Many of us set our resolutions in the new year only to quit shortly after. According to a survey by Statista, posted on December 23, 2022, the top resolutions for the 2023 year are:
- To exercise more,
- To eat healthier,
- To lose weight,
- To save money,
- To spend more time with family and friends,
- To spend less time on social media,
- To reduce stress on the job,
- To reduce spending on living expenses
According to Forbes Health, just 11% of resolutions last less than a month, 19% last at least one month, and 14% last at least three months. So why are we talking about New Year’s resolutions just before the start of the second quarter? Beginning a new routine to improve your health is always beneficial.
Does this sound like you?
This morning, I was feeling sluggish after staying up too late watching the newest Stranger Things series. Once I arrived at Modern Work Suites & Studios, I took the elevator to the third floor, where I made it to my office to sit down for another 8-hour shift.
Oh, wait. I need to head to the Mixx Lounge for another cup of coffee, typically prepared in the morning before I arrive by Tom, head of building maintenance.
Now in my office, I focus on the tasks at hand, losing track of time, only to realize it is noon. It is time for lunch. After eating lunch, I sit back at my desk and continue the tasks for the next four hours, only to get up briefly throughout the day for a bathroom break.
At 5 pm, I headed home, grabbed dinner for the family and me, helped the kids with homework, put them to bed, and then went on the couch to start a new series or movie, only to fall asleep moments later.
The example above may sound different from your daily routine, but we all have our daily habits and routines. Do you engage in physical activity on a regular basis, or do you generally stay in one place for extended periods with only minimal movement, such as trips to the restroom or the snack machine?
Are you considering walking at Modern Work Suites?
Even before the pandemic, sedentary behavior, which refers to sitting and not moving, had been increasing worldwide with more people working from home, not in a local office space like Modern Work Suites. The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) recently published a 15-year review on sedentary behavior and found that, in 2016, the average American adult was sitting for roughly 6.5 hours per day. Unfortunately, living a lethargic lifestyle comes with numerous health risks beyond simply burning fewer calories and gaining weight. These include:
- A weaker immune system,
- Diminished muscle strength and endurance,
- and an increased risk of heart disease, including high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and stroke.
While walking more can help improve your health, it supports improvement in your overall performance. Walking during work hours can enhance mental function and well-being, improving productivity and work output. A small study observed the effects of different exercise regimens on 30 sedentary office workers and found that even five minutes of exercise every hour (e.g., taking a quick walk) can improve your mood, increase your energy levels, and reduce appetite, among other benefits.
Consider your office space walking technique.
To turn your regular walk into a more fitness-oriented stride, it’s important to focus on maintaining good posture and purposeful movements. To achieve the ideal form while walking for fitness, strive to:
- Keep your head up, eyes forward, and chin parallel to the ground
- Relax your shoulders, ensuring they’re not tense or hunched up towards your ears
- Engage your abs by drawing your belly button toward your spine and tightening your core muscles
- Swing your arms naturally, bent at a 90-degree angle with your elbows close to your body
- Land on your heel, then roll forward onto the ball of your foot, pushing off with your toes to propel yourself forward
Adopting good posture and purposeful movements can elevate your regular walking routine into a more beneficial fitness activity.
The benefits of walking at Modern Work Suites are more significant when you walk faster, farther, and more frequently. Alternating periods of brisk walking with leisurely walking, also known as interval training, is another method that can be highly beneficial for your health.
You can reap numerous benefits and maximize your time by incorporating interval training into your walking routine. In fact, interval training improves cardiovascular fitness and burns more calories than regular walking. Also, you accomplish the exercise in less time than a typical walking session.
Incorporating regular brisk walks into your routine can have a multitude of benefits. If you make it a habit to walk one mile every day, you will reap numerous benefits.
- It helps you lose body fat and maintain a healthy weight,
- Prevents or manages various conditions like heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, cancer, and type 2 diabetes,
- Improves your cardiovascular fitness,
- Strengthens your muscles and bones,
- Improves muscle endurance,
- Increases your energy levels,
- Enhances your mood, memory, and sleep,
- Improves your balance and coordination,
- Strengthens your immune system,
- and reduces stress and tension.
Modern Work Suites have done the research!
We encourage you to pick up a new habit in the second quarter. Walking around the perimeter of Modern Work Suites 7.6 times will equal the same distance as one mile.
Here’s how it works:
- Start at the elevator and head down Broadway Avenue.
- Take a left onto Seventh Street,
- Take another left onto Hollywood Boulevard,
- Take a left onto Main Street,
- Finally, take a left back onto Broadway Avenue.
Once you finish one lap, walk through the corridors six times more times. On the start of your 8th lap, make your way down Broadway Avenue, Seventh Street, and then onto Hollywood Boulevard, stopping at Suite 202, currently officed by Kreativ Element.
During your walk, remember to respect other businesses by keeping your talking in a soft tone. Also, if you pass someone you don’t know, say a quick hello offering some midwest hospitality.
