Fit to Work Newsletter
Past Issues
Aug 4, 2025 — Issue 3
Hi, Team,
Let’s talk fidgeting!
Think about the micro-movements you make at your desk every day. If you’re one of the 27% of people who are “habitual fidgeters”, and likely even if you don’t identify as such, you shift and wiggle and bounce when you’re “supposed” to be stationary.
But your mom, the Sunday School pastor, and your first-grade teacher might have been wrong when they demanded you “sit still.”
While you probably want to avoid rattling the whole dinner table with your bouncy knee (my partner calls me on this all the time), in your cubicle or in your WFH space, jiggling your knee, clicking your pen, and bouncing in your seat have health benefits: increasing blood flow, regulating blood sugar, and reducing mortality risk, similar to getting up every 20 minutes or so.
Fidgeting can also help relieve stress and anxiety and improve concentration, which we kind of already knew from the wild popularity of fidget spinners, circa 2017.
Here’s how you can facilitate or offset your fidgeting:
߷ Get a footstool (yoga block, spare dumbbell, edge of another chair), and prop up one foot and then the other, back and forth. It’s handy for shifting your weight when you’re standing, too.
߷ Stock your desk with the cutest stress ball. (Like this one? Or is that kind of creepy?)
߷ Use the digital/physical timer you invested in after the last issue () to remind you to hop up and do 10 jumping jacks. That’s it—just 10 every hour or so.
So, are you a proud fidgeter or still living in the shadow of your parents’ dinner table admonishments? (Go easy on them—they didn’t know and, to be fair, you knocked over the salt shaker a few times.)
Circling Back
Since the last installment of Fit to Work, I’ve had a few people proudly share their step counts with me. I love this!
If you ever want an accountability buddy or a virtual high five or any other kind of fitness-based feedback, just hit reply to the latest issue and share your wins/goals!
July 21, 2025 — Issue 2
Hi, Team,
You’ve probably heard that 10,000 steps/day is essential for fitness.
Maybe you’ve also heard to aim for 3 one-hour workouts a week?
If one or both of these practices don’t feature in your average work week, keep reading.
Getting 10,000 steps has been a hot wellness topic for decades, so it must be true, right?
Thing is, 10,000 steps a day stems from a 1960s Japanese marketing campaign. The company wanted a catchy and memorable number to advertise their new product: a pedometer. The number wasn’t based on scientific research or evidence—it was based on mental stickiness.
Cut to today. Recent studies suggest that the benefits of walking plateau at around 7,500. At this point, you’re likely to experience about as much improved cardiovascular and brain health and greater longevity as you would strutting 3,000 more.
Of course, 7,500 steps is still 5 or 6 km, which is a lot to squeeze into a hectic workday. So, here are some approaches that might make it more accessible:
Instead of shooting for 7,500 steps a day, aim for 50,000-ish per week. A daunting number, I know . But you can get those long strolls (or shopping excursions) in on your days off.
Try the old classics like getting off one bus stop earlier, parking further away, walking to the store instead of driving…These are easier for some living arrangements than others, but you’ll be amazed how quickly the steps add up. Just doing more than you did last week, whatever that looks like, is worthy of .
Think in minutes, not steps. Studies consistently support the idea of 150 minutes of moderate movement per week. That’s like two brisk walks with a friend, a fitness class, and a bike ride with the fam—fairly do-able and maybe even fun, yeah?
You got this!
Cheers,
Shannon
Circling Back
After last week’s email, a reader shared the app they use to remind them to regularly get their butt out of their chair. Thanks, Bryce!
It’s called Take a Break (and there’s a similar-looking Android option). For an analog alternative, I really love my little dodecagon timer.
Thanks for the rec, Bryce!
Hey, Team!
Welcome to Fit to Work. Thank you for being here!
Let’s dive right in and talk about something every desk worker has experienced: sitting. Lots and lots of sitting.
“Sitting is the new smoking,” they said.
“Get a standing desk or perish,” they said.
Now I am the proud owner of an awkwardly heavy desk that I—obviously—responsibly raise for two to three hours of perfect-postured, super-focused work every day!
Haha; juuuuuust kidding.
I did buy my adjustable desk with the best of intentions. But I might feel around for the dusty button once a month or so, mostly when I want to keep the cat from sitting on my lap
(Is the whrrrr of a rising desk the dial-up tone or Skype chime for a new generation?)
If you’re in this boat with me, don’t beat yourself up. Because it sounds like the actual problem is remaining in one position for a long time, not so much whether you’re sitting or standing.
Various studies conclude that changing your position—from small shifts to big ones like standing or kneeling—numerous times per hour can significantly dial down physical discomfort. (Fidgeters, rejoice!)
So, no, you can’t just adopt a permanent shrimp slouch without repercussions.
Think about what your muscles are doing when you sit in one position. Your glutes and quads are perpetually elongated, and your hip flexors and hamstrings are consistently shortened. Is it any wonder our bottoms go numb and the backs of our thighs scream when we try to touch our toes?
Instead of trying to make yourself stand for hours—which probably isn’t any better, especially when you factor in the hard floors, underdeveloped core muscles, and perpetually hunched shoulders that plague so many of us—start by simply expanding your slouching repertoire!
Work-Friendly Fix:
Rather than trying to force yourself to stand while you work, prioritize shifting positions in general. Better yet, set an ongoing 20-minute timer. Get up, shake it out, and grab a glass of water (because you’re probably not drinking enough).
You got this, fellow desker.
Shannon
P.S.
Need a digital “mom” moment to make you sit up straighter at your desk?
Several studies have found that posture can affect both self-esteem and positive mood! This Forbes article rounds up some of the research.