The office job has long caused many people to live a sedentary life, but in the remote working era, more people are spending more of their waking hours sitting than ever before. Without the daily commute to work or the walk around town to find a good place to eat lunch, it’s easy for people to go the whole day without any substantial movement.
That’s no Bueno.
If you find yourself sitting too much throughout the day, here are three ways to get more active while working from home.
Stand up and move while working: Replacing just two hours of sitting each day with standing can burn up to 130 calories a week, but that’s not the only benefit. Standing can also boost concentration, and may also improve glucose, insulin levels, and blood pressure in the long term. Interestingly enough, research has also found that fidgety movements such as foot-tapping or position shifting can help you burn more calories while sitting by increasing energy expenditure by 5 to 10 percent. Simply put, any activity is better than just sitting.
Take “exercise snacks”: We tend to think of exercise as something that lasts longer than ten minutes, but the reality is that activity of any duration is good for our health—as recent research indicated. That’s why you should enjoy some “exercise snacks,” which are just short bursts of exercise that you can pepper into your day. It could be as simple as climbing up and down the stairs or doing a round of pushups after filling your teacup in the kitchen. Whatever it may be, just remember that even a short burst of exercise can benefit your body and mind.
Exercise at lunchtime (outdoors if possible): More and more research shows us that going outside to exercise during the day in natural settings can benefit our mental health and cognitive ability. If you are fortunate enough to live near easily accessible natural environments, try to get out in the fresh air during lunch for a short walk or run. And if you can’t, it will still be worth your while to do some exercise indoors during lunch.