Winter is on its way with its shorter days and biting air, making it harder to get up, get out, and get active. However, giving in to snuggling up and hibernating can bring illness and blues with it. Illness and blues that will not only affect your home life, but your time and productivity at the office as well.

We all know staying active is important. And, the average American’s waking hours are spent at work. So why not add physical activity to your work day? I know it can sound daunting. The days at the office are already packed and demands are heavy. But, if you could improve concentration, sharpen memory, learn faster, prolong mental stamina, enhance creativity, lower stress and have an overall better attitude and outlook, wouldn’t it only make sense that those demands would feel lighter and office productivity would increase? I am thinking so.  So, I put together a list of my favorite ways to add physical activity to my work day to keep the winter blues away, creativity flowing, and productivity up to share with you!

#1 Walk more. I think this is the easiest way to add physical activity to your day at the office. Park farther away. Always take the stairs. Walk to lunch rather than drive. Take a quick walk around the block when you start feeling blah. Track your steps and make it a daily challenge to beat your steps the day before.

#2 Your desk. A great way to increase your activity level throughout your workday is to have a standing desk, or a sit-to-stand desk. The difference in standing eight hours a day and sitting eight hours a day can be huge. There are so many options in office furniture to choose from now. (And, Office Products Alliance can help you!! Wink-wink)

#3 Your chair. Ditch the old school office chair for active seating. Using a fidget stool or a ball chair can promote movement and activity throughout the workday. (Hey, OPA can help you with this too.)

#4 Take your meetings on the go. Need to meet with a co-worker? Chances are they want to add more activity to their workday as well. Rather than using the conference room invite your co-worker to join you on a walking meeting.

#5 Stretch at your desk. While stretching is passive, it still gets your blood moving and muscles livened up and being in front of a computer for hours at a time can be very hard on your neck and back. Set a reminder for 3 times a day to stretch and realign your body.

Here’s to a happy, healthy, active winter!

Need help finding the right sit-to-stand desk or fidget stool to boost your office activity and workday productivity? You know Office Products Alliance can help! Give us a call. 816.777.2810