Everyone knows that sitting on your rump all day is bad for your health. However, this is exactly what many desk jockeys do everyday. Sure, they may start of the day with a jog or have plans for an after-work trip to the gym but it still doesn’t negate the fact that they sit at a desk for the bulk of the day. The good news is that this doesn’t have to be the status quo. Office employees can work out while working, improving their health and maybe even boosting productivity.

 

One way to do this is via a walking meeting. A walking meeting is exactly what it sounds like: a meeting held while you walk. While some people might be able to get out and walk around the block, others need access to a computer to conduct a meeting. Minneapolis-based financial staffing firm Salo has a creative solution to this problem.

 

The company “encourages walking meetings. In a conference room, Salo has set up four treadmill desks, where a height-adjustable working surface is placed above the treadmill track. The desks face one another, so that people can walk and take care of business at the same time.” Source: The New York Times

 

Salo employees participated in a study and over a six-month time period, 18 employees lost more than 150 pounds by participating in walking meetings, using the treadmill desks for other purposes or even playing ping-pong on their breaks.

 

Even if you don’t work at a company with an innovative program like Salo, you can still reap the benefits of exercising while on the job. Simple things like taking the stairs instead of the elevator, walking around the building on your break, keeping resistance bands in your desk for some mid-day arm curls or swapping your desk chair for a balance ball can have a positive impact on your health.

 

If you have a desk job, what do you do to keep active throughout the day?