5 Movement Tactics To Help You Get More Movement at Work and Working From Home
You move every single day of your life, whether it’s waking up, brushing your teeth, getting changed, or making breakfast. But your movement tends to become less and less frequent as your day progresses. You tend to move a bunch getting yourself ready in the morning and then commuting to work, or if you work from home, commuting to your desk which is 5 feet from you.
This issue is not an immediate problem to you but you may find as time goes on you start to develop certain niggles, discomforts, and aches around joints and muscles which only become persistent the more you neglect them. I always remind my online coaching clients to make me aware If they do have random aches, niggles that have been persistent for a few weeks so I can modify their training accordingly because life should not be lived in pain and discomfort.
These aches and pains tend to occur due to a lack of load being placed on the joints, and underutilisation of muscles to assist with movement. You might find this strange but your joints and tendons like to be loaded. It's how they become stronger and it is how nutrients can be carried to them to keep them healthy. The same is true for your muscles, they are used in movements and adapt to deal with the task at hand. If not stimulated they will just weaken over time.
One of the best things you can do to help prevent or even cure this issue is to add more movement during your day. Working in an office-based job or working from home you may be thinking how can I do that when my day is so busy?
Here are 5 ways you can incorporate more movement into your day whilst at work and working from home to help you keep your joints and muscles healthy.
Longer Routes/ More Routine
When trying to build a new habit/routine it is going to take some time. If you think about the habits you currently have, they were formed over months and years. When commuting to work you will need to start by making a conscious effort to take a longer route to get in.
This could be you walking to a further bus stop or getting off a stop earlier on the train. Start with something realistic and manageable and as time goes on and you naturally start doing this new route, you can look to make it more challenging for yourself.
When working from home the same is true. Working from home has been going on for a few years now and you probably have a routine that allows you to get more sleep than the days you have to go in. On the days you are at home what small extra bits could you be doing within the day to help you get movement in?
Going for a walk at lunch.
Take 30-second breaks to get up and move.
Perform an exercise at a low/moderate intensity i.e 5 push-ups and 5 sit-ups.
During downtime, set aside a couple of minutes to walk around your house.
You do not have to aim to adhere to all of these, but select a few that you think you can stick to. The list is not exhaustive as well, there are other ways you may think of that can get you moving more in the day, whether it is at home or in the office.
Take The Stairs
This can apply when working in the office or generally commuting around. When in the office aim to take the stairs more often. If you work on a high floor then you can take the stairs a few floors up then get the lift the rest of the way to your desk, and then when leaving work you can take the lift down.
You need to be realistic when taking the stairs. I was in a situation a few years back where I got the tube (metro) and I just missed the lift to go up to the exit, me being a very impatient person decided to take the stairs. I saw a sign that said it was around 220 steps and I thought that would be a breeze… how wrong I was. By the time I reached the top, I was drenched and out of breath! Stairs are more challenging than you may think. With that in mind, set a realistic amount of floors to climb and gradually add in more floors when you feel you can do so.
If you do not work in an office and live in a household with stairs then you can still utilise them. Before going for your lunch break, walk up the stairs 3-4 times, this is nothing that will leave you drenched but it will help you get a lot more movement in during the day and build up a bit more of an appetite.
If you live in a flat or bungalow then this would look different for you. Rather than using the stairs at home, use the stairs in public settings. When getting the underground, rather than taking the escalator up, take the stairs, or walk up the escalators rather than standing and waiting. (Unless is 220 steps, I will understand if you choose not to) Going to a shopping centre? take the stairs to the next floor rather than the lift. Getting more movement does not have to be confined to your 9-5 working hours.
Further Lunch Spot
I always advise online coaching clients to take a packed lunch to work, that way they are better able to be in control of their calorie and protein intake. Movement is great, but coupling that with a good handle on your nutrition will only leave you in a much better position.
However, I understand that you may not be able to take a packed lunch every day. on days you are not able to take lunch and you are going out to get food, I suggest you go to a place a bit further from your workplace. This can not only be a great way to get more movement in but can also encourage others around you to do the same, therefore building companionship with others who want to make changes in their lifestyle. Moving more becomes a lot easier if you surround yourself with others who are like-minded.
If you work from home this can also apply to you too. With the ready availability of food delivery services, it will require you to make a conscious effort to leave your household to get food. Similar to those working in the office, you may not always have food prepared for lunch or you may fancy something from outside the house. As you have more leeway when working from home you can venture that bit further for your lunch and spend that bit more eating at home.
Sneaky Movements
Sneaky movement is a term I took from a fellow coach. It is when you add in small movement breaks during the day. The duration of the movement break is completely up to you. It could be a minute, 20 seconds, or five minutes. A ratio that I like is 30:30, for every 30 minutes of work that you do at your desk, you perform 30 seconds of movement.
This movement can be anything you want, push-ups, stretches, mobility, or going for walk. There is no restriction on what the movement should be, as long as you are moving and getting the blood flowing around the body then you are on to a winner. I like the 30:30 rule because if you work 8 hours a day, it equates to 16 minutes of movement a day, multiply that by the 5-day working week you will accumulate nearly 1.5 hours of movement outside of the gym with minimal effort.
It is important to remember that getting more movement in does not mean that you need to be in a sweaty state. Doing something is better than doing nothing at all, even if that something is not as intense as you would hope. There is always time later on in the day or on the weekend to get more intense work in.
Walking meetings
I must admit, I have not attended a large number of meetings in my career, but I am thankful that the majority I have attended have always been pretty short, max time of 45 mins. Saying that I have experienced meetings on the longer end of things and they are not the easiest things to sit through.
I have started adopting walking meetings and this can be done in the office and working from home. If you are in the office and you are conducting a one-to-one meeting with a colleague, rather than sitting at a desk, you could walk around the office or walk outside to discuss things. What I have found is that it keeps the meetings concise, you both are able to get more movement in and it can take the pressure out of meetings.
The same is true if you work from home. If it is a meeting where you are not required to speak just be in attendance then join the meeting via your phone and take a walk outside or inside the house. You might find yourself more engaged with the meeting and you will be much more alert to things being said.
Movement does not always need to be intense or leave you sweating. There are times for that don’t get me wrong, but when at work or in the middle of your working day at home I am sure the last thing you want to do is build up a sweat.
Aim to employ at least two of these movement tactics into your working day and modify them so that it works better for you. Remember, the goal is to get you moving more in the day, it does not have to be anything fancy.
I am always interested to learn new things, feel free to email me here with what you do to get more movement in during the working day.
I hope this helped
Till next time
Myles
