How To Improve Your Health While Sitting at a Desk

The conversation around our health is changing as quickly as the workplace, as evidenced by standing desks, corporate-sponsored wellness weeks, and gym membership reimbursements. Still: balancing the demands of a traditional office job with your metabolic health is never easy. 

After having my daughter, I found that adding various types of movement throughout the day made a big difference in my mood, health, and productivity. From simple stretches to more in-depth lymphatic movements, there are plenty of ways to support your metabolism throughout the work day. Here’s what I’ve done to boost my energy while working a desk job.

Try Starting the Day with a Morning Routine

In Aubrey Marcus’ book Own the Day, Own Your Life, he shares his three tools for owning your morning: hydration, sunlight, and movement. My morning routine incorporates all of these. When I wake, I mix a cup and a half of room-temperature water with a quarter or so of a juiced lemon, then three-fourths of a teaspoon of salt. I then walk around the block soaking up the early morning sunlight while I sip.

As someone who has tweaked my morning routine quite a bit over the last decade, I can confidently say this is the easiest and most effective change I've made. If I can’t walk around the block, I’ll stretch on my deck or inside if it’s raining. I breathe deeply and start my day with an appropriate amount of cortisol. 

No Coffee on an Empty Stomach

Coffee gives many people comfort on those dark mornings when the last thing you want to do is work. You don’t need to cut it out, but in my experience, it’s important to support your body through the nervous system shock caffeine inevitably creates. When I drink coffee on an empty stomach, all that adrenaline-creating buzz goes straight to my bloodstream with no buffer, making me jittery and anxious throughout the day. But if I eat a breakfast that’s rich in protein and fat first, it feels like my body absorbs the caffeine much slower, thus avoiding the jitters, anxiety, and eventual crash.

In my experience, it’s important to support your body through the nervous system shock caffeine inevitably creates.

After I’ve had my hydrating tonic, gotten some sunlight, and gently moved, then I’ll reach for caffeine alongside a few nuts or full-fat yogurt. If I’m running behind, I put coconut oil into my brew to add some much-needed nutrients to my diet in the morning. Following this advice, I’ve found I have much more sustained energy throughout the day instead of a stress-induced spike early in the morning that crashes later on.

Desk Stretches and Deep Breathing

Once you’re at your desk and locked into your work, you may notice your neck and shoulders getting a little tight. Typing and sitting naturally cause your shoulders to curl inward. As this happens, it shrinks the space that your lungs can occupy in your chest and shallows your breathing. Taking shorter breaths only brings fresh oxygen to the upper chamber of your lungs, which activates fight-or-flight. On the other hand, deep, full breaths naturally stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system or rest-and-digest.

When I stretch my chest and make more room for air, I immediately feel a difference in my mental clarity.

To offset the natural curve of your shoulders as you sit, you can stand up and reach your arms toward the ceiling. Standing with your feet firmly planted on the ground, gently drop your arms out to the side, bending at the elbows. We call this cactus or goal post arms in yoga class. Take a few breaths into your expanded chest, pulling the air as low into the lungs as possible and being careful not to puff out your stomach. When I stretch my chest and make more room for air, I immediately feel a difference in my mental clarity. I also find that my digestion feels much better when I’m regularly doing cactus arms whether I’m sitting or standing.

Lymphatic Jumps

Of course, walking throughout the day offers an amazing offset to sitting behind a desk. But, lymphatic jumps may be the missing link to increased energy and blood flow. All you have to do is hop in place for 100 small jumps, then relax and breathe for a few moments. Lymph flows more easily in up and down motions, and when you stimulate this system, everything gets moving from your head to your toes. Supporting your lymphatic system helps drain excess waste from your body, naturally alleviating heaviness or strain on your metabolism. It gets your blood moving and gently increases your heart rate; plus, it’s a fun shake-up to your day’s structured routine! 

Conclusion

A standing desk and regular exercise routine definitely support metabolic health and sustained energy levels, but sometimes, small changes throughout the day can make just as big of an impact. Rather than moving through the hourly energy struggle during the work day, I find myself feeling much more alert with small, sustainable routines that move the needle. With 2025 now here, it’s the perfect time to commit to simple, effective ways to support your mind and body—even when you’re at the office. 

A walking desk and a keto-friendly diet are all excellent choices if you want to lose weight and increase energy levels...

A walking desk and a keto-friendly diet are all excellent choices if you want to lose weight and increase energy levels, but sometimes, the smallest changes to your routine can have the largest knock-on effects. I used to struggle to get through the work day, but now, thanks to a few small tricks, I cruise through it. As we head into the New Year, don’t you owe it to your healthier future self to find something on this list and give it a try before you head back to office.

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