Your office, your personal obstacle course

Finding the time to exercise can be a nightmare, especially for those of us who are married to an office job. Exercising at work may seem impossible, but if one has the will, there’s a way to staying fit. All it takes is a little planning and some inspiration to squeeze in a little movement and keep our heart happy.

You probably know a few tricks for staying active at work. Taking the stairs instead of the elevator or escalator when you can, parking further away from the door and walking around the office when you can are good places to start. Beyond that, there are a few suggestions to keep you moving:

• Sit on an exercise ball instead of a chair. This will strengthen your abs and back and you'll work on your posture without even trying.
• Set an alarm to go off every hour to remind you to stand up and move around. Even if you just swing your arms or take a deep breath, you'll feel more alert.
• Use the restroom on another floor and take the stairs.
• Use a pedometer and keep track of how many steps you take. Aim for 10,000 steps a day.
• Deliver documents or messages to co-workers in person rather than by email or phone.
• Go to the mall for lunch and park on the opposite end of the food court. Don't forget to buy something healthy.
• Get a headset for your phone so you can move around while you talk.
• Work with local gyms to provide membership discounts for employees
• Organise office-wide yoga, Pilates, aerobics and cardio workouts
• Set up daily or weekly walks during lunch or after work
• Give you extra breaks during the day to take quick walks
• Set a good example, it will have a trickle down effect on the rest

Your organisation may not have considered how much more productive his or her employees would be with a little exercise. If you can, encourage your management to: