How to Burn Calories at Work!

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Have you been struggling with finding time to exercise? Not making it to the gym or taking the opportunity over your lunch break to exercise? It's time to think outside the box and to get creative with how you can realistically fit exercise into your day. Every little bit makes a difference!

How can you squeeze in a little exercise when most of your hours are spent sitting at a desk, meeting in the conference room, and preparing for big presentations? Here are some ideas to make exercise a regular part of your day:

1. On the Way to Work 
To start your day with a smidgen of calorie-burning exercise, you may need to wake up a few minutes earlier than usual. Not to get in a workout before tossing on your power suit, but rather so you’ll have time to torch a few calories on the way to work. To shed some calories before work, you have a number of options depending on your situation. You can bike or walk to work, perform seated calf raises on the bus or train, or park your car at the far end of the parking lot so you get to walk farther to reach your office. And of course, once you get to your building, take the stairs if you have them!

2. When Doing Mindless Tasks
Admit it: everything you do at work doesn’t require an amazing amount of brainpower. Take advantage of the easy tasks by multitasking with some exercise. The easiest option is to flex and squeeze your body. From your glutes and your abs to your pecs and thighs, you can get rid of a few calories by simply flexing them as you work. As you grow accustomed to the flexing, you may find it to be a great way to work your way through a long, difficult meeting.

3. Every Time You Finish a Task
When you first get to work, make a to-do list. This will help keep you on track and will also set you up for exercise rewards. Each time you cross a task off your list, give yourself an exercise reward. This could be walking a couple laps around the office, standing up and doing a couple quick stretches, or closing your office door and knocking out a dozen push-ups. Know what your reward of the day will be and go for it!

4. When You Need to Communicate
Helpful as email may be, there is a way to communicate with your colleagues that actually keeps your body moving. How, you may ask? By getting out of your seat and walking to your coworker’s office to talk things through. This is also a great way of building stronger relationships as work! Have to make a few phone calls? Stand up as you talk or better yet, pace back and forth during the conversation.

5. At the Top of the Hour
A great way to sneak a little calorie burning into your routine is to get up every hour. And your exercising doesn’t need to be super intense. All you need to do is stand up. Do this for five minutes, eight times a day, and you will drop 100 calories a day. That’s right—all you have to do to stand up for your health is stand up!

All of these bonus calorie burning tips are great. Work in a few days of scheduled exercise (such as a walk, run, bike or trip to the gym), and you'll be a fit and happy person!

Keep moving!