Joey (Host): It can benefit many employees. So we're discussing staying active at a desk job. Our guest is Cameron Miller. He's a certified athletic trainer and a strength and conditioning specialist with BayCare. This is BayCare HealthChat. Thanks for joining us. I'm Joey Wahler. Hi Cameron. Welcome.

Cameron Miller, MS: Hey. Thanks for having me.

Joey (Host): Great to have you aboard.

We appreciate the time. So first, especially at work, where it happens to many people, what is the health impact of being too sedentary?

Cameron Miller, MS: Ultimately we want to look at the foundation of someone's activity levels. So getting that 30 to 40 minutes, three times a week of vigorous activity to set that foundation. But even staying sedentary throughout the day in the office, there's various cardiovascular risks, type two diabetes, various forms of cancer.

All cause mortality increases, so the more someone is sitting for a long or a prolonged period of time, those risk factors increase even with a baseline of vigorous activity level.

Joey (Host): Gotcha, and we'll ask you more about that vigorous activity level in a moment or two. But first, to reduce the sitting, how can a sit-stand or treadmill desk be helpful?

Cameron Miller, MS: I do love the sit-stand desks. I have not used the treadmill variations. I like to get outside and walk. But the sit-to-stand desk. It helped me a lot when I first started getting into a profession where I was in the office most of the day. Back pain neurological issues in my feet.

Just being able to get up and stand and have small amounts of activity went a long way to reduce those symptoms. But then just giving an overall feeling of wellness. So it doesn't seem like a lot, but it can make a significant difference. But also to use it thoughtfully, so, we try to reduce that sitting time, by about 75 minutes a day to improve the overall health marker.

So that's HDL levels, mood again, I mentioned back pain, and then the treadmill desks. I haven't personally used them, but I do have some colleagues that use them. And so in terms of just increasing step count, increasing that blood flow, they're both very beneficial.

Joey (Host): And so if you've got the sit-stand option, is there a recommended breakdown of how much time you should do one and the other?

Cameron Miller, MS: There's not a lot of specificity on, hey, if you do 30 minutes a day standing. What I typically like to do again, this is personal preference, is about 20 minutes of each hour that I'm at my desk. I like to be standing and I can increase that as needed. So, those feelings of lethargy and you've been sitting for a while, your body will tell you. Your watch will also remind you a thousand times a day, it's time to stand up. So those are helpful cues, but I typically like to do 20 to 30 minutes out of the hour standing. But then I would recommend start low, and then as your body tolerates that, better and better each day, then you can increase that time that you're standing,

Joey (Host): Gotcha. And no question you make the point that our watches nowadays, our phones can pretty much be set to remind us to do just about anything. Right?

Cameron Miller, MS: Right, it's a helpful tool, especially when you're, in the heat of a report you're working on or whatever it may be, you forget, Hey I need to stand up. I need to take 10 minutes to go walk. And so it is helpful to have that reminder in our busy day-to-day lives.

Joey (Host): And so, speaking of which, Cameron, how can tools like apps, digital reminders, trackers, how can those things be used to remind us of things? What should we be reminding ourselves of, in this instance.

Cameron Miller, MS: Well, really just to get up and move. My philosophy and a lot of strength and conditioning specialists' philosophy is movement is medicine. You don't want to go zero to a hundred and We're going to do our two-hour workouts every day. We want to be standing all day long, start small and even something like a watch or an app that just gives you a little reminder, say at the top of every hour, get up and move. I think that's where those apps really are more beneficial and just those simple reminders. Yeah, there are step trackers and trying to hit target goals and that's another way to improve that is, have a friend, have a buddy or a colleague and make it a competition.

Being in sports my whole life, I'm a very competitive person. So I have someone in my office that we compare our step counts every day and it's just a fun way to increase our activity without just making it really mundane and, “Oh I have to do something like this.” So, I think that's a fun way to incorporate some of those trackers and apps is include your friend, include your colleagues and have a little fun competition with it.

