How to Build Healthy Habits by Making Daily Exercise at Work?
Work Wellness

How to Build Healthy Habits by Making Daily Exercise at Work?

|Aug 11, 2023
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Exercise is one of the best things you can do to keep your body healthy and your mind at ease. Contrary to popular belief, you don’t have to spend hours in a gym to start building healthy habits. As long as your daily exercise fits your needs and goals, you’re good to go. 

Unfortunately, not everyone has the time to take a few minutes of their day to walk outside or work out at home, so what can you do then? You can do your daily exercise routine at work! 

It may sound weird at first, but there are a few exercises you can start doing without bothering anyone at your workplace. If you do this routine long enough, you’ll start building healthier habits that will improve your performance and mental health. 

Are you ready to transform your life through simple daily exercise? Keep reading! 

How Can Daily Exercise at Work Positively Impact Your Performance?

If you work in an office, the chances are that you sit for too many hours a day. Even though sitting doesn’t demand too much energy from your body, that lack of physical activity can lead to different health issues such as heart disease. 

Did you know that 11 minutes of exercise each day can reduce the risk of early death? A study published by the British Journal of Sports Medicine suggests that exercising 11 minutes a day (or 75 minutes a week) could help prevent one in 10 premature deaths. 

As mentioned at the beginning, there’s a common belief that you have to spend a lot of time working out to see results. Time is one of the most crucial factors in determining whether you start exercising or not. This is why there are many fitness experts promoting exercise routines that don’t take more than a few minutes. 

Even if you think that 11 minutes a day is nothing, keep in mind that a short amount of exercise is much better than no exercise at all. Even with a simple exercise daily challenge, you’ll start seeing benefits in your body and mind. 

What are the benefits of daily exercise at work? You’d be surprised about how many there are! 

Better Physical and Mental Health

Exercising daily can help prevent severe health conditions like diabetes and heart disease. People who work long hours and have a sedentary lifestyle in general are more likely to experience these problems. 

Creating a daily exercise routine helps strengthen your body’s muscles, which can greatly impact your work performance. Exercising at work can help you strengthen your back and shoulders, which improves your posture.

Simple daily exercise can also help with your mental health. Working long hours can cause depression or anxiety symptoms, especially if your job is too demanding. Thankfully, an exercise routine will make you feel better in the long run. 

Having positive mental health can help you become much more productive while working.

Better Physical and Mental Health

Less Stress

Exercise does an excellent job of reducing stress levels. Once you’re finished with your workout, your body and mind are filled with a relaxing effect, which can help you focus on your job more clearly. 

It’s normal to feel stressed at work. The problem is when stress levels are so high that they affect your performance. You can solve that issue with an exercise daily challenge. 

Better Sleep

Lack of quality sleep can cause a huge negative effect on your work routine. It can make you feel tired all day long, which reduces your focus and impacts your mood negatively. 

Once you start exercising, you’ll likely improve your sleep quality. This can help you get a good night’s rest and stay alert the next day.

Better Sleep

More Productivity

People who exercise daily tend to be more productive in other areas of their lives. Daily exercise routines can keep you motivated throughout the day, which can impact your work productivity and performance positively. 

Higher Energy Levels and Job Satisfaction

One of the best effects of exercising is how energized it can make you feel. As your body starts entering a more “active” state, you’ll notice how you feel more alert and productive throughout the day. 

Since you’ll start feeling more refreshed and alert, you’re also likely to feel more satisfied with your job. Sometimes, it’s not that you don’t like your job, it’s that you’re too tired and grumpy to do it. However, exercise can clear your mind and let you see life for how it truly is. 

As you can see, there are several benefits of daily exercise to consider. If you feel like you can’t work out because of time issues, don’t worry. There’s a solution that can get you started on a healthier lifestyle even if you’re at work. 

Among all the wellness day ideas you can find, getting an adjustable-height desk is one of the best ones. These products allow you to move your body even while you work, allowing you to get a few exercises in. 

There’s a difference between standing vs sitting calories, so if you want to get the most benefits without risking your health, home office desks are the right ones for you. 

Benefits of Incorporating a Standing Desk in Your Workplace 

Standing desks are among the top “ergonomics” measures you can take to become healthier. 

As mentioned, sitting for too long is bad for your health. You can alleviate some of the pain by getting an ergonomic office chair, but if you pair it with a great standing desk, your body will feel more relaxed than ever. 

Here are all the benefits you can get from incorporating a standing desk in your workplace: 

Lower Risk of Weight Gain

You can avoid gaining weight even if you only start standing at work. Standing is known for burning more calories than sitting, and in some cases, the difference is significant enough.

Lower Risk of Weight Gain

Lower Blood Sugar Levels

According to a small study, standing for some time after lunch can help you reduce your blood sugar spike. On the contrary, sitting right after getting lunch can cause negative effects on your body’s blood sugar levels.

