, too!
