I sit at a desk 8 hours a day. What are some things I can do at work to improve my health? - Comparably | Comparably

I sit at a desk 8 hours a day. What are some things I can do at work to improve my health?

Office Culture

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16 Answers

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    Top Employee Response

    That was a losing battle for me for twenty years. I was a college teacher with increasingly more and more on line classes and fewer and fewer long walks across campus to classrooms. I carried basically the same lunch of a piece of fruit, half a low fat sandwich, and carrot and celery sticks along with a large cup of water. Although I considered that healthy, it wasn't enough, and I was always famished when I got home and too tired to exercise. There was a gym on the way home from school, and I'd go almost daily after school for stretches of a month or two before I'd have after school errands or just too much exhaustion to bother changing clothes and getting bored on the treadmill or elliptical. For any consistency at all, I had to have full free days of holidays and summer breaks. I've now retired and can much better manage time for regular exercise, including water fitness classes, yoga, and cycling. Also, my diet is more varied and interesting.

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    Take short walk breaks and do chair exercises

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    Get away from that job and find a physical job

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    Get a standing desk. On a balance disk. Take the stairs.

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    Make sure you go to the bathroom when you need too. Don't overlook this natural need otherwise it will impact your health. There are new work tools nowadays that helps in sedentary jobs for example stand-up desks. This type workstation allows you to stand up to relieve your back muscles and posture. I sat in a job like this for 25 years, and it impacted my posture and back. Feet exercise while sitting is great for sedentary jobs, to keep the blood flowing.

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    try a terrible standing desk, or stand up and walk around once an hour.

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    Stand up

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    watch diet and get up and move about every hour.

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    Dring a lot of water and or juice. Get up once in a while and stretch

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    use a standing desk. walk at breaks.

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    I take a quick lunch and then go to a local park to get a nature walk in.

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    Set an alarm on the computer or your phone for every 20-30 minutes. Get up, stretch, walk around, roll your shoulders up, back and down to reset your posture. Probably the single most helpful thing you can do. Get a theraball to use as a chair. Improves dynamic posture and core strength. Take a 10 minute walk at lunch and during breaks to boost metabolism. Drink a lot of water. HVAC systems are very drying. Invest $10-$20 into a pair of blue light filtering glasses to help eye fatigue/strain. Eat lightly and healthy during the day. Focus on clean protein, high fiber carbohydrates and healthy fats. Heavy foods will slow digestion, make you feel tired and sluggish. Get outside at least once per day. Natural light and fresh air are restorative.

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    Stand up and walk around. Instead of calling or emailing a colleague, walk to their desk and converse face to face.

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    Talk lots of walks.

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    Stretch breaks every hour. Try to get out for small walks at lunch.

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    Get a job where you can walk around . If your job doesn’t allow you to get up stretch take breaks then you need a new job . Go for a walk on your lunch break . Eat healthy take stairs not elevators simple common sence