5 Ways to Stay Active During Your Work Day

If you haven’t heard by now, sitting is the new smoking. Say what?! The benefits of staying active during the times you are most likely to be seated are endless! So, how can you bring wellness into your workday? Here are 5 simple solutions to keep the risk factors of #desklife at bay and experience improved circulation, a boost of energy, increased focus and a better mood, among other things.

1. Walk the Line

This is probably the biggest no-brainer of the bunch. Sure, you could hop up and take a lap every hour on the hour, but also consider when you could sprinkle walking in at opportune times. For example: instead of emailing back and forth with a colleague, enhance your communication with a face-to-face chat. Not only will you add extra steps to your daily count, but you’ll also build stronger relationships with your coworkers.

2. 3×3 Exercises

You don’t even have to leave your desk for this one! 3x3s are a great way to wake your legs up after sitting for a while. To practice, slide forward in your chair until your backside is about 3 inches from the back of the chair. Sit tall with your shoulders down and away from your ears. Next, engage your core by pulling your bellybutton toward your spine. Finally, with the strength of your lower abs and legs, take a deep breath in while picking your feet off the ground. Hold for three seconds on the inhale. Next, exhale for three seconds while extending either one or both legs straight out in front of you. Then, inhale for three seconds bringing the knees back to a bent position. And lastly, exhale and bring the feet back to the floor. Repeat this three times to engage your legs and achieve clarity of mind!

Looking for quick exercise inspiration? Check out these simple heart-pumping exercises you can do anywhere!

3. Drink More Water

It has been said: the more water you drink, the less you’ll have to deal with others’ problems because you’ll be busy running to the bathroom. Staying hydrated not only keeps you feeling amazing inside and out, but it also encourages more restroom breaks. More restroom breaks = more steps!

Drinking the right amount of water can help you live a healthy lifestyle so it is important to aim to drink at least 46 ounces of water every day. Adding some zero-calorie flavoring to your water could help! Read some more of our easy tips to help you get your daily H20 in and try our refreshing and nutritious Profile drink enhancers.

4. Team Up

Here’s a fun idea to promote positive company culture: team up to achieve goals! At the beginning of each week, gather some colleagues and write your goal for the week on a post-it note. Could be as simple as “drink 64 ounces of water each day” or “have one walking meeting this week.” Display them somewhere everyone can see and check off the goals as they are achieved. Celebrate together on Friday with a 5-minute walk with mindful conversation and reflection!

A great practice for creating goals is to make them SMART! What we mean by that is, create Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Time-bound goals. If done correctly, your goals can serve as a GPS navigation system for your weight loss. Read more about setting goals with these 5 easy questions.

5. Stretch It Out

Muscles and joints become tight for a number of reasons but sitting is one of the main culprits. Break away from your desk for a 5-minute stretch session to boost efficiency, tone your muscles and relieve tension. Here are some ideas on the best stretches for you.

On your journey to working wellness into your day, Profile has your back! Connect with your Profile Coach for more tools to achieve a higher level of wellness. Not a Profile member? Set up a free, no-strings-attached consultation with one of our certified weight loss coaches! Cheers to staying active while you work and live your best life.