12 Wellness Tips On How To Stay Healthy With A Desk Job
Working at a desk job full-time can be pretty tiring and sometimes Fridays can seem so far away.
If you’re at the office working away for eight hours a day, it can be not just mentally but also physically exhausting if you’re using the computer and staring at the same cubicle walls day in and day out.
12 Healthy Lifestyle Tips For Office Workers
To stay motivated and avoid experiencing burnout, in this post I’ll be going over 12 tips on how to stay healthy with a desk job.
These are general wellness tips for the workplace but they can also be applicable if you are working from home as well.
1. Posture
To help keep your body pain-free, practicing good posture is important especially if you’re sitting at your desk for eight hours a day.
Having poor posture can give you future neck, shoulder, and back pain along with spine alignment issues.
I’ve personally experienced back pain and neck pain from constantly hunching over my desk at work like a turtle. Having felt this chronic pain, I can’t stress how important it is to sit properly.
Here are some ways to set up your workstation to keep your posture in check to proactively avoid hunching over your desk.
Use an ergonomic chair
One way to keep yourself healthy is to use an ergonomic chair when you sit at your desk.
Your posture will be negatively affected if you don’t sit properly in your chair, sit in a chair that is too big or small for you, or if it’s poorly designed.
Try to talk to your company’s HR team or manager to get an ergonomic chair that’s right for your size. It can help prevent you from dealing with years of pain and physiotherapy sessions.
Better to prevent this now than to have to deal with the consequences later when you do feel pain.
Lower Back Support
Another great addition to your workstation is to get an ergonomic cushion for lower back support.
A lumbar support cushion can seriously help make sitting down for long periods so much more comfortable.
Your neck and back will feel less back pain overall.
Properly Adjusted Monitor
Not only is it important to use an ergonomic chair, but you also need to use that in conjunction with a monitor that is properly adjusted at your eye level.
I highly recommend getting an acrylic monitor stand. It adds such an elegant touch to any work desk.
If you find that you’re constantly looking down and it’s straining your neck, you will need to find something to raise the monitor. Some monitors are height-adjustable so be on the lookout for those.
2. Keep Active
It’s so important to keep active when you’re forced to be sedentary for most of the day.
Being sedentary ages your body much faster and you’ll feel lazier, unmotivated, and more lethargic if you don’t exercise regularly.
Here are some ways you can stay active throughout the day.
Get Up Every Hour
A great way to stay active during the day is to get up once an hour for a few minutes.
I like getting up and walking around the office once or twice to get the blood flowing once every hour.
If you enjoy drinking tea or coffee, you can take a walk to the office kitchen to refill your cup every so often.
Stretch
In addition to walking around the office, a good way to keep your body active during work is to stretch every few hours.
Do a few back, arm, and neck stretches to elongate and activate your muscles that aren’t used when you regularly sit at your desk.
Here are 8 easy and discreet stretches you can do at your desk without getting any crazy stares from your coworkers.
Eye Massages
If you’re staring at your computer all day long, it’s always good to take frequent eye breaks every so often by focusing on objects far away to help reduce eye strain.
Another great way to relieve eye strain is to give yourself eye massages every few hours.
Adjustable Standing Desk
If your office has standing desks that are height adjustable, this is a great option to help you stay less sedentary when you’re working at your desk.
When you need a break from sitting, just slide it up.
This isn’t my ideal position when I’m working but it’s a great option if you’re comfortable, productive, and able to focus when you’re standing up.
Walk To Work
A great way to keep active and exercise when you work at a desk job is to walk or bike to work if you don’t live too far away from your office.
Of course, if you live far away from work and have to commute by car or bus, this wouldn’t be an option.
However, if you drive or bus to work, you can still choose ways to increase your physical activity.
Try walking up the stairs to your office instead of taking the elevator or parking a little further away from work and walking to the building.
3. Make Friends
A must, if you want to stay sane at work, is to make friends at your office.
Having a few buddies at the office seriously helps make the day go by so much faster and it makes going to work every day a lot more fun too.
It’s also nice to have a support group that understands where you’re coming from and exactly how you feel when you need to vent about work.
