Sedentary occupations, such as those that require you to sit behind a desk and stare at a screen for 5 days per week, are not only inconvenient, but they may also be bad for health. Sitting for lengthy amounts of time on a daily basis has been related to a number of health issues, including high cholesterol, obesity, heart disease, and cancer. Fortunately, you can get your blood flowing and calories burned while still completing your daily tasks at work with these simple tactics.
Take a look at this list of easy ways to burn more calories during the workweek.
Take Breaks Frequently
Stepping away from the desk or computer for a little walk break is among the best things for your body and mind throughout the workday. Even if it's just to talk to a coworker about a project or refilling a water bottle, getting up from the seat and giving your eyes some rest can be great for your health. Other ways to stay active at work can include pacing while on call, standing and stretching, taking the stairs to get to your floor, going to the washroom that is the farthest away, or walking over to speak with a colleague rather than emailing or calling him.
Set an alarm on your phone or wearable fitness tracker that can remind you to stand up or move at least once every hour. At the absolute least, give the eyes a rest by adopting the 20-20-20 rule, which requires you to gaze 20 feet away for 20 seconds every 20 minutes.
Get a Standing Desk
If you tend to consume more calories in the day than you actually spend time burning off, it can lead to significant weight gain. 44% of workers actually admit that they have faced weight gain after joining their current desk job, with 54% agreeing that it is because they are seated at the desk the whole day. However, there is a simple way to burn off some calories without compromising on your work.
You can lower obesity risk by burning through 50 calories an hour by choosing to stand over sitting. If you just stand for 3 hours in a day for the 5 working days, you can burn off 750 calories! This can translate into 30,000 calories or 8 pounds of fat for the year. This is the same as running 10 marathons years!
The Adjustable Standing Desk Pro by FlexiSpot is one desk that you can check out for your office. It can help you lose weight and has many great features that you will be able to take advantage of as well!
Exercising Your Body
Sitting in the same position at a desk the whole day might make you feel claustrophobic and achy. Stretching is an excellent technique to reduce stress while also burning a few calories. You may want to attempt these two desk stretches:
Sit upright and extend both arms over the head as a side stretch. Lean towards the left with your hands clasped together till you can feel a slight stretch down the right side. Then stretch towards the right after 10-20 seconds of holding.
Seated Cat/Cow: Keep hands above the head after the side stretches. Imagine hollowing the tummy as you breathe and bend forward. Consider forming a "C" with your body. On an inhalation, reverse the posture so that the back is arching and the chest is expanding. Allow your deep breaths to lead you as you switch between the two.
Keep Posture in Check
While sitting at the workstation, slouching involves no physical effort. Proper posture, on the other hand, involves sitting up properly with the shoulders back or abs firm, which engages multiple muscles in the chest, back, and shoulders. This additional effort can help you burn some more calories while also maintaining the health of your back.
Suck in your abs as much as possible and hold them tightly for around a minute or longer to tone the abdomen. If feasible, replace the desk chair with a stability ball, which can help you burn a greater number of calories while you work to maintain proper posture and balance while sitting on it.
Dance It Out
You won't be allowed to do a dance sequence at work, but if you have a nice private office, but you may dance a little to burn off calories. Begin by tapping the toes 25 times while keeping the heel firmly planted on the floor. Then, using the heel to pivot, tap your foot 25 times side to side. You may swap feet or practice one leg at a time.
This brief activity doesn't burn a lot of calories; however, if you perform it multiple times a day, you'll burn a lot of calories. Taping the toes helps build muscle on the front of the shins, in addition to burning a few calories.
Get a Fitness Chair
Getting a fitness chair can be a great idea if you want to burn calories while sitting at your desk. You can work out your lower body on this wonderful Sit2Go 2-in-1 Fitness Chair by FlexiSpot. It is the right replacement for an office chair since it has a comfortable seat but allows you to work on those legs even as you complete your tasks. It comes with a calorie tracker and a cardio system that is customizable. And don't worry; it doesn't make any noise, so you won't be disturbing your coworkers either.
Raise The Calves
Standing calf raise is a terrific workout for toning the lower legs. Plus, it helps by burning some calories when you are indulging in strength training. You may still perform these in the office chair, even though the calves will not have to try extra hard.
Straighten your back and place both feet on the floor. Then, elevate the heels as high as you can off the floor. Lower the heels 10-15 times more. Press both hands on the knees to generate resistance when you raise the heels to make it tougher and burn a few extra calories.
Act as though you're walking
While standing up from a chair as much as feasible is the greatest method to burn calories at work, when you're unable to leave the desk, you may pretend to like you are walking too.
Straighten your back. Raise the right leg up, drop it, lift the left leg up, drop it, and repeat it as often as you can while keeping the knees bent. You'll burn more calories and tone the bottom if you clench the buns while "walking." After your stroll, carefully extend your leg 10 times to work the quads.
Take A Walk While Discussing Business
When you get a chance, take a trip outdoors instead of staying inside the stuffy conference room or office to discuss critical business matters. This approach is so much more engaging and rewarding than a traditional sit-down yawn-inducing meeting that it's surprising it's not more popular. Walking while talking allows you to burn calories while dealing with office work too. You may stroll as you check in, talk about work-related difficulties, or plan for the future. Walking also might re-energize you, providing more energy than usual to do these duties!
Take A Walk During Your Lunch Hour
Your lunch break might last up to an hour, depending on the culture of your workplace. Use your break as a chance for a fast aerobic workout session if you have time. If you can, try walking, running, or bicycling to your location. If you're ordering takeout, you may want to take a stroll while you eat.
Eat Better
78% of workers admit that they started gaining weight because of snacking. But that's not all that's bad, though. 68% of individuals who ended up losing weight at the same job also used to snack. It's just a matter of choosing healthier foods like carrots, celery, and nuts to snack on instead of things like chips and biscuits.
Similarly, going out for lunch every day or getting takeout is definitely not great for your body. When choosing your meals, even if you are getting takeout, do make sure that you are choosing healthy meals instead of fast food or junk food.
In Conclusion
Now that you know some easy ways to burn calories during the workweek, you can go ahead and start working on losing some weight or maintaining fitness.
