Human Resources Blog - Spark Hire

Work-Life Balance: Staying in Shape While Staying in the Office

Let’s face it: the office environment isn’t exactly conducive to staying in shape. You sit at your desk for hours on end, oftentimes too busy to even take a lunch break. Not to mention, there seems to be a steady flow of sweet treats to celebrate birthdays, promotions or holidays.

So how can you maintain a healthy lifestyle when a majority of your time is spent at work? Believe it or not, there are some creative ways to stay in shape without sacrificing your professionalism and work ethic, and it’s vital to your productivity and sanity to maintain a healthy work-life balance.

Invest in an Exercise Ball

Trade your office chair for an exercise ball. It may sound and look and feel silly at first, but employees all over the country are opting to work out their core while working on the job.

When purchasing an exercise ball, make sure it’s the right size for you. Check the box for height requirements for each size because you want to be sure your legs are at a 120-degree angle when sitting, according to Livestrong.com.

Once the ball is set up at your desk, make sure your computer is still at eye level and you avoid slouching. Looking down at your computer or slumping over at all completely negates the work you’re doing for your abs and back and actually creates more problems.

Finally, you don’t have to spend all day on the exercise ball to enjoy a healthy work-life balance. Start out sitting on the ball a few times throughout the day, and work your way up to longer time periods.

Take a Break, Take a Walk

Sure, everyone is insanely busy at their jobs, but it’s not only beneficial to your physical health but also your mental health to step away for a bit. Now, you don’t need to leave your desk for an hour at a time. Just take 10 minutes and step outside for some fresh air.

If you’re too busy to leave your workplace, just take a stroll around your office. Pop in to say hello to coworkers or start a fresh pot of coffee for everyone. This momentary break won’t just help you stay in motion; it will also help your workplace relationships.

Get Your Office Involved

One of the biggest ways to find a work and life balance is to shut down your computer at the end of the day and save the work that needs to be done for tomorrow. Too often, employees are working late every night of the week and not getting that break from work that they need.

Get your coworkers together one night a week and join a softball, kickball or volleyball league. Working together in this capacity will help develop you all as a team, motivate everyone to stay in shape and just be plain old fun.

Could your office environment benefit from a few exercise balls? Sound off in the comments!

IMAGE: Courtesy of Flickr by ex_magician

Kathryn Randolph

Kathryn is a freelance writer currently living in Chicago, Illinois. She holds a B.A. in English Writing from DePauw University and has five years experience writing for major job search and higher education websites. When she's not writing for the web, Kathryn is hanging out with her new baby girl, traveling, cooking, reading and running. She believes that the perfect job is out there for everyone and hopes to help Spark Hire job seekers discover their career passion and pursue it.