While it’s true that people are starting to return to the office, more workers are still punching the clock from home than ever before. Naturally, this means lots of desk time, and if there’s one thing all health professionals can agree on, it’s the importance of moving your body.
Sitting for long, uninterrupted periods of time can lead to cardiovascular problems, but just 30 minutes of daily exercise can offset all that sitting. Here are some ways to stay active when working at home.
Make Exercise a Priority
First and foremost, make moving around a priority. It’s recommended that you get up and move for at least 5 to 10 minutes every hour, but you should also work actual exercise into your daily routine.
This could be something as simple as jumping a little rope on your lunch break or hitting up a yoga class before or after work. Many employers also offer incentives and discounts on gym memberships for employees.
If you find that you can’t commit to a gym or yoga class, consider setting a reminder on your phone to work in 10-minute exercise segments throughout your day. The important thing is that you actively make an effort to squeeze exercise into your schedule.
Limber Up
In 2022, researchers noted a rise in chronic back pain that was linked to working from home. You don’t need a medical degree to see the correlation. Thankfully, there is something you can do to avoid putting yourself at risk – stretch.
Consider trying these stretches to keep your back feeling limber:
Child’s pose: While on your hands and knees, lean back, resting your hips on your heels. Then extend your arms in front of you to rest your belly on your thighs. Hold for one minute.
Seated spinal twist:
- Sit on the floor, keeping both legs out front.
- Bend your right knee, placing your foot outside your left thigh.
- Place your right arm on the outside of your left knee and your left hand behind you on the ground.
- Gently twist your spine to the right.
- Hold one minute.
Take a Walk
If the gym or yoga isn’t your thing, then lace up those shoes and step outside for a walk. Walking has numerous health benefits, such as easing joint pain, improving the immune system, and burning calories.
The trail system at Crosswinds and local parks such as Lake Kyle and Steeplechase are all great places for getting out and stretching your legs with a walk.
Sit and Stand
As we touched on earlier, too much sitting isn’t good for your health. To help offset this, you may want to consider adding a standing desk to your home office. A standing desk gives you the option of sitting when you want to sit and easily elevates its height when you want to stand.
By alternating your desk time between sitting and standing, you’ll help to offset some of the potential health risks of sitting for too long.
From the walking trail system to the pool and sports court, there are plenty of ways within the Crosswinds community to get in some daily exercise. If you’d like to find your next home here, contact us today.