A few ways to make new friends at the office are to help others when they need it, initiate conversations when you’re in the lunchroom, and join in on company social events and volunteer groups.
If you’re more reserved, it might take a little more initiative on your part but you’ll be glad you did.
4. Take Your Breaks
It’s important to recharge for your mental well-being especially if you’re stuck in your cubicle all day long.
Taking your breaks can be a huge refresher while you’re at the office so slot in time to have a proper lunch break and smaller breaks throughout the day.
Lunch Break
An excellent way to help you recharge halfway through the day is to walk outside during your lunch break.
Stepping out of the office during lunchtime is great because it helps break up the day in half. It’s also a nice change of pace and puts you in a different environment.
If your lunch break is long enough, you can even finish some errands or get a quick workout in at the gym if it’s nearby.
It’s an efficient way to save time so you’ll have more time to do other things after work and you’ll get the much-needed happy endorphins to help you last through the afternoon.
Morning & Afternoon Breaks
Don’t forget to take your morning and afternoon breaks as well.
During your morning break, try walking to the cafe to get a cup of coffee or tea. It helps to break up the morning in half and time passes by much faster.
In the afternoon, taking a break also helps if you tend to experience the dreaded afternoon slump.
5. Eat Healthily
Another important thing to do at work is to eat healthily and stay hydrated. This is especially true because you’re sitting at a desk day in and day out since there’s not a lot of physical activity involved.
Try not to be lazy and choose fast food options even though they may be convenient and accessible depending on where you work.
To save yourself time and ensure that you bring healthy lunches to work, I highly recommend meal planning and meal prepping on the weekends.
By meal prepping, you donβt have to stress out over what to make every night or what to eat when youβre busy working.
For me, Sunday is my designated day for prepping my meals and getting ready for the week.
I tend to bring healthy lunches from Monday to Thursday and then go out to eat with coworkers or by myself on Fridays to treat myself.
It’s a great way to watch what you eat and at the same time, save money and have time set in your schedule to socialize with your coworkers. Triple win!
If youβre not great in the kitchen or just the thought of having to plan your meals stresses you out, I recommend checking out the Eat At Home Meal Plans if youβre looking to create cheap but healthy meals.
This meal plan membership includes access to ALL 4 of the following separate meal plans. The great part is you can mix and match depending on your needs and tastes.
1. Traditional – This plan is family-friendly and includes a variety of meats and veggies, and the occasional meatless meal.
2. Whole Food Plant Based β This plan places more emphasis on natural foods including vegetables, fruits, beans, nuts, seeds, and whole grains. No meats, cheese, milk, fish, or eggs!
3. Slow Cooker/Instant Pot – This plan provides recipes that you can cook in your slow cooker and includes many Instant Pot recipes as well. (Bonus: It includes 1 week of Slow Cooker Freezer meals that are ready to eat in an hour.)
4. No Flour, No Sugar – This plan includes easy-to-prepare meals made from veggies and protein from whole foods with no flour or artificial sugars added.
Other great advantages of the Eat At Home Meal Plans include:
- Meal plans provided at the beginning of the month so youβll have time to plan and minimize shopping trips
- 15-minute meals for super busy nights
- Color-coded lists so you can swap out ingredients or whole meals when needed
- Printable recipes for easy cooking
- Printable menus which are perfect to hang on your fridge or near your calendar for easy viewing
These will help you save time so you donβt have to think long and hard about what to make at home and itβll keep you focused on staying healthy. Definitely check it out.
6. Listen To Music
A great way to stay productive and in a great mood at your desk is to listen to music.
It can help you stay focused on the task at hand especially if the office starts to get loud.
Of course, do be sure to check if your workplace allows it first. And if you do work that requires you to concentrate, you’ll want to skip this.
7. Clean Your Desk
You know that feeling when your room gets cluttered and you feel lazy and less productive?
This can apply to your work desk too.
To counter this, make time to clean your desk a priority. Find time during the day either at the start of the workday, end of the day or just whenever you have a few minutes of spare time.
Doing this simple task can help you feel much more focused and ready to work.
Put loose papers, notebooks, pens, books, and garbage where they belong because a clean desk will save you from feeling overwhelmed by clutter.
