The benefits of being active now more than ever - 4 tips to help you incorporate exercise into your day.
Many of us promised ourselves that 2020 was the year we would get fit – the year we would get to the gym five days a week, and even make that dreaded 7 a.m. boot camp every Saturday morning. 2020 was going to be the year of lean eating, no drinking, and a more balanced approach to work and life. Then the global pandemic hit.
For some of us, losing our jobs, working from home or being in lockdown became our excuse for eating badly, not exercising and, in many instances, losing motivation to do any of our “usual” habits. In turn, losing motivation has played a huge part in increased reports of depression and anxiety and we owe it to ourselves (and each other) to aim for a healthier balance.
The good news is that in our own unique and individual way, we’re stronger and more resilient than we think. We have many resources at our fingertips that can help our mental health and our physical well being. Those resources include our friends, family, colleagues and peers.
Here are 4 useful tips to help you incorporate exercise into your work day;
- Incorporate exercise into your daily communications or team meetings
- Schedule a time to exercise and stick to it
- Competition can be healthy
- Stop emails and texts, start video calls
Incorporate exercise into your daily communications or team meetings
Some of our best ideas come from stepping away from a situation and walking it out. An inexpensive pair of earbuds or earphones coupled with whatsapp, facetime, zoom, teams or hangouts coupled with someone on the other end of the line will support you making this happen. Walk while talking to your friends, family or colleagues and you’ll be surprised by the new ideas you may come up with. This is all possible now thanks to communications platforms like Whatsapp, Facetime, Zoom, Microsoft Teams or Google Hangouts.
Schedule a time to exercise and stick to it
Some of us may be snowed under with job applications, interviews or internal meetings about candidates and projects, which, in turn, stop us from being active. If you make a conscious effort to take a half-hour break in the middle of the day to walk around the block, you will find yourself in a better mental space in the afternoon. When you do that, you’ll perform at your best.
Competition can be healthy
You’d be alarmed that some of your colleagues may only take 500 steps in an entire day. Maybe even you. Healthy adults should strive for 10,000 steps/day to retain a positive physiological health or mental wellbeing. Compare steps walked, floors climbed, or other fun metrics with your colleagues. You can measure these things by your phones, watches or fitbits. Alternatively, there are many inexpensive trackers on the market to help you beat your competition!
To tackle “velcro” state, try turning your daily step count into a competition. Check your friends’ scores and ask your family what they’ve achieved daily because healthy competition is a positive thing and by competing for steps, not only are you keeping fit, you’re interacting and giving kudos where it’s deserved!
Stop emails and texts, start video calls
Keeping up with a demanding inbox or a constant flow of WhatsApp's/texts is always stressful, regardless of if you’re a job seeker or working. Sending countless written communications when you’re at home is time-consuming and, in most cases, delays what can be a quick and effective solution via video calls. By suggesting a video call, not only will you become more action-oriented, but video calls will also allow you more interaction with other people - something we all miss whilst being at home.
Ultimately, there are several ways you can maintain your physical and mental well-being and most of them are free. These methods include the people we see and hear every day - our friends, family and colleagues. The only other ingredient is a desire to move forward, to progress and prepare for a better year ahead. If your future includes a career move, send us your CV today.