Have you been keeping up with your New Year’s Resolutions to be healthier this year? One way you can do that is to stay active and eat nutritious foods!

You might argue that:
- You don’t have enough time to fit in a gym workout every day.
- You’re too tired to exercise after a long day and commute home.
- You lack the motivation to keep up an exercise routine.
Well, we are here to help you remedy that! We’ve got many ideas on how you can increase your physical activity where you spend many hours in your day. That’s right, you can add to your step count right at work!
Here are some sneaky ways to increase your energy output, where you might normally feel like you’re at an idle desk job:
- Park at the other end of the parking lot, or get off the bus or subway one or two stops earlier.
- Schedule water breaks. Set an alarm every hour (or more often if you plan to drink smaller amounts) to get a cup of water. Not only will you be sitting less all day, but you’ll also increase your step count AND meet your daily hydration goals. As an added bonus, the increased water intake will also prompt you to take more bathroom breaks as well! (Hint: take the long way to the kitchen or bathroom!)
- Walk during your lunch. Pick up food at a restaurant down the street, make some phone calls as you walk, run an errand, or just take a walk at a nearby park during your lunch break. If you plan well enough, you may be able to eat while you work, so that your lunch break can be better utilized. (Hint: form a walking group and bring comfortable walking shoes to wear during your longer walks).
- Carry your “instant” message to your coworker instead of sending a chat or ping. That may sound so foreign and inefficient, but that’s not the goal here. Our goal is to add steps, remember? Bonus points if your coworker is not on the same floor with you and you take the stairs rather than the elevator.
- Stand up, stretch, and walk in place every 30 minutes to an hour. This will help increase your circulation and encourage an energy spike. Your posture will probably benefit too!
All of these little tricks can help you increase your activity and help you stay focused and alert! It’s a win-win situation at work!
If getting up so often is not appealing or might be distracting to co-workers or your boss, get some exercise by doing some toe exercises under the desk. If nothing else, it will help you strengthen your feet, ankles, and toes, as well as increase circulation. It’s especially important if you’re prone to swollen feet if you stay sitting for a long time. (We’re hinting at you, pregnant ladies!)