How to fit exercise into your busy work life |
Posted: December 20, 2018 |
For most of us, our busy 9-5 work life makes it hard to find time to exercise. A work-life balance is crucial to our wellbeing but with strict work deadlines and busy schedules, it can be hard to find this balance, let alone get some exercise done. More and more workers are struggling with health issues that stem largely from sedentary lifestyles. It’s important that you know how to avoid such issues and lead a healthy lifestyle.
Make Exercise a Priority With the benefits of exercise, it’s easy to see why it should be held as a priority. But with our busy schedule, it can easily be put on the backburner, and before you know it, it’s weeks between training sessions. Therefore, it’s important to make exercise a priority. This doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice the things you love, rather you must find a way to fit exercise into your day. Many people make the mistake of thinking that if they can’t find a spare hour in their day, they don’t have enough time to exercise. Firstly, any exercise at all is better than none, so simply waking up 15 minutes earlier and going for a quick jog around the block can be beneficial. One popular form of short but effective exercise is High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT). This form of training involves bursts of high intensity exercise, followed by a short rest period, which is then repeated for around 30 minutes.
Use your lunch break Finding time to exercise can be particularly difficult for the 9-5 office worker. Busy schedules, demanding deadlines and long commutes make it seem near impossible to get a workout in. However, many people forget that they have an hour long lunch break. This is more than enough time to get some exercise in. The type of exercise is up to you and your fitness levels, but it could be a simple walk to a nearby park, or you could duck into a gym for a HIIT workout. If you have let yourself become unfit, it can often be a good idea to head to a physio to get your muscles in shape before you start training them. This too can be done in your lunch break. For example, Sydney has great physios throughout the CBD like Bend + Mend. With a pre-packed lunch, you can complete your workout, and get back to your desk to eat lunch all within the hour. Just don’t forget to pack your gym gear!
Deskercise works While physically demanding jobs often provide opportunities for incidental exercise, sedentary jobs make it difficult to exercise at all. Desk workers can find ways to exercise, they just need to get a bit more creative. Deskercise can be short, 15 minute sessions of exercise that you and your co-workers can do at your desk. It can be helpful to get your boss involved, set an alarm and get the whole team to do some exercises together. Now no one will be self-conscious, and everyone will benefit from exercise. Both your fitness and productivity will take a boost.
Take every opportunity you get Exercise should be approached with progression in mind. The more you do, the better you feel and in turn, the more exercise you will find yourself doing. Your day is likely full of opportunities to exercise if you know where to look. One approach is to consider changing your routine. Maybe you can get off your bus a few stops early and walk into work. You could take the stairs or ride a pushbike a part of the way to work. Again, any amount of exercise is better than nothing at all.
Take responsibility for your health It’s important that you take responsibility for your health. Simply understanding the implications of a sedentary lifestyle could be enough to get you moving. The modern workplace often involves sitting for hours on end. Such a lifestyle can lead to serious health complications including neck and back pain, an increased risk of cancer, anxiety and depression and certain cardiovascular diseases, just to mention a few. Educating yourself and your co-workers is the first step to creating a healthier workplace and fitting more exercise into your busy schedule. Using things like standing desks and ergonomic solutions can help office workers improve their posture and begin an exercise routine. The hardest part of exercising is starting. Once you start moving, you will likely find you feel much better, your health will improve and so will your productivity.
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