4 Ways to Add Movement into Your Workshifting Routine

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I thought the great thing about workshifting is that you don’t have to sit in an office all day. You can grab your computer-tablet-Smartphone and get to work at your favorite coffee shop, or in the park, on an airplane, or even in a tree house (well, if you have a tree house).

Turns out workshifting might not be so awesome after all.

Have you seen the Work is Murder infographic? Mashable compiled a whole bunch of nasty statistics that show that sitting around all day is bad for your health. Wherever it is you happen to be sitting around. As in 14.6 pounds worth of calories we’re no longer burning each year in our jobs compared to our parents and grandparents.

So what’s a workshifter to do?

I’ve taken up workstepping part time, and here’s what I’ve found out: it’s easier than you might think to add a little movement into your day.

Here are some tips to get started:

1. Put on your walking shoes.

As in, wear them so you have no excuses.

2. Schedule breaks.

Think of it as a Pomodoro break for your body. When I’m sitting around most of the day, I try to take a walk break every hour or two. In my case, I walk a half mile on the treadmill–part of my quest to add 3+ miles of walking daily on top of my workout routine. But you can walk the halls if you live in a big high-rise building, go up and down the stairs in your house, or get outside and walk around the block for 5-15 minutes. The key: movement.

3. Walk while you talk.

Maybe it’s because I’ve gotten used to moving more at work, but I’ve started pacing while I’m on the phone. Not every phone call, of course. But if you’re on a conference call on mute and find yourself surfing the Web, can you stand up and stretch (or walk around) instead?

4. Dive into your RSS feed, check your e-mail, watch a video–and walk.

We’re all taking in a lot of information every day. And we’re mostly sitting down while we do it. TED talks, a friend pointed out, are great for walk breaks.

Bonus Tip:

Edit while you walk (and I don’t mean a manuscript). This one is, admittedly, rather tricky as I’ve found that it’s not so easy to walk and write at the same time. But it can be a good way to add a little exercise when you’re editing through a white paper, back blog posts, or a client report.

Have you tried workstepping? What tips would you add?

Photo credit: misterbisson

Tags: fitness, healthy, homeoffice, infographic, office, stress, technology, Tips, work environment