Joey (Host): Yeah, that does sound like fun. So also to be less stagnant, where do environmental factors, potential changes at work come into play? Anything else about our surroundings that can be a factor here?

Cameron Miller, MS: Oh, 100%. Workplace culture plays a huge role in that. I'm fortunate enough that I have some leaders in my office that even something as simple as, “Hey guys we're, walking the stairs.” Getting as many people in the office to come walk the stairs with us. We're on the sixth floor of our office building.

And so, they take an active role in really instilling a workplace culture of, “Hey, let's get up and move.” It'll give us some time to catch up on non-work-related things, but also get everybody moving and doing it together. So I think workplace culture plays a big role in that. And then again, just the reminders that you spoke about earlier.

We get so locked in at our desk and our computer and in our culture in America, it's very busy, busy. Go, go, go. Let's just take a minute to incorporate whether it's an app or a watch to get outside the office, go get some sun. That's another thing I like to do is just go walk around the building for 10 minutes, get some sunshine. Now, the summertime, it's a little tough with it being hot. So be careful and stay hydrated if that's the route you want to go but I've seen workplace culture from the top down really plays a big role in encouraging the staff to move together.

Even something like booster breaks, that's one nickname for it, where getting other colleagues in the office together to, “Hey, let's just go take a lap or two around the building. Let's go walk the stairs together.” I think that's where I've seen a big impact personally in our office space.

Joey (Host): And speaking of which, Cameron, if none of this participation, teamwork, whatever you want to call it, exists at someone's particular place of business, they can be the one to try and initiate it, right? Because I think one thing you find when you talk to coworkers is that maybe no one's doing this right now, or not many, but everyone has an interest in it.

Usually if somebody gets it organized and becomes the starter, right?

Cameron Miller, MS: Absolutely. If there's not someone already doing it and your health and your team's health is a concern to you or is important to you, yeah, absolutely. Be that impetus that gets it going in your office space. So yeah, you're a hundred percent right, do that.

It boosts morale. It gives you a chance to maybe get to know some colleagues that you didn't know before. My first couple weeks in the office, I had no idea what they were talking about, “Let's go take the stairs.” I just, I did it. It was a great idea and I was able to meet more people in the office.

And it improves team morale and individual health. So there's just a lot of benefits to improving that workplace culture and getting people moving together, doing things by yourself, unless you're an extreme introvert, you like to be around, people, and especially exercising or doing something physical, it's much more fun with someone else or with a team.

Joey (Host): And following up on that, of course, much of what we're talking about here when we talk about a team scenario has to do with where you work and what's available and so on. And so some employers, as you well know, they offer group breaks that go well beyond just walking or walking the stairs. It might involve some stretching, some light exercise, even mindfulness.

Right? So how beneficial are those things?

Cameron Miller, MS: It varies from company to company. I've seen companies that have the best workout facilities imaginable, and in the athletic training world, there's a lot of companies that will bring athletic trainers in to lead various classes for the staff and, you need to participate in x number of classes throughout the month.

And so I think there's a productivity improvement when you see this kind of breakup through the day, and most people are very familiar with the benefits of exercise. Your mental health, your cardiovascular health and just your overall sense of well-being.

All of those are benefits of having that group culture and that group activity and implementing in your office. It doesn't necessarily have to be an organized class where you bring an instructor in but at least having someone guide those sessions, that may be an option to bring a third party in.

But it's also just great to have the staff enjoy that time and say, “Hey, we're going to take five minutes to do a couple team led stretches and whatever the case may be, squats, little stretches just to get the blood flowing.”

Joey (Host): Speaking of getting that blood flowing, you touched on it briefly earlier, but I wanted to ask you further. The importance of vigorous exercise away from work. As you said, most people are aware that's beneficial in general, but how important is it particularly when you have a job where you're sitting a lot in order to offset that, and what would be the minimum recommendation from you in order to do that?

