Most of us spend our days sitting at a desk, staring at a monitor, tablet or smartphone. In the PR world, the only opportunities for physical activity may be a brisk walk to catch a session at a conference or hustling a client out of an interview went it starts to go wrong. Of course, there’s the possibility you may work up a sweat accompanying a wayward exec on a perp walk, but let’s not even go there.
US government guidelines suggest that “adults should do at least 2 hours and 30 minutes each week of aerobic physical activity at a moderate level or 1 hour and 15 minutes each week of aerobic physical activity at a vigorous level.”
But the Harvard Business Review says that most people who carry smartphones for work are connected to their jobs 13.5 or more hours per day on weekdays and about five on weekends, for a total of about 72 hours.
Who doesn’t have a smartphone within reach right this minute? With a 72 hour week, it can be hard to fit in even a few hours of physical activity in your spare time.
United Healthcare offers some creative ways to cram in a little exercise while at the office. Maybe these can work out for you:
- Take a quick walk outside over the lunch hour.
- Use the stairway instead of the elevator.
- Use a restroom on another floor.
- Sit at your desk on an exercise ball, which works core and back muscles, for short periods of time, if appropriate for your work environment.
- Park as far as you can in the parking lot from the front door so you have to walk more.
- Keep some hand weights, resistance bands or other small exercise equipment at your work area and do a few reps when you can.
After all, if the only time you break a sweat is when you’re on deadline or your client gets called before Congress, you may not be as healthy as you think you are.
Follow Brian W. Kelly: @bwpkelly