7 Workplace Hacks to Avoid a Sedentary Day - And Why You Should

We’re experts in finding you the perfect office space at the best price – no matter how big or small your business is. Ask us to start your search (it won’t cost you a penny) or take a look at your options.

As we pass our one-year anniversary of using kitchen tables, beds and even ironing boards as desks, we explore how sitting still from 9-5 can take a toll on our bodies and minds. Here’s a handful of workplace hacks to avoid a sedentary day – and why you really need to use them.

On any given pre-Covid day, we took for granted the amount we moved. We’d walk to train stations, stand on the tube, climb sets of stairs, walk to meeting rooms, meet friends for evening meals and eventually journey home.

Though none of that felt like exercise, it all added up to a fairly mobile day. But since working from home, our step counts have diminished into the microcosms of our homes – from table to fridge, from couch to bed, and weather-permitting, from home and back.

In fact, data published by Vitality in 2020 highlighted a 28% drop in physical events, “such as cardio sessions, daily step counts and gym workouts, during a two week period, from 16 to 26 March, compared to the 10 weeks period of 6 January to 15 March.” This was most prominently driven by a sharp decline in the number of people reaching their daily step counts.

What’s worse is that whilst working from home, our bodies have been deprived of office furniture – which, in most cases, is designed ergonomically to support our posture, the angle of our necks and even our proximity to our screens.

Subscribe to The World of Work Newsletter

Get your monthly dose of workplace insights, productivity hacks and business leadership ideas - delivered straight to your inbox.

Subscribe to The World of Work Newsletter

Sitting has been dubbed our generation’s ‘new smoking’, and it’s been called a ‘lethal activity’ by James Levine, a doctor of endo­crinology at the Mayo Clinic.

The science behind a sedentary day

To put it bluntly, we need to sit less and move more.

Sitting for long, uninterrupted periods of time is said to slow down your metabolism, which hinders your body’s ability to regulate its blood pressure and its blood sugar levels.

In fact, sitting has been dubbed our generation’s ‘new smoking’, and it’s been called a ‘lethal activity’ by James Levine, a doctor of endo­crinology at the Mayo Clinic. In fact, after just an hour of sitting down, studies have suggested there’s a 90% decline in the production of enzymes that burn fat. But the dangers extend to our mental health, too.

A study of 3,300 workers who sat at their desks for over six hours a day scored much higher in psychological distress tests compared to those who sat for just three hours. And regardless of how much leisurely exercise they did, the stats held true.

As the research around sitting being the new smoking began to surface over the last decade, many workforces turned to standing desks as a solution. But in an interview years later, Levine explained: “The solution to sitting isn’t to stand, though it helps…the real solution is to move. All day. The stillness is what’s killing us.”

Moving makes us happier, healthier, smarter and less stressed.

So, whether you’re hoping to spruce up your home office habits, or want to hit the ground running (quite literally) with a movement-friendly office, here are a handful of workplace hacks to avoid a sedentary day.

Whether you’re hoping to spruce up your home office habits, or want to hit the ground running (quite literally) with a movement-friendly office, there are a handful of workplace hacks you can use to avoid a sedentary day.

7 workplace hacks to avoid a sedentary day

1. Invest in the right desk

Though standing desks aren’t the entire antidote to sitting, they certainly do help. We know a handful of offices that offer these, so get in touch if you’re ready to make the move.

If you want to take it a step further, treadmill desks – yes, it’s true – are a great alternative. The CEO of Zillow, Spencer Rascoff, for example, swears by them. He explains: "I like to keep moving throughout the day because it keeps me energized. My treadmill desk helps me do that while answering emails and doing other solo tasks.”

Or, if you prefer, cycling desks exist, too. But they’re a slightly rarer find.

2. Walk and talk

Aristotle asked his students to roam the streets, Charles Darwin famously had a specific walk reserved for thinking, and Silicon Valley’s brightest minds swear by walking meetings.

They’re a fantastic way to catch up with colleagues – especially for more informal chats. It’s a far more dynamic experience, too; it gives your eyes a screen break, and helps you enjoy the benefits of both fresh air and exercise. If your employees are working remotely, a walk and talk phone call will do the trick, too.

3. Set up a running club

Whether you opt for a virtual run club where everyone runs at the same time in their own local area or (Covid restrictions permitting) an in-person one, the act of exercising as a group can be a great motivator to get up and moving.

Unfortunately, presenteeism sometimes leads employees to feel nervous about momentarily walking away from a busy day (despite breaks being essential to productivity), but if others are joining them, they’re likely to feel more comfortable.

4. Make a habit of desk-based stretches

Don’t underestimate the power of a few quick stretches to reset your posture and get your blood flowing properly. Back and neck rotations, shoulder shrugs, leg stretches and shoulder blade stretches are all easy desk-based exercises to alleviate muscle tension and stiffness.

Aristotle asked his students to roam the streets, Charles Darwin famously had a specific walk reserved for thinking, and Silicon Valley’s brightest minds swear by walking meetings.

5. Get a headset

A headset or a pair of wireless headphones can free you from being tied to your desk. If you’re on calls, you can pace around your office or home, benefiting from the stimulus of new surroundings, a screen break, and of course, physical movement.

6. Set up a team step count

The general consensus is that everyone should do around 10,000 steps a day, which equates to about five miles. While some of us are perfectly motivated by the goals we set ourselves, others rely on external expectations; they’ll struggle to form new habits unless people are counting on them to do so. A team step count is a great way to get everyone moving and geared towards the same achievement.

7. Get an office that helps

Though we briefly mentioned there are offices that have sit-stand desks, flexible offices, as a whole, place a huge emphasis on health and wellbeing. Though this varies on a case by case basis, they tend to include fitness classes, yoga sessions and sometimes even gym memberships as part of your monthly rent.

Alternatively, offices that embrace agile working environments are a fantastic way to get employees moving around. And even better – offices that accommodate cycling to work with bike racks, showers and lockers.