Employee Wellness Blog | TotalWellness

18 Easy Ways to Burn More Calories While You Work

Written by Becky Squiers | Mon, Jan 18, 2016

Living a sedentary lifestyle can be detrimental to your health. Unfortunately, many office jobs require sitting at a computer most of the day.

When you're stuck in one place all day, a few things can happen to your body. First, you can develop an increased risk for obesity, heart disease and even some types of cancer. Second, your circulation and respiration function, as well as your posture, can be damaged. Third, you can suffer from decreased mental function from the monotony involved with a sedentary workday. And finally, you're likely to burn fewer calories throughout the day.

We know it's difficult to tackle all of the risks a sedentary workday can throw your way, especially if you still hope to get some work done. To take it one step at a time, we want to start by showing you some simple ways to burn more calories while you work, even if you happen to be stuck behind desk.

These awesome workspace calorie burners are effective, but don't serve as a major disctraction. Stay focused, productive and healthy by working these great wellness activities into your day.

  1. Drink water

  2. Stand while you work

  3. Do leg raises

  4. Take all phone calls on your feet

  5. Snack on something healthy

  6. Invest in a treadmill desk

  7. Drink green tea

  8. Laugh when something’s funny

  9. Sit on an exercise ball

  10. Chew gum

  11. Fidget to keep moving

  12. Get an under-desk elliptical

  13. Stretch your muscles

  14. Have walking meetings

  15. Focus on good posture

  16. Relax and take a breath

  17. Flex specific muscle groups

  18. Get up and talk to your coworkers (no emails allowed!)

Even if your job requires you to be in one place most of the day, there are things you can do to fight that sedentary lifestyle. Work some of these awesome calorie burners into your daily routine. Share your favorites with your coworkers to help build up a healthy workforce!

How do you focus on health while staying productive at work?