If you work a desk job, you know just how difficult it is to find time for healthy habits, particularly exercise. At the same time, we know that sitting all day is inherently detrimental to our health. When you sit for prolonged periods, you use less energy and, in turn, burn fewer calories. This increases your risk for several diseases and health problems: obesity, high blood pressure, heart conditions, and high cholesterol.
A sedentary lifestyle is a slow killer. How do we fight it when we spend so many hours day-in and day-out sitting behind a desk?
These are a few tips and strategies I’ve utilized to help squeeze health and fitness efforts into even the busiest of workdays. Maintain your health and improve your mood by following these steps.
6 Healthy Habits for Busy Professionals
1) Be an Intentional Gym-Goer
If we’re honest, many of us join the gym in hopes of working out several days a week. We want to be dedicated and consistent. Statistics show that that is almost never the case! You can help ensure you actually use that gym membership if you:
Join a gym close to work or close to home. If it’s on your way to one or the other, even better.
Take your gym bag with you to work. Leave it in your car as a reminder to go to the gym right after work.
Don’t go home first. If you stop by home (because you forgot your gear or any other reason!) you are far less likely to get back up and go out.
Make the gym a non-negotiable stop before or after work. Put it in your path. Make it easy to go. If you’re firm, you’ll be better motivated to make the habit stick.
2) Take the Stairs
An easy way to burn some extra calories in your day is simply taking the stairs at work. Really pick your knees up and move quickly — this will be more effective cardio than a slow trudge. The elevator is always a temptation, but even if you have too many flights to run up every day, you can also take the elevator halfway up and then get on the stairs for the rest. It’s not all-or-nothing. Every effort matters when it comes to physical fitness.
3) Meal Prep
When we’re on-the-go and crunched for time, one of the greatest temptations we’ll face is that of fast food. Like sitting, we know that too much fast food is bad for your health and overall wellness: causing headaches, depressed mood, acne, high cholesterol and blood pressure, affecting blood sugar, and increasing chances of heart attack and stroke.
This is why it’s valuable to meal prep or subscribe to a healthy meal prep service. When you can bring healthy meals to work, it won’t be as tempting to go for the fast and cheap. Meal prepping (or ordering from a meal prep service) helps manage portions and includes better ingredients that are not inundated with grease and sugar.
4) Snack Smart
Beyond meals, consider the snacks you bring to the office. Need breakfast on the run? Skip the donuts and opt for a cup of instant oatmeal from Kodiak Cakes or another health-conscious brand. Bring healthy nuts to snack on or have fresh fruits and vegetables. A bit of forethought can save you from snack machine temptations.
5) Walk and Talk
One of the keys to effective workplace exercise is looking for opportunities. Find times to get your work done but move at the same time. Take a call and do laps in the conference room or down a hallway. Do small exercises or walk-and-talk with colleagues in the breakroom. Take a walk on your lunch break. Everywhere you can, look for an opportunity to move.
6) Hack Your Commute
If possible, walking or cycling to work can be an excellent source of extra exercise. If you get your blood pumping before work begins, your mind will be more ready and alert for what’s to come. That said, I know that many of us have a commute that we just can’t manage on foot. While it may work in a big-city setting, those of us in the suburbs or more “spread out” areas can’t realistically bike twenty miles to work and back every day.
That said, it doesn’t mean you have to rule out exercise during your commute. Park in the farthest spaces in your lot. Park a few blocks away if there is free public parking. This will help you get in that many more steps in your day.
How do you squeeze exercise into your busy workdays? Share your strategies in the comments.