If you are like a majority of American’s, your job is slowly killing you.

Too harsh?

Ok, slowly sucking away your health.

You will spend 1/3 of your life at work (~90,000 hrs) PLUS 100 hrs/ year commuting.

Here are a few more stats about the American workforce and why it’s a health detriment:

-25% of Americans say work is their number 1 source of stress.
-In U.S stress is the estimated 5th highest cause of death.
-60% of workers say their jobs are making them insomniacs.
-80% of workers are dissatisfied with their jobs.
-Americans used 17 vacation days on average last year–compared to 20 in the 80’s-90’s
-705 MILLION unused vacation days nationwide.

In a lot of ways and for a lot of people, work is a source of stress and a health detriment.

It doesnt have to be. You can turn your work-life into a healthy routine.

How?

Make time to be active! Research shows that taking regular breaks, about 90 seconds every hour, such as walking or short exercises, can drastically improve your productivity and overall health.

90 seconds x 8 hours (typical workday) = 12 minutes TOTAL throughout your workday.

You can make time!

Job wellness starts with you. In order for the corporate health culture to improve you need to be the example. When people see it’s ok to move and be active, things will start to change.

If you aren’t able to get away from your desk for a quick stroll down the hallway or even outside, you can still get your heart pumping and blood flowing. All of these movements can be done right at your desk in less than two minutes in this amazing 2-minute office chair workout!

1.     Sit back into your chair, and extend your arms in front of you, placing both hands on the front of your desk, about shoulder width apart. Press your hands into the desk to push yourself away, rounding your back and lowering your head so that your head is almost parallel with the desk. Then grip onto the front of the desk and pull yourself closer to the desk, lifting your head and extending your upper back as you get closer to the desk.
2.     Use your chair as an anchor to twist your spine. Sitting upright in your chair, place one hand on the outside of the opposite knee and begin to rotate your spine in that direction. Extend the other arm behind you to grab the opposite side of the back of your chair. Gently twist and release several times. Repeat this on the other side of your body, using the other arm and leg.
3.     Sit close to the front edge of your chair. Extend your upper back to reach the top back of your chair. There should be a large gap between your lower back and the back of the chair. With your arms splayed out to the side, hanging over the armrests, gently lift and lower your chest. Then do the same thing with your arms behind you, with your hand resting on the middle of your back.
4.     Using the armrests of your chair, do some tricep dips. With your back facing the front of the chair, place your hands behind you on the arm rests. Create tension in your arms to support your body, then with a bend in your knees, begin to slowly low your butt to the chair without sitting down. Lift and lower back down several times to work your triceps.
5.     Now with the back of the chair in front of you, place your hands on the top of the chair back, and push the chair away from you, as you fully extend your arms and bend your knees to sit your butt back. Repeat this motion several times.
6.     Come around to the front of the chair and with your back facing the chair seat, extend one leg out in front, about 8 inches off the floor. Sit back into the chair with that one leg extended still. Repeat this several times on each leg.
7.     Now, stand up straight in front of the chair with your back facing the chair seat again. Gently extend one leg behind you so that the bottom of your foot and your shin is resting on the seat. Press that leg into the chair and use your force to glide the chair forward and backward. Repeat this forward and backward motion several times on each leg.
8.     Standing up tall, face the front of the chair this time. Raise one knee at a time and tap your toe on the seat of the chair. Alternate back and forth between both legs as if you were marching slowly in place.
9.     Finally, with your back facing the chair seat, extend your arms behind you and rest your hands on the armrests. Gently lean back with your knees kept straight, engaging your core to brace yourself. Hold for about 30 seconds like you would a plank.

This is a great way to easily improve your health in only 12 minutes per day.

If you want to take a more holistic approach to staying healthy at work, check out our vlog where we breakdown ways to stay healthy at work…

We have to work, but you don’t have to sacrifice your health for your job.

Take care of yourself and your work will only get better.