8. Decorate Your Desk & Cubicle
You spend so much time at your desk that it’s only right to make sure your space makes you feel good.
One of my favorite tips for sitting at a desk all day is to put things up that add a touch of personalization to your office.
Wall Art & Pictures
A great way to personalize your desk and cubicle and help make your workplace feel a little bit more like home is to put up wall art that you enjoy and pictures that remind you of your loved ones and your life outside of work.
It’s not going to help the time pass by any faster, unfortunately (don’t we all wish that it did), but surrounding yourself with things that you enjoy and like to look at will make you feel happier.
Being that your office is the place where you spend most of your waking hours, why not make it a bright and happy environment, right?
If a picture of your dog or family members on your cubicle wall brings you joy, don’t be ashamed to put it up.
For cute and inspiring wall art pieces, I suggest checking out:
Office Supplies
An easy way to make your office space more bright and lively is to use cute office supplies that put a smile on your face.
Make your desk more authentic to you with these supplies and boost your mood at the same time.
Crystal Diamond Ball Point Pens
9. Keep Organized
If you’re swamped at work, a great way to stay motivated at your job is to stay organized.
You want to avoid feeling overwhelmed with deadlines and tasks that haven’t been finished.
Use A Planner
One easy way to keep organized is to plan your day every morning.
If you’re looking for a solid planner to plan your busy days, feel less anxious, and be more productive at work, I highly recommend checking out the Day Designer Flagship Daily Planner.
Day Designer was designed in mind for women who want to live an intentional and meaningful life and this is exactly what this planner helps you do.
Whether youβre a working mom or an entrepreneur, there’s a variety of beautiful, feminine designs and sizes that you can choose from to help you plan your week and find the right balance in your life.
Want more planner ideas? Here are 24 other awesome planners to help you stay on track and keep yourself organized.
Use A Wall Calendar
If you love having everything laid out for you visually, you can also use a wall calendar or calendar pad that you put on your desk.
Botanical Yearly Wall Calendar
Keep A Work Logbook
Another great way to stay organized is to keep a daily or weekly work logbook of everything you’ve accomplished and all of the projects you’ve been a part of.
Having this logbook will help you keep track of exactly what you’ve accomplished in your position and you’ll be able to identify any future goals and skills you’ll need to achieve to help you further your career.
It’s also a great log to look back on when you’re searching for a new job position and preparing for an upcoming interview.
10. Use Your Commute Time Wisely
Do you ever feel like you never have time to do anything because your job takes up your entire life on the weekdays?
If you’re spending multiple hours out of your week commuting to and from your 9 to 5 job, that’s a big chunk of your day.
There’s a high likelihood that you’re spending that time doing nothing but driving on the road or sitting on the train or bus.
Use your commute time wisely so that you aren’t wasting those precious hours of the day because all of it adds up.
If you drive and you’re stuck in traffic, catch up on the news on AM radio and broaden your understanding of the world instead of listening to music.
If you take public transport, try reading a book, studying if you go to school part-time, or listening to an audiobook.
If you’ve never listened to audiobooks before and you’ve set yourself a goal of reading more this year, I highly recommend that you check out Audible for yourself and you’ll get 1 FREE audiobook with my link.
We all only have the same number of hours in the week to get things done so do something that brings you closer to your goals and motivates you to achieve more.
Need some life-changing book recommendations? Check out my post on 25 self-improvement books you can read this year for personal development and self-growth.
11. Change Your Work Schedule
If you ever start to feel like you need more flexible work hours for a better work-life balance, see if your office can accommodate your needs.
Here are a few things you can talk about with HR and see if they’re available options.
Work From Home
If your job allows you to telecommute and work from home a few days of the week, this is one job perk that can brighten your day and help make the workweek go by a whole lot faster.
Not only will you be able to skip the amount of time it takes to travel to work, but you’ll also save on gas money, wake up later, and you can work in your PJs right in the comfort of your home.
Flexible Schedules
Some workplaces also have flex time and compressed workweeks, so if these are options at your office, take full advantage of them.
It’s so much more enjoyable if you can work the hours you want to, especially if you have to pick your kids up from school every day or if you just want to avoid rush-hour traffic.
