Long working day? How to stay healthy and productive

If you want a healthier lifestyle, focusing on getting more exercise during the working day can be a good idea, as we spend a large part of our time at work. Small changes on a daily basis may seem meaningless, but if you take just 1000 extra steps during the working day, for example, it will result in 230,000 extra steps on an annual basis. In this way, taking small, simple steps every day at work can bring long-term health benefits.

Exercise at work

To be successful in getting more exercise into the working day, it is essential to make the measures simple and easily accessible, such as replacing sedentary meetings with walk and talk meetings, or having exercise bands within easy reach. In addition, it can be beneficial to design the workplace so that typical work tasks encourage more exercise. An example of this could be moving the coffee machine further away, or making it a habit to take the stairs instead of the elevator. It can also be an advantage to ally with your colleagues when it comes to bringing more exercise into the workplace. The more people who help each other remember to take the stairs instead of the elevator or do stretching exercises together, the more likely it is that the exercise will actually be done.

All of these small and simple actions could lead to more exercise in the workplace, thereby increasing the health of the individual employee and the overall health of the workplace.

Concrete examples of simple lifehacks to increase physical activity in the workplace:

• Move frequently used items such as a coffee machine or printer further away.
• Set a reminder in the calendar once an hour, with a break and possibly a short walk/elastic exercises
• Turn sedentary meetings into walk and talk meetings
• Take the stairs rather than the lift
• Set up a company fitness scheme where an instructor comes in at a set time each week and runs a training session with everyone in the department.