How Cubicle-Dwellers Can Fidget Their Way to Fitness

Researchers have found that you don't have to go to the gym, get all sweaty, or even put on your workout clothes to make a big impact on your cardiovascular health. Instead, they found that just 30 extra minutes of "incidental physical activity" a day brings significant fitness benefits. Incidental physical activity includes plenty of things you might not even consider exercise--things you can probably include in your work day, such as going over to a co-worker's cubicle to chat rather than sending an email, or walking over to the fax machine.

The benefits of moving. Just a bit.

Ashlee McGuire and Robert Ross, both of Queens University, studied 135 Canadians who did not meet the Canadian government's guidelines for physical fitness. None of the study participants were on a regular exercise program, and all of them were overweight. Participants wore an accelerometer for a week, which measured the duration and intensity of their physical activity. They also took a test to measure their cardiorespiratory health. The researchers say that an increase in just half an hour a day of incidental physical activity is enough to produce significant changes in cardiorespiratory health.

It's not too much of a stretch to say that, with a small change in mindset, you could fidget your way to fitness. Even the smallest movements, such as bouncing your knee or tapping you toes, can make a difference. Says Mc Guire:

"[You] can accumulate little bits of activity throughout the day, so it's not time-consuming, it's not fatiguing, it's not a big burden. "[You] can do this, and it will be very helpful to [your] health... It's encouraging to know that if we just increase our incidental activity slightly-a little bit more work around the house, or walking down the hall to speak with a co-worker as opposed to sending an email-we can really benefit our health in the long term...Best of all, these activities don't take up a lot of time, they're not difficult to do, and you don't have to go to a gym.

There are plenty of other ways to get that "incidental physical activity" into your work day. Here are just a few:

• Park a little further from your building in the morning
• Take the long way around on your trips to the watercooler
• Walk up or down a few flights of stairs instead of taking the elevator
• Take conference calls standing up rather than sitting.
• Use a centrally-located printer rather than one closer to your desk

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