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Sports

Walk This Way

In the hustle and bustle of everyday life, it's hard to make it to the gym regularly, but you can sneak in a few quick exercises from the office.

Getting exercise at work doesn't have to be limited to lifting weights at your desk. You can also easily incorporate small increments of cardio into your day. In the past, Americans walked an average of 12 miles every day. Today, we're lucky if we can get to 5 miles. Walking is a great way to increase your steps and to get your heart rate up.

Consider parking your car farther away from the office entrance instead of circling to find that space right next to the door, and once inside, take the stairs instead of the elevator. Walking up the stairs burns five times as many calories as squeezing into the elevator.

During the workday, taking short breaks to simply get up from your desk and walk around the office is enough to get your blood flowing and to trigger feel-good endorphins to get you through the rest of the day. Rather than sending e-mails to co-workers, try getting up and walking over to their offices with your questions or requests. Not only will you be racking up steps, but you'll also be enhancing your relationships with your colleagues.

One more way to incorporate walking in your office is to get up from your desk and move around whenever you have conference calls. As long as you have a hands-free headset or the ability to put the phone on speakerphone, you'll be able to walk while completing your work.

For someone who weighs 140 lbs., walking up stairs for just ten minutes will burn about 85 calories. That same person will burn approximately 80 calories by simply walking around the office.

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