Ways To Exercise While You're At The Office

If you work a standard nine-to-five desk job, you probably know the struggle of staying in shape as you go about your day-to-day. Sitting at a desk for 40 hours a week isn't exactly conducive to an active lifestyle, and you probably find yourself getting your fitness on outside the office — maybe you regularly head to the gym after work every day, or you're an avid hiker on the weekends. But what if we told you there's a way to get some exercise in while you're at the office? 

We know what you're thinking. Your office doesn't have a gym, and your boss won't like it if you start doing step aerobics in the lounge. We're not going to advise you to bring your whole home gym setup to work with you (actually, we advise against it). But there are some really easy ways to help yourself stay in shape while at your desk job. Whether you decide to do exercises in your chair, choose to walk everywhere, or get the whole office in on it, you're about to find that it's easier to sneak in some exercise than you think. Here are 12 of our favorite ways to exercise while you're at the office. 

Some of us just can't stand all day. Maybe you have a chronic (or temporary) knee condition, ankle condition, or other condition that makes it difficult to stand for too long. Or maybe you just don't want to stand all day — no shade for that! Whatever your reasons for not wanting to stand may be, there are still ways to get your office fitness in while remaining seated. One of our favorite ways to do this is by replacing your office chair with a the right fitness ball. 

Why do we love fitness balls? Well, they help you stay in shape without putting in much conscious effort, for one. Staying put on an exercise ball requires balance, and as you work to keep your balance, your core can get a serious workout. Working out your core can also help reduce back pain as your core muscles are strengthened, and it'll help you maintain good posture, as well. When looking for an exercise ball, make sure you get one high enough to support you at your desk — you may find yourself needing a slightly lower desk to make this possible. 

If you tend to pack your work lunches, we applaud and admire you. For many of us, though, the hustle and bustle leaves too little energy to even think about the next day's lunch, let alone prepare it in advance. Come lunchtime the next day, our stomachs are growling and we've nothing else to do but rely on Uber Eats for sustenance. No shame if this sounds like your typical routine — in fact, it just presents another opportunity to get some exercise in at the office. 

The next time you forget (or just don't want) to pack lunch, instead of ordering in, why not walk somewhere to get it? The walk could be as short as across the street to your favorite deli to sit down with a sandwich. If you have a longer lunch break, make a little outing out of it by walking somewhere a few blocks away. Even if your lunch break isn't super long, it might be possible on some days to take a long walk to pick up lunch, then just bring it back and eat at your desk. Or, maybe there aren't really any good food options in the vicinity. If that's the case, take your packed lunch on a little walk and find somewhere to sit outside and eat. This is also a great opportunity to turn it into some social time by inviting your coworkers to come along, as well. 

Want to stay really active through your workday? Getting a standing desk is a good first step, but to go the extra mile (pun intended), you might find yourself wanting to invest in an under-desk elliptical or treadmill (sometimes called a walking pad). Under-desk treadmills are a great, almost mindless way to exercise throughout your day — put it on a low speed and walk as you type, make phone calls, or even get on Zoom.

If space is a concern for you, most under-desk treadmills are compact enough to keep out of the way. Some even fold up and can get pretty compact. Walking is a great low-intensity exercise, and if you use an under-desk treadmill for most of the day, you might find yourself needing more sustenance than normal. Try keeping some healthy snacks handy, like fruit, nuts, or trail mix to ensure you don't get dizzy or lightheaded. 

Sure, you can exercise at the office on your own, but wouldn't it be more fun if you got your coworkers in on it? Exercising at the office with your coworkers is a great way to not only make exercise time more enjoyable, but it's also a great way to hold each other accountable to getting your office fitness time in. You could get the whole office together, or just pick your favorite coworker to take walking and stretching breaks with. Exercising together can be helpful if you're passionate about making friends in the workplace, too.

If you want to really go hard with your office exercise time, have a chat with your boss or supervisor about it. Explain that you think you and your coworkers would benefit from some active time in the office, and propose having a short staff workout time for about 10 minutes at the beginning of each work day. You could also easily incorporate exercises into already existing office routines. For example, if you have a daily office meeting, suggest stretching together for a couple of minutes at the beginning and end of the meeting. Of course, you don't have to formalize office exercise time, but doing so could help make it a healthy routine not only for you but for your coworkers, as well. 

How many times throughout the day do you have meetings with office coworkers via Zoom or an across-the-desk chat? There's certainly nothing wrong with sitting down to meet with your boss or coworker about something, and sometimes it may even be necessary, especially if note-taking is involved or you need to look at something on a computer screen together. On the other hand, if your meeting is about brainstorming, discussing ideas, or will be otherwise talk-based, why not walk around the office while you talk?

Walking around during meetings or chats with a coworker is a great way to get some steps in at the office. If your office is small and you're worried you'll disturb other coworkers, do double duty and make your walking-around time outside time as well by taking a walk around the block or even just the office parking lot. You don't have to walk for the entirety of the meeting, either — if you tend to start your office meetings with a bit of catch-up time, just do a brief 10-minute walk around the office with a coworker at the beginning of your meeting. 

Nowadays, we tend to use shortcuts anytime we can. We order food instead of picking it up, we order groceries instead of shopping for them, and we grab the parking spot as close to the store as we can find. If you work in an office building, you probably find yourself using a lot of shortcuts there, as well. Maybe you park on the ground level of the parking garage or you take the elevator up to your floor.

Skipping these shortcuts is an ultra-easy way to incorporate exercise into your already-existing routine. Take the stairs instead of the elevator to walk up to your floor, and park as far away from the office as you can. Do you work on the 12th floor of a building and just don't want to walk up that many flights of stairs? You don't have to — just walk up two or three, and take the elevator from there.  Either way, it's a surefire way to get some more exercise in than you would otherwise.