Incidental exercise: The key to staying fit at work

Try incidental exercise to increase your fitness and overall health in the workplace

31 August 2023 5 minute read

A group of colleagues climbing stairs in a modern office of glass and concrete

If Spin leaves you too sweaty for your afternoon WIP, and a quick run results in a face so red your colleagues get concerned, try incidental exercise to increase your fitness and overall health in the workplace.

What is incidental exercise?

With more workplaces offering subsidised gym membership as part of employment packages, and many having fitness studios on site, getting some exercise into your workday is now easier than ever.

The flip side of course is that many of us work at least part of the week from home where the gym isn’t so accessible, and trying to make time for an hour-long class on a busy day in the office can be tough.

Incidental exercise may be the answer. Unlike intentional exercise, incidental exercise is movement or effort we make as part of our everyday lives.

What are the benefits of incidental exercise?

While not taxing in isolation, accruing small amounts of incidental exercise over days or weeks can have myriad health benefits.

Research shows us that all physical movement is important for overall health and reducing the risk of cancer, diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

Incidental exercise can also be protective as unlike a run or a high-intensity interval training (HIIT) class, it puts little to no stress on your heart or joints.

Making the effort to move regularly throughout a workday is also important to help prevent aches and pains related to sitting or standing for too long. Read more about how to stay pain-free at work here.

Even if you still want to enjoy your weekly gym sessions, increasing the amount of incidental exercise you do can improve overall fitness by working different muscles at a different pace and encouraging more regular movement.

How can I increase my incidental exercise at work?

Even on a busy day, it’s still possible to fit in some incidental exercise.

Rethink your commute – Consider ditching public transport or your car and walking to work. If it’s simply too far, get off the bus a few stops early and walk the final 10 minutes.

Ignore the lift – Get friendly with the stairs at work and take them whenever you need to move floors. Again, if it’s not realistic to climb 30 flights, hit the button a few levels short of where you need to be and take the remaining flights on foot. Remember, going down the stairs counts too!

Schedule an active meeting – Swap the boardroom for the park and do a few laps while you figure out a project. If the weather isn’t great, try a standing meeting to get out of your seat for a short time.

Walk if you need to talk – If you spend a lot of time on your phone at work, why not walk and talk? Better yet, scheduling a few calls back-to-back will increase your activity time.

Volunteer – Doing a coffee run won’t only win you friends in the office, it will get you up and about. Take the extra few minutes to go to the really good coffee shop a few blocks away.