Christ Church Sport
James Cook
293TIP: Set a reminder to move every hour.
A couple of weeks ago, I had chosen this as my challenge but failed miserably at it, making all sorts of excuses as to why I couldn’t do it. I know that I sit at my desk far longer than I should but then I also felt that I do get up quite regularly…..toilet breaks, to make tea, to talk to colleagues, collect something from the printer. There has been a lot of negative press recently about how bad our sedentary lifestyles are and how working in an office has made us quite unhealthy. Regularly moving does seem to be a theme amongst move more advocates this week but as the following article had popped up on my Facebook newsfeed I really thought that the tip to set an alarm had to be tackled again, this time without excuse! If others could challenge themselves to do it, then so could I.
“It might not seem like much, but small acts of being active at work can have a serious impact on your waistline. Whether that’s taking the stairs instead of the lift (apologies to you tenth-floor-workers), standing whilst you’re on the phone, organising a “walking meeting,” using a mini-stepper under your desk or even fidgeting at your desk. In fact, a Mayo Clinic study found that fidgeters burn an extra 300 calories in comparison to those who remain sedentary!”*
First of all I needed to find a more visual way of making sure I moved at least once every hour. I have two screens on my desk and thought that if I wrote the times I had set myself to move on little highlighting flags, then once that time had arrived and I had stood up/stretched/gone for a wander, I could move the flag from one screen to the other. By the end of the day, all of them should be on the other screen.
This has proven rather successful! Whilst I don’t always get to move at the time stipulated I only miss it by a few minutes and what actually happens is, I am so conscious of getting up and moving around, that I am getting up far more frequently than I otherwise would. The people in my office think I am a little weird just randomly wandering around big brotherish but they are used to me now. And it was very interesting on the day I was in training……..luckily it was with my own team, a couple of colleagues I used to work closely with and an external consultant who I have known for a few years. So it came as no surprise when I randomly stood up and walked round the room even managing to slip in one or two lunges. In addition, we were on the third floor (my office is on the first) so there were several trips up and down the stairs which contributed to my activity for the day.
Ensuring I didn’t just sit all day, glued to my computer screen hasn’t been as difficult as I had imagined. I also managed to maintain the challenge I set myself last week of getting away from my desk at lunchtime. I actually have more energy and feel positive about building on these new habits. And, in case you are interested, I am now running for 10 minutes – admittedly not in one go as I am still on interval running but, hey, I am doing it. And if my actions inspire somebody else to make a difference to their health by moving more, even if it is just getting up from their desk a bit more frequently or walking a little bit further, then I am happy.
Ceri Spain
Statutory Returns Officer
Planning Office
