Hi guys! Welcome to the Fit Friday series where I am sharing my journey towards achieving a healthy and balanced lifestyle as well as some tips. As I am becoming more health conscious and I am retaking my fitness and wellness journey, one step at a time, I want to keep myself accountable and committed so that is why I am doing the Fit Friday series, where I am sharing posted focused on health and balance. Initially, the posts were thought out to be weekly, but – look out for the irony here – due to the lack of time due to work and personal life in the past two weeks, I did not manage to post on Fridays. Let’s see if this turns into a bi-weekly or rather monthly post in the end… stay tuned!
With that said, I want to take today’s post to talk about staying healthy in the office. For long time office workers this must already be known, but especially for those sceptical people just starting out to work (and sit at a desk) full time, there is one important thing to be aware of: back pain is a real thing.
If you are just starting to get into a routine of sitting at a desk 8 hours+ a day, then you might be sceptical about this. But I promise you, once a couple of years pass by, you will realise it’s real. My advice here is to get a standing desk at work – most employers have standing desks as the default option but depending where you work you might need a doctor’s note – as soon as possible. Especially if you feel any sign of back pain or discomfort, don’t delay it and get that doctor note for a standing desk. If you have no issue yet, still ask your employer for a standing desk so that you can develop a healthy routine as early as possible.
Once you’ve got the standing desk, make sure to incorporate that in your daily routine and spend at least half of each day standing. One side note here: make sure you have comfortable shoes for standing, otherwise you will end up doing more harm than good – it’s completely fine to have a second pair of shoes at work, be it sneakers, loafers or whatever you find more comfortable to switch for when you are standing. I personally keep a pair of training shoes at my desk for those days when I need something more comfortable while standing at my desk and also for making it easier to hit the gym right after work.
If you are still not convinced, there is plenty of literature on the Internet about the benefits of the standing desk. Some of them are: improved focus and energy, reduction of chronic pain, improved posture (if you pay attention to keeping the correct posture), helps the body stretch out, increasing blood flow and engaging the core, glutes and leg muscles; some say it even improves productivity. I personally stand every day for at least 2/3 of my day. I have to be more mindful of the shoes I am wearing to the office, but I can vouch for the benefits, which have reduced my back and neck pain and for making the days somewhat “lighter” thanks to that extra boost of energy.
How do you stay healthy in the work place? Do you use a standing desk as well? Let me know in the comments below, I’d love to hear about your experiences!
As always, stay healthy, stay balanced!
