10 Ways to Fit in Fitness at Work

Over the last several days, I’ve had some insightful conversations with a few of my clients centered around how to ‘fit in exercise’ into our already crazy lives. More specifically, one of the most frequent comments I hear is, “I don’t have time to exercise because my job is so demanding.” I can certainly sympathize, having left a fast-paced sales career for the fitness business. I remember all too well the late nights at the office or out on the road. And here in DC, so many are beholden to late-night congressional votes, RFP’s, and proposal deadlines, which leads to an abundance of 9:00 pm meetings and even the occasional all-nighter. With all the demands on your day, how do you keep yourself from turning into an overstressed, overweight, lethargic drone? How do you prevent becoming the one who’s forgotten what running shoes look like, much less how long it’s been since you've actually used them?

While quitting your job to maybe seem like a blissful solutions at times, it’s probably not practical. So what do you do when there is simply no way to squeeze any exercise into your jam-packed work day? Here are 10 ways to fit in fitness at work:

1. Stand up. Best case scenario is to beg for, borrow, or steal a standing desk. But, if that’s not an option, set a timer on your phone to get up and take a lap around your floor, office, or even your desk. Standing improves circulation, engages lethargic glute muscles, and stretches those pesky hip flexors. If you use public transportation, stand! You’ll be fitter and look like a champ for giving your seat to someone else.
2. Hydrate. Make a goal to drink water during your work day. Keep a water bottle at the office and fill it often. Drinking will not only keep you hydrated, but also cause you to go to the bathroom, a great excuse to get up and move.
3. Visit the next floor. While on said bathroom break, go to the bathroom and/or water dispenser on the floor either above or below yours. This way you’ll get a few more steps in - remember the bathroom scenes in the movie “Hidden Figures”? Like that. But maybe not to that extreme.
4. Take the stairs. Yes. The stairs. What if you work on the 20th floor? Well, that’s what goals are for. Climbing stairs not only engages the lower body and the core, but it’s great for the cardiovascular system.
5. Walk to work. This one’s self-explanatory. Even if you have to drive in due to your distance from the office, park at the FURTHEST spot away from the entrance so you walk more (good thing is there’s always lots of spaces on the roof of the parking garage:) If you take metro, try stopping one stop before your normal one and hoof it the last few blocks. Ladies, take a pair of flats or running shoes and keep your heels in your bags until you get to the office.
6. Conference call yoga. Yes, I have a client that actually does this--which is AWESOME! She simply shuts her door while on a call and does some yoga poses or other simple stretches while her counterparts are completely unaware. Gotta love the speakerphone-mute combo.
7. Lunch-hour workouts. This isn’t always an option, but if you’ve got an hour, hit the jogging trail for lunch instead of the newest bistro on the corner. Even if you only sneak in a 20 min jog/walk/gym session, that gives 40 min to clean up, change, and head back to your desk. Planning ahead makes this easy, as you can chow down on your healthy snacks as you resume your work day.
8. Prioritize your prep. Preparing makes all the difference. Meal planning, gathering some healthy snacks, packing a gym bag, leaving the house 5 minutes earlier, or stuffing walking flats into your oversized purse are all little things that make it just that much easier to fit in the fitness in your work day.
9. Take breaks. With even the most stressful jobs, you can create a bit of downtime. The key here is CREATE. You’ve got to prioritize down time. Take a 10 minute break to call your kids, your spouse, step outside, or grab a snack. Returning to face a work challenge after even a short break will ofttimes bring different perspective and clarity to a situation. Whether you leave town each weekend to avoid the crazy, or just hit up a movie, do something to unstring the bow on a regular basis.
10. Don’t stress. Better said, “don’t react poorly” to stress. Work-related stress will be there regardless. Studies show that how we handle stress is a much better indicator of longevity and happiness than the presence or absence of it. Understand that even if you miss a deadline or lose that deal, ABC firm or XYZ government agency will continue to function. Your life, and that of your organization will go on just fine. I can be hard to believe sometimes, but I promise you it’s true. Remember the immortal words of Bob Marley, “every little thing’s gonna be all right.”

So there you have it. 10 ways to fit in fitness at the office. So get to it! Go take a lap around the office and refill that water bottle. Until next time, stay TriFit.