Television has changed a child from an irresistible force to an immovable object.
-Author Unknown

August 2008, Brett

Your 4 Day Workweek Survival Guide

It is no small understatement that a change of schedule can dramatically change your life.  Our goal at Healthy Utah is to help make the healthy choice the easy choice at work and at home. To do that we have to address significant changes that can affect your health.  For instance, a change from an 8 hour day to a 10 hour day at first glance may not seem that big of a deal. However, the human body is not designed to remain sedentary, particularly in front of a computer screen, for very long at all. With that in mind, here are some things you can do at your workplace to make the upcoming change an easy transition into healthier behaviors.

  • Move—That’s it, just simply move your body.  Move often, move intensely, move whenever you get a chance. Every hour get out of your chair and go to the copy machine, the bathroom, even the drinking fountain.  Just move whenever you can.
  • Stretch—Even after moving at least once an hour, you will have some muscles that are tight as a result of the responsibilities of normal work days.  Whether you type on a keyboard or turn a wrench, your body will have certain muscles that are tighter than others.  These tight muscles, left untreated, can cause long term problems.  Try some of the stretches found in our Desktop Yoga handout found here.
  • Strengthen—Loose and warmed up muscles are great, but strong muscles are able to fight off those aches and pains that are likely to happen when we do normal office work. Take time at least once a day to do some kind of resistance training. You can find some ideas in our Move Smart handout (PDF). Splitting up resistance training exercises throughout the day can help you keep your energy up and prevent chronic pain that can occur.  If you don’t want to do your resistance training at work, or are looking for a higher intensity workout, try to get a full body workout in 2-3 times per week.  Aim for 1-3 sets of 8-12 repetitions and you will be on your way to a stronger, healthier you.
  • Sweat—Not the most popular thing when seated closely with your fellow employees, but if you have the opportunity to take advantage of the exercise release time, do it!  Many agencies have the chance to take 30 minutes, 3 times a week to be active. Add this on to your lunch break and you have a chance to prevent chronic disease, have more energy, feel less stress, and basically just feel better. Go for a walk, ride a bike, visit a gym or worksite fitness center, or even just walk the stairs. Anything that gets your heart rate up will make a huge difference. If you don’t want to let everyone know how hard you have been working out, take advantage of shower facilities you may have at a fitness center, use baby wipes to clean up, or even use cotton balls and rubbing alcohol to eliminate odors. 
  • Sleep—Long days at work can leave you feeling drained. Don’t try to stay up to get things done at night.  Research shows that people who get less than 6 hours of sleep are more likely to gain weight, have higher cholesterol, have higher blood pressure, be more stressed, and be lest productive than those who get 7-8 hours of sleep at night. You cannot “catch up” on sleep by sleeping extra long on weekends, oversleeping on weekends will mess up your sleep pattern so it is harder to wake up on Monday morning.
  • Relax—One of the best advantages of a 4 day workweek is a three day weekend. Take advantage of that time to catch up on a good book, spend time with your family, run errands during the day when the lines are short, or just get outside. As tempting as it might be, don’t check your email, sneak files home, or even think about work.  Studies have shown that when personal time is taken to recharge your batteries, you are much more productive at work while maintaining good health.

This change of schedules can make an impact on your health. Healthy Utah will continue to provide you with the services and information to help you make healthy choices, while continuing to work behind the scenes to help your work environment be more conducive to healthy choices.  Let us know if we can help; your health is our success. If you have questions on this or any other fitness topic, contact Brett McIff at bmciff@utah.gov.