Brisk walks during work can increase productivity

Movement gets the blood flowing.

Sitting in front of the computer for long periods of time can wreak havoc on your health.

Extended time at your desk can damage your eyes if you’re focusing them at the same distance for too long.

Sitting can decrease your energy levels if your body does not get the chance to move around and regulate blood flow.

Reduced physical movement may raise cortisol (stress) levels as we constantly feel the urgency to get one thing done after the other. Elevated cortisol can harm more than just your mental state. Prolonged, elevated cortisol levels can damage muscle tissue.

Our posture can also suffer the negative effects of being in one place for too long. Thankfully, a few brisk walks every hour or so can negate these negative effects, while increasing our productivity at the same time.

How will taking a brisk walk increase my productivity?

If you feel like your energy levels start to drop during the second half of your working day, it is because your body (and mind) is not made to do the same activity for too long. We can only focus on a specific task for a set period of time before our attention starts to dwindle.

By taking a mental break, you give your mind a chance to recollect itself before the next bout of mental output.

The increased blood flow from standing up and stretching your legs will also give your brain a healthy dose of oxygen-rich blood.

You don’t need to run a marathon every 5 minutes to get the productivity-boosting benefits of exercise. A simple lap around the office every hour or so will do.

Incorporating this simple yet effective change can be done in a few ways to make sure that you make it a habit (and don’t get fired in the process).

Move the body to energize the brain.

How to walk more during working hours

The water detox

This is one of my favorite methods to make sure that I walk more often.

Simply keep a bottle of water at your desk and sip on it regularly. 

Dehydration on its own can cause a decline in mental performance. You will empower your body to detoxify itself just the way that nature intended. Additionally, dehydration has been linked to unhealthy cravings for sugar and salt. 

Regular water consumption will increase your need for bathroom breaks. This is very beneficial for your body because it now has the raw ingredient that it needs to clean house and get rid of nasty toxins.

By going to the bathroom, you naturally force yourself to take a break and catch a mental breather. A short walk to the lady’s (or men’s) and back is more than enough to change up your posture, reduce eye strain and give you a mental breather.

Break up your daily workload into mini tasks

If your job is as monotonous as most people’s, you can break up your daily routine into smaller tasks that allow you to walk to the end of the office and back after completing every few sets.

You can take a small walk for every 50 emails that you answer, or like me, for every 300 words that you write.

Make your job more manageable.

Say in person what you would in an email

You’re not the only one in the office that gets frustrated by the amount of emails that you get from the person two steps away from you.

Before sending an email to a co-worker, think about whether it would be more constructive to get up and tell them in person. You get the chance to increase blood circulation and change eye focus, while possibly getting an answer or feedback immediately.

As a bonus, healthy social interaction can reduce cortisol levels and lower blood pressure.

To quote Sarah Ban Breathnach, “Little changes and little choices add up to be revolutionary changes in your life”.

Here’s to having a better work day while improving your health! Stay Strong!