{"id":1461,"date":"2021-10-05T07:47:59","date_gmt":"2021-10-05T07:47:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/virtualbrainhealthcenter.com\/?p=1461"},"modified":"2021-10-05T07:47:59","modified_gmt":"2021-10-05T07:47:59","slug":"5-microsteps-to-keep-you-healthy-if-you-have-a-desk-job","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/virtualbrainhealthcenter.com\/directory\/5-microsteps-to-keep-you-healthy-if-you-have-a-desk-job\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Microsteps to Keep You Healthy if You Have a Desk Job"},"content":{"rendered":"

Your well-being doesn\u2019t have to take a hit just because \u201csitting\u201d is a job requirement.\u00a0\u201cBuild in brain breaks throughout your day to optimize your brain performance and prevent fatigue,\u201d Dr. Krystal L. Culler, D.B.H., M.A., founder of\u00a0Your Brain Health Matters,<\/a>\u00a0LLC, tells Thrive.<\/p>\n

A lot of us with office jobs know: Living a healthy<\/a> lifestyle can be especially tough when we\u2019re stuck behind a desk<\/a> all day. For one, getting enough physical activity<\/a> is a hurdle \u2014\u00a0and the big irony is that it\u2019s easy to feel more<\/em> tired after long stretches without movement. Then there\u2019s the challenge of trying to make nutritious eating choices, but falling into a trap of munching on unhealthy snacks or \u201cemotional grazing\u201d to deal with job stress.<\/p>\n

But despite these challenges, it\u2019s not impossible to stay healthy while being desk-bound \u2014 no matter how busy your job is. That\u2019s why we\u2019ve compiled five simple Microsteps<\/a> to incorporate into your daily routine to help improve your health at work.<\/p>\n

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Take regular breaks<\/strong><\/p>\n

Hustle culture perpetuates the myth that if you work until you drop, you\u2019re optimizing your performance and setting yourself up for success. In reality, that\u2019s not the case at all: Ultimately, overworking and working a sedentary job late into the evening is a recipe for burnout<\/a> and, at the very least, a cognitive fog. In other words, you need to give yourself breaks (which involve, yes, leaving your desk) in order to keep performing at your best. \u201cBuild in brain breaks throughout your day to optimize your brain performance and prevent fatigue,\u201d Dr. Krystal L. Culler, D.B.H., M.A., founder of Your Brain Health Matters,<\/a> LLC, tells Thrive. According to research<\/a>, regular breaks \u2014 even short ones \u2014 can help you make better decisions, inspire motivation, and increase productivity and creativity. So schedule yourself some \u201cyou\u201d time throughout your work day. Your body and brain will thank you.<\/p>\n

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Move and stretch at least twice a day<\/strong><\/p>\n

It\u2019s not just your brain that needs a break: Your body does, too. Research has shown that extended sitting can be harmful: For example, according to the Mayo Clinic<\/a>, one analysis found that those who sat for more than eight hours a day with no physical activity had a risk of dying similar to those posed by smoking and obesity. Other outcomes of \u201csitting disease\u201d include increased blood pressure, high blood sugar, and depression<\/a>, which is why making sure you get enough movement each day is especially important if you work a desk job. According to the Harvard Health Blog<\/a>, just 25 minutes of physical activity (walking counts!) can help offset the negative negative health effects of sitting all day. But really, just moving at all, <\/em>in a way that\u2019s comfortable and sustainable for you, is key. Mitchell Starkman<\/a>, RPT, MScPT, Toronto based physiotherapist, has a Microstep solution: \u201cUse moments like reading an email, or taking a call to inject some movement and mobility in your life. It\u2019s no extra time in your day, but has all of the benefits,\u201d he explains. \u201cIt can also grow to be somewhat of a cue or habit over time. Whenever the phone rings: \u2018time to get up and stretch.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

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Opt for standing or walking meetings<\/strong><\/p>\n

If you\u2019re determined to get your 25 minutes of exercise in everyday, one simple step is to transform stationary work meetings to chairless or walking meetings<\/a>. It\u2019s exactly what it sounds like: Meetings during which you don\u2019t sit down, but move around instead, allowing your body to get some much needed exercise in while <\/em>you\u2019re at work, without taking any time away from your responsibilities. \u201cChairless meetings entail a simple, but extremely effective solution to improve our well-being and increase our movement variability at the office,\u201d Starkman points out. \u201cSome folks opt to just remove their chairs from the boardroom and meet in there. Team members can stand or pace side to side.\u201d As for walking meetings, you don\u2019t even have to go outside. Simply walk around the halls, or move around the room. Over time, you\u2019ll get used to this meeting style, and may even come to prefer it.<\/p>\n

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Carry a reusable water bottle<\/strong><\/p>\n

Drinking enough water is of utmost importance for your health and<\/em> ability to work: Dehydration can cause cognitive deficiency, impair executive function, and make you less alert and productive<\/a>. It can also negatively impact your mood. If you struggle with reminding yourself to drink water<\/a>, Culler suggests investing in a reusable water bottle and creating \u201cmemory routines\u201d around it. For example: Make it a default practice to refill your bottle every two hours, or every time you get up to go to the bathroom. And if that\u2019s not your thing, there are lots <\/em>of apps that help you keep track of your water intake.<\/p>\n

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Bring your own snacks and lunch<\/strong><\/p>\n

Bringing your own food to work is an absolute game-changer<\/a>: First of all, providing your own healthy options to munch on all day keeps you from eating whatever\u2019s in the kitchen out of boredom<\/a>, and, according to Harvard Medical School<\/a> , snacking and eating small, frequent meals throughout the day also helps boost energy and productivity. \u201cProper planning is the key to achieving any goal,\u201d says Bonnie Balk, R.D., a registered dietitian. \u201cAnd by bringing your home-prepared food to work, you are setting the foundation for healthy eating.\u201d A little tip to avoid ditching your meals and snacks for the more appealing food (hi, cupcakes!) in the office: Make sure that your healthy food also tastes good<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Your well-being doesn\u2019t have to take a hit just because \u201csitting\u201d is a job requirement.\u00a0\u201cBuild in brain breaks throughout your day to optimize your brain performance and prevent fatigue,\u201d Dr. Krystal L. Culler, D.B.H., M.A., founder of\u00a0Your Brain Health Matters,\u00a0LLC, tells Thrive. A lot of us with office jobs know: Living a healthy lifestyle can […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":1462,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[180,179],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1461","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured","category-memory"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/virtualbrainhealthcenter.com\/directory\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/444.webp","acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/virtualbrainhealthcenter.com\/directory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1461","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/virtualbrainhealthcenter.com\/directory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/virtualbrainhealthcenter.com\/directory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/virtualbrainhealthcenter.com\/directory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/virtualbrainhealthcenter.com\/directory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1461"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/virtualbrainhealthcenter.com\/directory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1461\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/virtualbrainhealthcenter.com\/directory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1462"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/virtualbrainhealthcenter.com\/directory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1461"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/virtualbrainhealthcenter.com\/directory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1461"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/virtualbrainhealthcenter.com\/directory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1461"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}