Cameron Miller, MS: Yeah, so like I mentioned earlier that's the foundation. So then, what's really important is the activity in between those bouts of exercise. So, we're talking about staying active at a desk job. I would say yes, 100%,start with the foundation of moderate to vigorous activity.

Aim for 150 minutes a week of moderate activity, or 30 to 40 minutes a day. Even as little as six to 10 minutes of vigorous activity can have positive health benefits. So one, getting that heart rate elevated 30 to 40 minutes, start with three times a week and then increase from there. One problem I see is people like to go zero to a hundred.

They go from sedentary, no exercise routine to I'm going to go every day, and there's a volume and load issue. So the volume, the amount that you're doing, and then load, the intensity of what you're doing. And so I always like to start people very light. Start with something manageable. You may even feel at the end of the workout like that doesn't really feel like the greatest workout.

Well, next day soreness, 48-hour soreness, the research has shown us it's not a good indicator of a good workout. Get that foundation, that base first and then start incorporating some of the in-between activities. So if you like to work out in the morning, what are a few of the things I'm going to do throughout the day to keep my body moving until I get to my next workout?

So, think of these little activity snacks in between your primary workouts.

Joey (Host): And finally, Cameron, in summary here, to pick up on the point you made about not overdoing it too much in the beginning when you're exercising in general with the plan being to try and start gradually as well at work with improving your amount of movement.

What's your best advice for those getting started with that to make sure that they don't get discouraged there? We've covered a lot of ground of different options people have. What's step one, pun intended, for people to start down this road of sitting less at work.

Cameron Miller, MS: Get out and do it. I had patient that used to tell me, ”Cam, there ain't nothing to it but to do it.” And so there is an element of mental fortitude. The hardest part is getting to the gym or starting that activity. I think that's ultimately the hardest part. And then once you get going, once you build in that routine, it does get easier and easier.

But it's a lifestyle. It's not simply “I'm just going to do this once or twice a week.” It is something that has to move to the top of your priority list. So again, step one is really, there ain't nothing to it, but to do it. Take that first step, get yourself to the gym, or get yourself a standing desk, if that's your first step, take those breaks.

I'd say first step in the office, maybe at the top of every hour. Just go walk for five minutes or take the stairs, just start there and then build. So, from there, then you can start to modify again the volume and load, that volume and intensity, and listen to your body. One of the biggest killers of people not returning to their exercise routines is they start out too vigorous, too fast, and they end up with that muscle soreness the day 48 hours, 72 hours after that exercise, and they're too sore to go back to the gym.Or they're too sore to go on that walk after work. So again, listen to your body as you start to incorporate these things into your life, and if you need to dial it back, just as a simple example, I'm going to go outside and walk for 30 minutes.

Oh, well, the next day I felt really sore. Okay, let's dial it back to 20 minutes. There we're adjusting the volume a little bit. It's a long-term thing, so whatever it takes, whether it's reminders or having a friend, like I said. I think everything is more fun when done with a friend or a spouse or partner or a colleague if there's an accountability aspect to it, and you can have an accountability partner, I think that helps keep people on track. So again, it's multifaceted, but to answer that first step is just do it. You'll be so thankful that you did and your family, whether it's your significant other, your kids, they'll be thankful too because the benefits are wide ranging.

Joey (Host): Absolutely. Great advice indeed. Folks, we trust you are now more familiar with staying more mobile while at a desk job. Cameron Miller says to coin a phrase, “Just do it.” He also says, movement is medicine. Cameron, keep up all your great work and thanks so much again.

Cameron Miller, MS: Thank you for having me.

And for more information or to connect with a provider, please visit BayCare.org. Please remember to subscribe, rate, and review this podcast and all the other BayCare podcasts as well. For more health tips and updates, please follow BayCare on your social channels. If you found this podcast informative, please do share it on your social media.

And be sure to check out all the other interesting podcasts in BayCare's library as well. I'm Joey Wahler and thanks again for being part of BayCare HealthChat.