When you start working more likely than not you will spend most of your day sitting. This means you will be inactive for a large portion of your day. Research has shown that the average person in England will spend about 9.5 hours a day sitting and in Ireland 6.36 hours a day. The World Health Organisation recommends that an adult should do at least 150 minutes of moderate exercise a week. If you are looking to be more active during the week, here are simple lifestyle changes you could make.
Walk or cycle to and from work
Assuming you live within a reasonable walking distance, start your day off right with a gentle stroll to work. It is a fantastic way to get in some exercise in the morning and evening. This will give you the opportunity to get some fresh air in. Thus making you feel more relaxed and will put you in the right frame of mind before/after working. It’ll also be great for your health and will lower the risk of certain chronic conditions such as diabetes.
If you don’t live that close to the office then why not cycle?! Cycling is great for improving your mood and getting those feel good endorphins going. If you are looking to lose weight then cycling burns quite a few calories. Combine this with eating well, you will be on your way to losing a couple of pounds. Not only that but it provides you with better lung health, cuts the risk of heart disease and cancer. Along with allowing you to sleep better and strengthen your immune system.
Go to the gym during lunch
There is never a right or good time to workout, you have to make time for it and there is no better time to get something done than on your lunch break. You will have a successful lunch gym session if go with a plan and know your end goal, don’t waste time faffing about. If you pack your lunch you won’t waste time going out to buy food and won’t overindulge thus you will see better results. You also don’t need to do a full hour’s workout as long as you turn up the intensity whilst exercising!
Do desk exercises throughout the day
We spend a large portion of our day sat at our desks, so if you want to keep moving whilst sat down then try some desk exercises. You can do leg lifts to tone your legs! Simply sit on the edge of your chair with your arms by your sides and then extend one leg out, and flex your foot until your leg is parallel to your hips. It will strengthen and shape your hips and thighs.
Sitting for long periods of time can cause back ache so why not do some shoulder shrugs to work the trapezius muscles in the back. Sit straight in your chair, pull your abs in tight and turn your palms upwards, you should feel your shoulders rolling backwards.
Stretching exercises are also great to stop your muscles from clenching up, and simple things such as stretching your arms over your head and reaching for the sky can help or even keep your head moving from the left to right. Another good stretching exercise is to drop your chin towards your chest and roll it from side to side, bring your hands behind your back and press your palms together and sit up tall.
Go to a fun evening class
Lacking motivation to do some physical activity in the evening? If you hate working out then why not try fun fitness activities that don’t feel like exercise. A hula hooping class is a great way to tone your stomach, burn calories, strengthen your core and improve coordination. Trampolining isn’t only fun but is 68% more effective than jogging and 10 minutes on a trampoline is the equivalent to 30 minutes of jogging! It strengthens your muscles and organs, enhances coordination, increases spatial awareness, flexibility, timing, reaction speed, agility and balance. Other fun classes include disco yoga, trapeze lessons, Voga (a fusion between yoga and vogueing), aerial hoop, stand-up paddleboard yoga and many more… So no more excuses to not workout when there exists such a wide variety of fun classes!
Read more: Fun exercises for those who hate working out
