5 Ways to Get Movement Into Your Day

Before I emigrated to the countryside, I – like many others – was office-bound, spending many hours sitting down staring at a screen. Ironically though, I was at my lightest then because I was an expert at getting exercise into my day without really trying. Here are my tips for getting some exercise into your working day:

1. Get off the bus/tube earlier

Although I worked in Chancery Lane, I used to get the train to Liverpool Street and walk the thirty or so minutes from there, instead of getting the tube. It only added 15 minutes to my commute and walking down the road, listening to my music, was far less stressful than trying to cram myself into a tube with dozens of other people. It also saved me money, as I only needed to buy an overground ticket, not a tube one. Result.

2. Go to the gym at lunchtime

Just as Londoners are never more than four feet from a rat, the same can be said for gyms. Maybe not quite as near as four feet away, but there are gyms all over the place and I had one an approximate one minute walk from my office, so I used to go there at lunchtime and spend 25 minutes on the rowing machine (you get less sweaty on a rowing machine than, say, the treadmill, so you don’t go back to work completely minging).

3. Go for a walk or run at lunchtime

On the days I didn’t go to the gym at lunchtime, I’d go for a walk down the Embankment. If you’ve ever been down there, you’ll know it’s (excuse the pun) overrun with runners, so if running’s your thing, you could squeeze a few miles into your lunchbreak (running at lunchtime never appealed to me – I’m not sure why).

4. Do a running commute

Although I never fancied running at lunchtime, I used to do a running commute most Tuesdays (other days are available). Not only do you get your miles in, it’s liberating not being tied down to public transport. London gets a lot smaller when you walk or run around it and don’t spend your life underground.

5. Take up office yoga

If you really can’t leave the office to get some exercise in, you can do yoga in your chair. Personally, I’ve never done any office yoga, but the infographic below can tell you all about it. Ommmmmmmmmmm.

Share your #OfficeYoga tips on Twitter @Furniture_Work (via Furniture at Work).