Lower Risk of Heart Disease

Sitting all day promotes a sedentary lifestyle, which is known for increasing the risk of suffering from heart disease. Standing from time to time can help reduce that risk.

Lower Risk of Heart Disease

Less Back Pain

You may not notice, but if you work for long hours, your posture will start to get worse eventually. This is because the body will start feeling uncomfortable, making it look for better options to feel more relaxed. 

If you experience this problem daily, you will start feeling pain in your back due to bad posture. A standing desk and daily exercise routine can help you improve your posture and decrease chronic back pain. 

Better Mood and Higher Energy

Standing can help you lower your fatigue and stress levels, which will likely make you feel better and more energized. Sitting for too long can increase the likelihood of experiencing high anxiety levels, so standing for a while can help deal with that problem. 

Better Posture

Not only does standing help you avoid back pain, but it will also deal with neck and shoulder pain. Having a good posture causes a wide range of positive benefits in your physical and mental health, and a standing desk is a great place to start working on that.

Better Posture

Better Circulation

Have you ever felt like your legs start becoming numb after sitting for a while? This is because sitting puts your legs in a position where they’re not working at all, and if you don’t move them, the blood flow there will get slower. 

Standing, on the other hand, strengthens your leg muscles and promotes better blood flow there, which can help you feel more active. This activity can also improve your balance. Human bodies were designed to stand and walk, not sit for so long. 

Simple Exercises You Can Do with a Standing Desk

There are many standing desk exercises to lose weight out there. Even if your goal isn’t to lose weight, a good standing desk workout can give you plenty of benefits to feel more energized and productive while you work. 

Here are a few exercises you can do with your smart desk

Heel Raises

Heel raises are the simplest movements you can implement in your simple daily exercise routine. If you have a standing desk, all you have to do is raise yourself onto your toes. This movement will get your heels up while you keep your body straight. 

You’ll notice how blood is flowing much better to your legs by doing this movement for a few sets. The best part of this exercise is that you can keep working while you do it since you’ll still have your arms free. 

Jogging

It may seem weird, but trying to take little steps or jogging while you work can get your heart pumping, leading to better circulation overall. Doing it for a few minutes each day is enough to help your physical and mental health, so if you have a standing desk, you should incorporate it into your daily exercise routine.

Jogging - daily exercise

Balancing

Balancing exercises could be hard, depending on the work you’re doing and how good you’re at keeping your body straight. If you’re used to sitting for long hours, you’ll have trouble with these exercises, so make sure to take it slowly. 

You can start by lifting one of your legs off the ground and keeping your balance with the other one. Feel free to use the desk as support. Another excellent variant is to raise your leg and bend it toward the opposite side so that the heel sits on top of the other knee. If you lower your other leg, you’ll stretch your glute muscles. 

There are many balancing exercises to consider, so make sure to choose one that feels challenging enough. 

Squats

You can do a few sets of squats if you have a few minutes to spare while at work. This movement will give both your legs and hips a stronger workout. 

If you have a standing desk, you can hold onto the edges to set up the movement. A few sets will be enough to get your blood flowing.

Squats - daily exercise

Lunges

Lunges are excellent to help you stretch your legs in the morning. Side lunges are typically better to “wake up” your body. 

All you have to do is squat over one leg while stretching the other one. Make sure to switch positions for each set to get a good stretch.

Lunges - daily exercise

Push-Ups

If your standing desk is sturdy enough, you could use it as support to perform a few push-ups against it. To get started, place your feet back, rest your hands against the desk’s edge, and lean forward/push back. 

The desks at Autonomous are perfect for those who want to incorporate push-ups into their daily exercise routine. 

Stretches

You may not notice, but your body’s muscles will tense up after a few hours of work. This applies especially to your neck, back, glute, and shoulder muscles. 

Taking a few breaks each day to stretch different parts of your body will help you relax your muscles and take tension off them. This will make your body feel better and get you in a better mood too!

Stretches - daily exercise

Invest in a Standing Desk from Autonomous and Get the Benefits of Daily Exercise!

Are you ready to start your daily exercise routine? Get the best equipment available at Autonomous. 

The company’s standing desk lineup offers a modern approach to these modern tables, with each product giving you all the features you need to start practicing your standing sessions at work.

You can do all of the exercises we mentioned on this page with the standing desks from Autonomous, so all you have to do is choose an option that suits your budget and goals. 

Autonomous Ring - Habit promise for a better you

Whether you’re looking for a small or an L-standing desk, starting an exercise daily challenge at work will bring you a lot of benefits you’ll be grateful for in the future. 

We hope this page has helped you understand the benefits of daily exercise. Transform your life today!

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