Your stay healthy workday

Whether your workday is spent at a desk, on a line, or doing manual labor, you need a fitness plan. Proper form and posture, disruption of repetitive motions or positions, and stretching are all necessary to reduce the occurrence of workplace injury. Consider the risk of injury from sitting too long, standing too long, or lifting the wrong way. A day's work should not have painful consequences.

Fortunately, there are things you can do to integrate fitness into your workday. The following examples can have a profound on your well-being.

Stretch. Stretching increases blood supply and brings nutrients to your muscles, thus preventing fatigue and discomfort. Stretching prepares your muscles for a job and can prevent injury while reducing stress and increasing energy. Set your timer to stretch every hour. Examples of stretching include: neck rolls, overhead reach, forward fold or toe touch, arm circles, or side bends.

Deep breathing. Yes, even deep breaths count as exercise when your breaths come from the core. Oxygen to the brain will wake you up and energize you. When you feel tired or stressed, slowly inhale through your nose and from your diaphragm.

Adjust your workspace. There are many ways to make your desk more conducive to movement. You may want to sit on a stability ball, get a standing or treadmill desk, keep an exercise band at your desk, or invest in a stress ball. The more accessible fitness is to your workplace, the more likely you will be to take advantage.

Use your body. Get your blood flowing and use your muscles. There are plenty of simple and subtle exercises you can do at your desk while you work: perform a leg extension by straightening and bending your legs; flex your glutes and/or thighs; push your head against the headrest of your chair or driver's seat; do some calf raises, do a mini cat/cow by arching your spine and then rounding by contracting your abs; march in place or perform single-leg seated crunches. The number of repetitions you do is inconsequential; just move!

Perfect your posture. Do not underestimate the importance of sitting or standing up straight. When you sit up straight, you engage your core muscles from your abdomen to your back and shoulders. An upright spine and proper posture are conducive for oxygen flow, prevents back pain, and elicits confidence and a healthy mental state.Philanthropist, Tony Robbins, has found that if you want to change your mental state in an instant, change your physiology (such as facial expression, breathing, posture) and it will result in a shift in your brain.

Pay attention to technique. When lifting, twisting, or performing physical labor, form is crucial. Lift with your legs, twist only with a flat back, point your toes in the direction of your movement, brace movement and lifts by first tightening your core. It is important to remember that the more repetitive the movement is, the more often you will also need to stretch.

Be creative. Every workplace has a different dynamic. Be creative with implementing fitness. Perhaps it works for your office to have walking meetings or maybe you take the stairs to use the bathroom on a different level. It may work for you to bike to work or do a wall sit when you are on a phone call.

Whatever your fitness plan looks like, just make sure you have one. Implementing fitness throughout your day will make you more productive, give you more energy, reduce risk of injury, and will make the workday go by faster.