It’s also great if you can choose to have a four-day workweek where you work longer days but get an extra day off. Getting a three-day weekend every week or two is pretty sweet.
12. Practice Self-Care
Lastly, don’t forget to take care of yourself when you go home after work.
Use that time to relax, meditate, hang out with friends, and recharge so that you’ll feel ready to kick ass at work the next day.
If you’re looking for a few ideas on how to de-stress and practice self-care, check out these posts:
- 8 Relaxing Ways To Unwind After A Stressful Work Day
- 15 Self-Care Habits And Practices You Should Adopt Today
Conclusion
I hope you enjoyed these 12 tips on how to stay healthy at a desk job.
Ensuring that you have the right environment, a great support group at work, and practicing self-care will go a long way to staying mentally and physically healthy for years to come.
You’ll feel more productive and ready to work until the weekend hits.
More Healthy Lifestyle Tips
- 14 Ways To Get Better Sleep To Feel More Productive & Energized
- How To Go To Sleep Earlier (Even When Youβre A Total Night Owl)
- How To Create A Productive Morning Routine For Success
- 15 Self-Care Habits That Will Inspire Joy & Happiness In Your Life
- 6 Ways To Start The Week Off Right Every Sunday
- How To Relax After Work When You Have A Stressful Day
What are some healthy office habits that you follow? Feel free to share in the comments!
Love these tips! I’ve heard so many great reviews for audible, I might have to give that a try. I definitely agree about staying active and eating right, it makes a huge difference with energy levels and overall mood! Great post π
Thanks Shauna! Definitely give Audible a try!
I love these tips! Walking to work is a great way to get some steps before the day starts.
Thanks Emily π I agree!
I remember when I worked in customer service, sitting in my cubicle was exhausting. Then I got one of those medicine balls where you can sit on it and bounce. It was so helpful. I also did a lot of walking on my breaks.
A medicine ball is a great idea although I’m not sure how comfortable my back would feel if I was sitting on that for hours. I totally agree that sitting in a cubicle is so exhausting!
I am so glad you wrote this post! Staying healthy at work is such an important topic and all these tips are wonderful.
Thanks Lacy π
It’s so hard to get enough steps at a desk job! I remember I had to force myself to go on mini walks every hour. Great tips!
Getting up every hour is so important! Glad you liked these tips!
I listen to audio books throughout my shift, helps a lot!
Audiobooks help make the time go by so much faster!
These are all great tips! I cleaned my desk recently and it made such a big difference!
Thanks! A clean desk is great for productivity!
I think I take advantage of currently having a job where I’m on my feet 24/7, as I’m not sure I could stand a desk job, although that’s probably where I’ll end up. I just get bored so easily! I’ll definitely have to keep these ideas in mind if I find myself at a desk job.
That’s great you have a job where you can move around! A desk job is so bad for our health.
I think my desk job is legit detrimental to my health lol. I need to implement these tips so fast before I totally lose my mind. I NEVER get up to walk because I’m so busy and I totally should.
Taking breaks and walking around will definitely help a lot even if it’s to the washroom or to the kitchen haha.
I have been wanting a stand up desk so bad! I’ve been trying to get up more during the work day too! I love just taking a few laps around the office and trying to get outside when it’s nice!
A standing desk is a total game changer! π
Yes to ALL of these! I try to make sure that I get up and move frequently and try to take walks on my lunch breaks if my schedule allows π These are wonderful tips that I need to try out at my desk job!
You’re welcome! Glad these tips helped!
Thanks for the tips we really need this to ease the stress and because of workload we forgot to use our breaks
Such great suggestions! I work from home but I’ve found that I still need to plan my exercise time and healthy meals in advance. I start every morning with a walk and I try to do all of my meal prep on Sunday evening so I can quickly assemble a healthy snack. Now, if I could just keep my office neat… π
That’s a great routine Katie! Thank you!
My wife and I both work desk jobs. Our backs are in immense pain given we both have poor posters. We looked into options and found a chiropractic in logan utah that helped us so much. I feel like all of my lower back pain is gone. Amazing what you can get done when you don’t feel any pain