Unless you have a field job, most of the jobs are desk jobs. Spending the whole day sitting at a desk will, of course, make you feel exhausted. You will feel like being wiped out at the end of the day. However, you all know that your body should be in motion to be fit.
A sedentary lifestyle is not good at all for your health. For instance, you are highly prone to diabetes, obesity, high blood pressure, muscle stiffness, and the like. Just a brisk walk for half an hour can be enough to be fine fettle, but many of you have a lot of excuses not to o so, for instance, you are getting late for the office, you have a busy schedule that you cannot have breakfast let alone exercise.
In modern life, a sedentary lifestyle is being more common, and people are so hooked on it that they have stopped bothering about their health issues as if they have an attitude of “we’ll see what happens, who cares? Just live the way you want.”
At a young age, it could be easier to ignore the importance of exercise as the number of dying cells is not proliferating, but your immune system becomes weak as you age. You start feeling other problems like muscle loss and bone loss, and then you catch severe medical diseases like obesity, diabetes, heart attack, high blood pressure and so forth.
How can you stay healthy if you have a desk job?
It can seem very challenging to stay healthy when you have a desk job and do not have spare time to exercise. Here is what you can do to stay healthy:
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Take short breaks
Though you have a desk job, you are not glued to it. You should get up, go to the bathroom, or get water, tea or coffee. At least you are away from your desk for a while, and your body is in motion. If you are to talk to your co-worker about a project and all, you can discuss things while standing.
If your manager has called on you to discuss something, do not shy about asking them not to mind your standing. When you stand, your body’s circulation improves. In fact, your nerves will also get relaxed. Overtime sitting causes nerve pressure around the hips, causing sciatica pain or entrapped nerves. Try to stand whenever you get a chance.
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Take advantage of lunch breaks
You have finished your meal, so now is the time to chat with your friends on WhatsApp. No, leave this habit. Set aside your mobile phone or just slide it into your pocket. Instead, you should utilise this time for strolling down. If it is not possible, you should walk while using it.
If your office allows you to go down the street during lunch hours, it is good, and if not, you should take a stroll in your room. It breaks muscle stiffness.
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Stretch at your desk
Of course, you cannot do squatting or jumping in your office, but you can stretch your arms straight over your head and legs straight up to the level of your waist. You can even stand to stretch your arms and legs. It just takes a couple of seconds, and then you sit back at your desk to do your work.
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Stand on the train or bus
If you travel by train or bus, you do not need to sit down. Try to travel while standing. This will release muscle stiffness and pain by improving blood circulation.
Of course, it is not set in stone that you cannot sit down. You can sit if you cannot stand because of tired feet or legs or because your back is aching. However, try to travel while standing as much as possible.
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Take the stairs
Instead of using elevators, you should take the stairs. This is the best exercise because it strengthens your leg muscles and improves blood circulation to your whole body. Stepping on each step is more benign because it seems more strenuous.
Suppose your office is on the tenth floor, for instance. Walking up to it through stairs is unnecessary because you need stamina. Try to take the stairs up to the third floor first and then until the fourth, fifth, and then your office. If you use elevators in stations, try to walk up instead of standing on a step. However, if you find stairs over there, it makes sense to use stairs instead of walking up the escalators.
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Walk on foot from home to the station and back
If the station is not far from your home, you should go up o there on your foot. It is not necessary to have a brisk walk for 30 minutes in the morning.
Walking home from your station and walking from your home to the station will give an equal effect. So many people try this to stay healthy. You will not only stay healthy but also save some of your fares. You can pop them into your emergency cushion.
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Walk around when you are on the phone
It is not unusual to see people chat with their friends for half an hour and sometimes more than that, especially if you are talking after a long time. You should walk around until you end the conversation. This is also a great way to keep your body active.
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Take a walk during a tea or coffee break
Almost all companies give a short tea or coffee break to their employees, which generally last for 15 minutes. You should get off your desk and walk around during the break.
The final word
Staying healthy when you have a sedentary job seems challenging. Because you all have a busy schedule, you do not get sufficient time to exercise, and if you hardly get so, you are not so passionate about it. You instead use it to rest or watch your favourite web series or movies on OTT platforms.
Well, if you do not have enough time to exercise, you can still be healthy by using the tips mentioned above. When you walk around during lunch breaks, tea breaks or while walking on the phone and take stairs instead of an elevator, your blood circulation will improve, and stiffness will break. You will get rid of issues like muscle cramping and backache, etc.
In fact, you will be able to maintain a healthy weight. You will be less likely to be at risk of obesity and diabetes. Most of the people get such problems, and then they end up funding their medical bills with loans for unemployed with bad credit and no guarantor.
Even if you are healthy, you should follow the tips mentioned earlier. Spending eight hours sitting at a desk will certainly have a negative impact on your health. You may not realise it at this time, but you will likely face complications down the line. Therefore, you should prefer an active lifestyle. If you have a desk job and do not get enough time for a workout, the tips mentioned above can truly help you be out and about.
