7 Ways to Stay Fit When You Have A Desk Job

Today’s working world can make it hard to stay healthy and if you don’t know how to stay fit at a desk job, you’re compromising your health.

You see, many of us find ourselves tethered to our desks for at least 8 hours a day. Add the time we spend sitting at home after work while eating and watching TV and our lives become significantly sedentary.

It has been well established that too much sitting is bad for us. Prolonged sitting and lack of physical activity lead to an increased risk of heart disease, obesity, diabetes, cancer, and many other chronic diseases.

Our bodies are meant to move to promote good metabolism, blood circulation, muscle strength, flexibility, brain function, hormone balance, and so much more!

Since the reality is that you probably can’t quit your job and exercise all day, here are some simple tips on how to stay fit at a desk job.

The Power Of Multitasking

Multitasking isn’t always a good option when juggling work responsibilities. However, it’s a great option to sneak in some physical activity while you are doing all those necessary (and even voluntary) daily tasks.

There are great options nowadays for standing desks, bike desks, and treadmill desks. Work and exercise? Win-win!

You can take these same ideas to your home as well to exercise while watching your favorite TV show, reading or perusing social media.

Squeeze In A Quick Workout Session

Short on time because of deadlines? These days, time is not a good excuse.

To keep yourself accountable, try to schedule time before or after work. Even if it’s only 10 minutes, you can still get in a great workout.

Research shows high-intensity interval training (HIIT) is a great option for those short sweat sessions to ramp up your metabolism, gain muscle, lose weight, and improve your overall health. It can be as easy as jumping on YouTube and finding a channel that you enjoy working out with daily.

Change Your Diet With Weekly Food Prep

Your daily food choices have a significant impact on your health.

Food is what gives us the energy we need to thrive on both a cellular level and as a whole being. Filling the body with nutrient-dense (rather than calorie-dense) foods will help keep your health on track.

Planning your meals with healthy nutrient-rich foods will keep you from being tempted to get fast food or sugary break room snacks. Plus, you’ll feel amazing!

See Also: Eat Amazing (and Healthy) for $50/Month

Keep Healthy Snacks With You At All Times

Always keep healthy and easy snacks handy, like fruits, nuts, veggies, and hummus. These snacks will keep you from sabotaging your health when that mid-morning or afternoon hunger hits.

Snacks rich in fiber and healthy fats will help you feel full until your next meal, especially as your blood sugar drops and you start feeling ravenous for junk food.

Incorporate Movement Into Your Day

If you just can’t manage to exercise every day, then add some simple moves into your day. You can pace walk while you’re on the phone, take the stairs, take hourly breaks to stand up and stretch or do a few jumping jacks or squats while you’re waiting on someone at the office.

It all adds up! Get your whole office involved to improve everyone’s health together. Being able to hold each other accountable will help with motivation and amplify results.

Drink Water Like Your Life Depends On It

Adequate hydration is important for optimized health. If you’ve experienced an episode of dehydration, you know it leaves you feeling fatigued and foggy.

Keep a water bottle handy at all times and sip it throughout the day. Try to choose water over sugary or caffeinated drinks.

If you’re craving something other than water, keep tea bags or lightly flavored sparkling water handy. An easy effective way to assess your hydration level is to check the color of your urine. Make sure it’s clear to light yellow. Anything darker means you need to drink more!

See Also: 9 Great Reasons to Drink Water And How to Form the Water Habit

Manage Your Stress

Stress plays a huge role in our ability to stay fit and healthy. Chronic stress leads to hormone imbalances that can cause weight gain, pain, depression, and more.

It has been found that stopping to take 5 deep breaths a day can decrease stress hormones and feelings of anxiety. Other options for stress management include socializing, exercise, journaling, yoga or meditation.

Conclusion

Staying fit while working is simple if you set yourself up for success with good habits. Take your time in adding any of the above recommendations to your routine so you have time to adjust. Knowing how to stay fit at a desk job isn’t enough because you also need to follow the tips.

The longer you make healthy choices, the better you will feel and the more ingrained they will become. Building healthy habits will set you up to stay fit and healthy for life!