PPEC Power Boosters

Posted by Nancy Wike

Here are some tips to help you beat the low energy and high stress that sometimes comes along with our workday.  Aim to spend 5 minutes doing mental or physical activities for each hour you spend at your desk.

Mental Breaks:

• Take a quick break to do a crossword puzzle, Sudoku, word search, or other activity that will challenge your brain.  Keep a puzzle book in your desk, or utilize the puzzle section of The City Paper.  These are available at the front desk and include a weekly crossword, Sudoku, and Scrabble puzzle. 
• Rearrange your office, or even just your desk.  You will be forced to focus on organizing your work space, and get a little exercise and a little change of scenery at the same time!
• Take a few minutes to just doodle on a notepad.  Be creative.  Let your mind wander for a few minutes.
• Stand or sit still for 2 whole minutes.  Close your eyes or go outside if you have to.  Just be still and relax.

Physical Breaks:

• Go to one of the building stairwells near Entrances C and D and climb the steps a couple of times.  Or just step up and down on the bottom step (like step aerobics).  People rarely use these stairwells, so you don’t have to worry about being in anyone’s way.
• Do a couple quick sets of push-ups in your office.  You can also do wall or desk push-ups if you can’t do regular ones.  Take two steps back from your wall or desk (about an arm’s-length) and do incline push ups.  You can also do tricep dips using your desk.
• Take a stretching break.
• Do bicep curls with 1 – 3 packs of printer paper in each hand. 
• Close your door and shadowbox for a few minutes.  Try to imagine a stressor while you are punching.  Imagining you are punching someone is probably better than actually punching them.  Especially if it is your boss or a client.  :)
• Do some jumping jacks.
• Go for a short walk.  Four laps around the building is approximately a mile.  Or, if it is too hot or too cold to walk outside, 25 laps around the upper floor of PPEC is approximately a mile.  You don’t have to do them all at once.  Do five laps five times a day.

Other Ways to Minimize Your Chair Time throughout the Day:

• Park on the opposite end of the building and walk.  An added benefit is that you will never have to hunt for a parking space!
• Take as long as possible before sitting down in the morning.  Make the copies you need, check the mail, get coffee, walk a lap or two around the hallways.
• Hold walking meetings with co-workers.
• Chat face-to-face instead of by email or phone.
• Use a restroom on the other side of the building or on another floor.  If you are downstairs, use the restroom at Entrance C or climb the stairs and use the upstairs restroom at Entrance A.  If you are upstairs, use the restroom downstairs at Entrance C.
• If your office is downstairs, use the upstairs copier.  If your office is upstairs, use the downstairs copier.
• If you are on the phone a lot, use your speakerphone function and move around while you talk.  Also, you can arrange to get a cordless handset or headset from us for use with your phone.  See Sherry for pricing options.
• Keep a stability ball in your office and use it in place of your chair periodically throughout the day.  It will help your posture, and also work your core muscles while you balance.