Desk-Break

You see that desk in front of you, or maybe you have gotten up from it, or you are sitting at it right now. No matter the situation, it becomes a sort of base.

If it is a base, then that inherently means that it is important. So, why not add important things to this base?

That is what I like to call Desk-Break Fitness.

One can see where I am going with this – we are going to dive into the ways to achieve a habit of making fitness a part of our desk life. The benefits of this are not only health-wise, where we are now burning calories, improving mood, bettering posture, controlling appetite, etc., but also that of creating a blueprint to add any positive act to our desk time.

Since desks have been created in the late 17th century, they have always been associated with some sort of work. Whether it be for scribing, painting, learning, computing, and the list goes on – work has been done. And will continue to be done.

Now outside of work (and sometimes along with it), there are hobbies, interests, entertainment, play, exercise, exploring, essentially anything one does not consider “work”. These other activities though are just as vital to our well-being and we make an effort to incorporate them into our lives. At times though, our work/desk comes in the way of our play/life. If we believe them to be important, why not put them together?

If you can make your work your play, all the power to you. That is another article! If the two are separate from each other in your eyes, it can be beneficial to have them compliment one other and be a part of each other in some capacity.

Making fitness a part of our desk time!

Before I finish this sentence… (I got up and did 10 squats) maybe you can join in on that too as I give some tips to make desk occupying more uplifting.

Got an exercise in? Great!

First, one should know that the longer you are at a desk, the productivity level begins to go down. We have coffee or snacks to help give us a break and short sugar kick, but we also have exercise at our disposal. A 30-minute HIIT class is intense, but 3-5 minutes of chair yoga, push-ups, stretching, is doable.

Not sure where to start?

Stand up and do what feels good to you. The same way animals stretch first thing when they get up, we will know of a stretch that feels good to us. Why we do not stretch more or every time that we get up is another whole story.

Now you are up on your feet, free to still think about work (or not), and you are doing movement to get the blood flowing and mind/body stimulated.

Actions to take:

• Set up a time that you will exercise from your desk (e.g., on the top of every hour, for every task you accomplish, every 10 emails sent out/phone calls that are made)

• Before starting your day, designate a type of exercise that you will be doing throughout the day for these 3-5 minutes breaks (e.g., yoga, strength, stretching, quick cardio)

• Cut yourself some slack if you miss a workout, but do attempt to make up for it in some sort of capacity the next go-around

• Understand that procrastination may set in place and be ready to combat those thoughts within five seconds of having them

• Do exercises you enjoy and experiment with taking them close to the edge

The last one is important. Go to about 90%, maybe even 95% if you are up for it! Refrain from 100% though. This is because you still want to show up for the rest of the day and tomorrow. Save the 100% max out efforts for the gym, competitions, and that championship softball game!

You are now ready to put in a full days’ work, as you always have been. This time though, exercise will be incorporated, and your mind/body will thank you for it.

Here is to a great day ahead.