Stepping it up in the Workplace: Increase Your Daily Step Count

As many of you are aware, the recommended steps per day should be 10,000 or above. For the average person’s stride this is about 5 miles. For many of us, we have a hard time hitting our target number of steps because jobs can have us sitting at a desk all day. Sedentary desk jobs make it challenging to somehow fit 5 miles of walking in to one day’s time. So besides heading to the gym before or after work, what can you do to make exercise part of your daily work routine?

5 Ways to Increase Your Daily Step Count For Seated Workers

1. One of the Easiest Ways to Increase Your Step Count is to Take the Stairs.

Avoid the elevator when heading to a meeting or entering or exiting to the building . The newest craze right now is the Fitbit. Fitbits, and numerous other versions and devices, not only help track your steps, but your activity level as well. Also if you have a phone that has iOS8, it already has a pedometer built in! Challenge yourself to reach those steps and before you know it, you will be setting higher goals.

2. Walk and Talk on the Phone.

An easy way to go about doing this if you have a landline, is put the phone on speaker and walk about your office. Remember to be cognizant of others if you are not in your own office! If you do not have your own office, take advantage of beautiful weather we are experience, and take your calls out to enjoy some sun! This will also help your Vitamin D levels. Every little bit helps and making these small changes throughout the day can make a big difference.

3. Have Walking Meetings.

Instead of having everyone cram around a conference room table, ask to walk and talk. You will be amazed at the efficiency and productivity increases! Walking meetings have been proved to increase creativity and productivity. Don’t believe me? Read how much a change of atmosphere can do for you and your employees.

4. Get an Exercise Machine at Your Desk

If you really want to be active at work, there are under the desk ellipticals that allow you to be active while returning phone calls or working on assignments in front of your computer. Remaining sedentary at your desk can lead to neck and back pain. Additional movement helps you practice better body mechanics.

5. Stand up at your Desk.

Even if it’s just for a few minutes at a time, get those legs stretching and moving in place. There are stand-up desks available for people to work at. These desks have added health benefits, such as improved posture. If you do not have one of these desks, try sitting on a Swiss ball, or exercise ball, at work to improve your core and back muscles or even standing up every 30 minutes to an hour to help refocus yourself. In turn, it can make you a more efficient employee. Read more about the benefits of sitting vs. standing here. 

So, are you up the challenge and taking an active role in your health?! I encourage you to try these things to meet your fitness goals. Good luck!