Another Reason to Exercise at Work

It’s taken some time, but I feel like we’re truly starting to understand the full effect of a lack of exercise. The obesity problem, insomnia, stress, back problems, the fact that sitting for hours a day can cut years off the end of our lives. It’s bad.

But, with understanding comes the promise of amends. When we know what’s going wrong we can figure out what needs to change, and we do need that change. Exercise at any point is worthwhile, but on the job is both important and a little difficult. We’re busy, there’s always a lot to do, and sometimes?it requires sitting for long periods at a time, in an office that really doesn’t offer much in the way of space for workouts. How can we pick ourselves up and start making our work lives benefit our health?

This article on Huffington Post summarizes some new research into the health benefits of exercising at work, starting from a simple 30-minute stroll:

Researchers at the University of Birmingham monitored 56 sedentary office workers at the university to see if walking during the day would improve their office outlook. The volunteers were instructed to walk for 30 minutes during their usual lunch period, at least three times a week. The study found that strolls may boost employees’ moods, as well as increase their ability to manage stress in the office.

The article provides even more insight into something we already know needs fixing. Instead of taking that time during lunch to sit some more, maybe eat a sandwich and have a smoke, use it to go for a walk outside, heck, go for a jog if you can, you’ll feel better in the short-term and live longer too!