[See: Is Your Job Killing You? How Work Influences Longevity]
Simply stand. "In terms of calorie burn, standing can help," says Levine. Whether at a meeting or talking on the phone, just stand. "If you can get a person standing, they're more likely to be up and moving."
If you have to sit, then why does it have to be on a chair? Use a therapy ball and one that's properly sized so that the hips and knees are at 90 degrees. "Just by trying to maintain stability on a therapy ball," says Phillips, "you're working your core muscles, [the muscles in your abdomen, hips, back, and pelvis], which tend to be weak."
Forget the elevator and take the stairs. Walking up the stairs can burn as many calories in a 30-minute period as can cycling at 12 to 14 miles per hour. Just don't do it all at one time. Spread it out throughout the day. Go to the bathroom on another floor or fax that document from a different department.
Keep it moving. Conduct your meetings on the go by walking and talking. Forget modern technology like E-mail and instant messaging and do it the old-fashioned way: Visit your colleague to deliver your message. Take a trip or two to the water cooler. Pace back and forth while you're on the phone. Take your lunch outside, preferably somewhere several blocks away.
Bring fitness equipment to the office. Dumbbells and resistance bands offer discrete ways to get in some exercise. "Do two-arm bicep curls while staring at your computer screen," says Tom Seabourne, author of The Complete Idiot's Guide to Quick Total Body Workouts. "Then bring heavier weights to the office as you get stronger."
Get a treadmill desk if you're able. "You're walking while you're typing or talking on the phone, and you don't have to break a sweat," says Phillips. Levine's research—he created the treadmill desk—shows that a person can burn 100 extra calories every hour while walking less than one mile per hour.
To live longer, you don't have to log extra time at the gym, though again, it can be a beneficial component to your overall routine. "Lifestyle exercises [like these] don't take time out of your schedule," says Phillips. "You just have to be mindful and plan ways to stay active."
And remember when your mother always reprimanded you for not sitting still? Well, we're here to tell you to fidget and feel great.
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