You’re sitting at your desk, and you notice your neck is stiff, your eyes are straining, and your lower back is aching. Muscle tension is part of the “desk job” portfolio, but it also comes with fatigue, mental health issues, and the risk of cardiovascular disease. So, how to manage it?
The answer isn’t “powering through”; it’s finding tiny ways to make your day work better for you.
While we’re often told to hit the gym five days a week to be healthy (which makes us not want to go at all), the truth is that’s just a myth. It really is the little things that matter most.
Instead of cramming movement into one long, high-intensity workout, our bodies thrive on little bits of activity spread throughout the day. Think of hunter-gatherer patterns, where we spent the day walking, squatting, or carrying food, not sprinting on a cycle machine in an enclosed room for 45 minutes.
Small moments of movement impact our health and calorie burn more than we realize, including walking from place to place, cleaning, or even fidgeting. These low to moderate intensity movements improve our health (and ability to function at work) in every way. They lead to lowered anxiety, more energy, and better problem-solving.
In this article, we’ll share specific tips to get you more active throughout the day — but in a way that feels natural. You don’t need to put in copious amounts of effort to overhaul your life. Tweaking a habit or two is all you need to get started. Ready?
Your commute doesn’t have to be dead time. With a few tweaks, it can help you shake off stress and start or end your day feeling more energized. Here are a few examples where you can choose one thing to focus on this week:
Standing desks have become all the rage for a reason — and they’re easy to use!
At some point, we all want to stretch our legs a bit, but getting up and walking around when we have work to do is a major blockade. Instead, just press the button on your electronic desk to move it up and stand while you work. Make sure to get a nice cushioned mat too, so your feet or lower back don’t hurt. Also, you could invest in a desk treadmill, which some people say is more comfortable than standing.
You can even find ways to make it a habit, rather than relying on your body for signals. For example:
Eating healthier and staying hydrated is easier said than done, especially because when we leave that goal vague, it’s impossible to follow through. “Eating better” sounds like you have to wake up tomorrow and have each meal perfectly planned out and healthy. And if it were that simple, you’d be doing it already.
Fortunately, you really don’t have to overhaul your life overnight. Instead, focus on one very practical goal you can put into action this week. For example,
How many of us have grabbed something quick to eat only to head back to our desks and eat while working? Society has made us believe we should never stop — work is the most important thing of all, right? Well, anyone who gets sick begs to differ.
If you don’t have your health, everything in life gets harder (including work). While actually breaking for lunch or leaving the building might seem trivial with deadlines looming, it could be the very thing that keeps you going. The energy you get from that break might even help you work smarter, since creativity and flow happen when we’re more relaxed, like after a walk.
Truly use your lunch. It’s there for you, not your company. What easy thing can you do to get a real break? Maybe it’s a walk to a nearby park or a fun gym class to boost those feel-good neurochemicals. Once you release those endorphins, everything will likely feel more manageable, too. It doesn’t have to be a daily 1-hour gym class, it could be quick walks, moving to music, eating with a coworker you like (without your phone in your hand), and maybe a fun dance class here and there (like boxing or Zumba to release any work tension).
You’ve heard tips like “take the stairs” before, but if it sounds incredibly boring and will never happen, that’s fine. Instead, look for other tiny shifts you can make in your day that add a slight bit of movement to your day. As long as it doesn’t feel overwhelming (or dreadful or boring), you’re likely to stick with it — especially if you start slow and make it enjoyable.
Find ways to make movement fun, like walking with a 5-minute podcast or scrolling funny cat videos that make you laugh. Maybe it’s climbing a floor instead of taking the elevator but first putting on some upbeat music, or moving in your office to dance songs for a little dopamine boost.
Some other sneaky ways to add movement to your day:
We so easily fall into the habit of taking the elevator or hunting down the closest parking spot to the building, but those little habits could add up to a few extra pounds over the years. These little movement moments can boost your heart rate, help stabilize hormones, and give you more mental energy to work efficiently (and maybe even head home early since you got your work done on time).
Check out this article for a list of non-gym exercises you can do from anywhere to pump up your energy levels.
We don’t tend to change our habits without anything reminding us to do so. Think about investing in a smartwatch that reminds you to move, or set a reminder to get up at every hour mark. Leave a post-it on your computer, put reminders in your calendar, whatever it takes. Even if it’s just a reminder to take a minute to roll your head and shoulders every hour, it’s something.
Research also shows that tracking and monitoring our habits makes us more likely to follow through. We get a little dopamine hit when we check something off our to-do list and can visually see our progress. Think of ways to reward yourself every time you move, like:
Small changes — like standing more, moving for just 2 minutes, adding one veggie, or setting reminders — can have a huge impact when done consistently. Except, consistency is usually the one place we all struggle. Sure, we can get motivated and excited and start, but one week later, we’re back to old habits. Why?
We’re primed to avoid change; we all want to avoid extra effort and preserve our energy (it’s just evolution at work). Thankfully, science has shown very specific ways to work around our biology. One of the biggest ones is accountability and support, which you can get with a trainwell personal trainer.
Our trainers help you personalize your goals, stay accountable, and actually follow through — without overwhelm or guilt. It’s about the tiniest tweaks that add up over time, not changing your life overnight.
Plus, when we have someone we actually like by our side, gently keeping us on track, we’re even more likely to stick with our goals (and even more so when a trainer helps make the goal more practical). That’s why trainwell lets you choose who you want to match with, so you feel comfortable and actually enjoy your time together.
Give it a try for yourself with a 14-day free trial, and match with someone who will support you, without judgment or pressure.
Written by Jennifer Olejarz.
