How to reach 10K steps when you have a full-time office job?

We are living in the digital era, where high-tech rules every area of our life. With increased digitization and automation at the workplace, many jobs, professions, and designations have become full-time, 9 to 5 (or beyond) – desk jobs. Is it really a good thing? Not necessarily!

Various studies have been conducted around the ills of sitting for long hours at work or living a sedentary lifestyle. It’s not without reason that sitting is called the new smoking. People who sit for long hours are at the risk of developing obesity, cardiovascular disease, metabolic syndrome, diabetes, premature mortality, and cancer. Desk-workers who were interviewed have other grouses such as the workstation not feeling comfortable, feeling exhausted during the workday, repeated bouts of neck and lower back pain.

In recent years, walking 10000 steps a day is touted as an excellent exercise and one that guarantees health and agility well into the older years. 10000 steps equal approximately 5 miles and burns 500 calories. An average adult walks a mile or lesser every day.

According to research, walking offers various benefits. It boosts heart health, strengthens muscles, improves mood, reduces stress, improves fitness, relieves anxiety, reduces dementia risk, fights fatigue, and cuts the risk of mortality from cancer. Walking is also free and doesn’t cost anything. Instruments like Fitbit worn on the body even make it easy to record the number of steps taken.

But having a full-time office job can present challenges in your ability to complete 10k steps every-day. The below tips and guidelines will help you overcome this and meet your daily target.

A word of caution: if you suffer from varicose veins or any other condition of the legs or lower back (such as a recent hip-fracture or abdominal surgery), consult a doctor before you embark on the 10k steps initiative.

At the workplace / during working hours

• If your workplace is close to your home, cycle or walk to work.
• If you use public transport, get off an earlier stop and walk to work.
• If you drive, park further away from your building or take a longer route to your office.
• If you eat lunch at the workplace, take a small walk before and after the meal.
• If you eat at a cafeteria, take a longer route to get there.
• Dump the email: Walk up to your colleague’s desk and have a chat.
• Use a sit-stand desk: You can ask your company to buy you one or you can buy one online. The table can be moved up and down to let you work while standing or sitting.
• Dump the after-work drinks with colleagues and catch up for a game of sport.
• Use a balance board while standing at work. This will force you to move at your desk.
• Pace up and down the corridor while taking a conference call.
• Get up every hour and walk around for 5 minutes. If this is difficult to remember, set up an alarm on your phone.
• If your office has multiple floors, go to the washroom or water fountain on a floor different from yours.
• If you need to meet a colleague or join a meeting, take the longer route to get there.
• If your campus has 2 or more buildings, get out of your building, take a walk around the campus and then go to your destination.
• During lunch time: Walk outside of your building and within the campus, or go for a walk. Walk to a store or supermarket and make purchases for home or self.
• Occasionally, have a team meeting outdoors within your campus. The fresh-air and sunshine will do wonders for everyone’s mood.
• One of the most popular exercise tips – use the stairs! Dump the lift and use the stairs to get to your desk or away from the desk.

During personal or leisure time

• Join an aerobics class if there is one nearby. This will easily add many steps in a short time.
• Join a gym and hit the treadmill every day. Else, buy a treadmill and use at home.
• Do not reserve all your home-tidying and cleaning work for the weekend. Do it every day, while you are walking at home.
• Do not accumulate all your personal chores (like putting away the garbage, checking the mailbox, watering your garden) for one time of the day. The act of combining 2 or more chores will reduce the number of steps taken. Spread them out over the day and you will take more steps.
• If you enjoy running, do it every day. You can easily do 2 miles a day.
• Join a sports group. Indulge in a sport 3 or more days a week. Any sport will force you to take many steps.
• Play sports with your kids at home or where you live.
• Join a hiking or adventure group and take long hikes once a quarter. You will meet the daily quota for a couple of days in just 1 day.
• While vacationing, do not sit in the room or travel in a car or bus all day. Take long walks at the location and enjoy the outdoors.
• While watching TV or taking calls on your phone, pace around the house or living room (if your family doesn’t mind it).
• Do your shopping on foot: Avoid buying all your weekly groceries in one go. This will force you to use the car. Distribute it through the week and buy a couple of items every now and then so that you can carry them home with ease.
• If you would like to treat yourself to a dessert or a snack once in a while, get there and back, on foot. You will burn off the extra calories and add more steps to your day.

 

Kauvery Hospital is globally known for its multidisciplinary services at all its Centers of Excellence, and for its comprehensive, Avant-Grade technology, especially in diagnostics and remedial care in heart diseases, transplantation, vascular and neurosciences medicine. Located in the heart of Trichy (Tennur, Royal Road and Alexandria Road (Cantonment), Chennai, Hosur, Salem, Tirunelveli and Bengaluru, the hospital also renders adult and pediatric trauma care.

Chennai – 044 4000 6000 • Trichy – Cantonment – 0431 4077777 • Trichy – Heartcity – 0431 4003500 • Trichy – Tennur – 0431 4022555 • Hosur – 04344 272727 • Salem – 0427 2677777 • Tirunelveli – 0462 4006000 • Bengaluru – 080 6801 6801