Why is exercise so important and how can you bring more movement into your everyday office life?

We move way too little! A study found out that not even every second German gets enough exercise to stay healthy. That sounds frightening and unfortunately it is. Especially people who work in the office sitting down all day have difficulties moving enough. But what exactly are the consequences of too little movement and how can you integrate exercise into your daily office routine? We have summarised the most important things and examined whether gadgets like treadmills are useful and sensible for the office.

List of content:

• Why is exercise so important and how much do we need?
• How can you bring more exercise into your everyday office life?
• How useful are desk treadmills?
• We have summarised the advantages and disadvantages..

Why is exercise so important and how much do we need?

The Federal Ministry of Health recommends that healthy adults should exercise for at least 2.5 hours a week and, if possible, also engage in muscle-building activities twice a week. Above all, the 2.5 hours of exercise sound very manageable at first glance, because exercise does not necessarily mean real sport. Walking, climbing stairs and cycling are also included. But realistically speaking, this doesn't work for many people. With a full-time job, a commute and possibly a family, when you get home in the evening you are happy to sit on the couch and put your feet up. 

But the consequences of not exercising enough are more serious than most suspect. Exercise can minimise the risk of many diseases. For example, regular exercise trains and strengthens the heart muscles. This improves blood circulation. This can lower blood pressure and prevent cardiovascular diseases. The risk of colon cancer, breast cancer, strokes, osteoporosis, type 2 diabetes and obesity is also reduced. 

Back and posture problems also develop more easily without exercise, because without it, muscle tissue, such as the trunk muscles, is reduced. As a result, we lack stability and our posture deteriorates. In the worst case, this can lead to serious spinal problems. 

And exercise is also extremely important for our mental health. When we move, positive hormones like serotonins and endorphins are released and stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline are reduced. It is now scientifically proven that there is a link between the amount of physical activity and mental health. According to this, people who are regularly active have significantly fewer problems with depression or anxiety disorders. Sleep quality can also be improved. 

In addition, our brain is better supplied with blood through exercise and consequently even our ability to think is increased.

How can you bring more exercise into your  everyday office life?

As you can see, there are a lot of benefits of getting enough exercise and some risks of not moving enough. In addition, sitting in particular is very bad for us. When you sit, your metabolism is weak, blood circulation is low and blood fat levels rise. Not good news for all people who sit in an office for 8 hours a day. However, we have 6 tips on how to get more movement into your office routine. It starts with very small, simple things, but all in all they make quite a difference. 

1. Use stairs instead of a lift! One of the simplest changes that already contributes to more movement.
2. If possible, cycle or walk to work. If the walk is too long, you could park a little further away and walk the rest of the way from there. 
3. Incorporate a short walk during the lunch break instead of just sitting in the break room.
4. When making phone calls, either walk around the office or outside, or simply stand up and make a phone call while standing. This is still not a lot of exercise, but it is still better than just sitting down. 
5. Instead of having a water bottle at your desk, you could regularly get up and get a glass of water from the kitchen.  
6. Use a desk treadmill.

How useful are desk treadmills?

At first glance, it looks a little strange to most people, but desk treadmills are slowly being established in many offices. These are much smaller than ordinary treadmills and are designed so that they can be placed under a height-adjustable desk and you can run while you work. This does not mean that you should run or jog, but walk at a steady pace. This way you can move around while you work and don't spend so much time sitting. 

But is this realistic to implement? Yes, in fact, this can be an excellent way to prevent employees' lack of movement in the office.

We have summarised the advantages and disadvantages:

But concerns such as loudness, restlessness and distraction are almost unfounded. The motor of the treadmills is very quiet, similar to a fan on the lowest setting. In order to prevent load steps during work, use sports shoes with soft soles. The fear of distraction is also unfounded. Once you get the hang of it, you work just as effectively as if you were sitting down, and your ability to think is even enhanced by the movement. Especially with the concept of desk sharing, it is ultimately very easy to implement. Initially, 1 or 2 desks could be equipped with the treadmills on a trial basis and then the employees can swap around and try them out. 

Our software is perfect for booking desks easily with or without treadmills and for organising desk sharing in general. By uploading a room plan and maintaining features in our desk sharing software, employees can easily book their places in the office themselves - so everyone always has an overview of who is where and when.

Want to find out more? Nothing could be easier! Simply arrange a meeting with our experts.