Fit to Work Newsletter
Past Issues
Jan 6, 2026 — Issue 14
Hey FTWer!
Happy 2026!
I won’t beat around the bush—I’m not a big fan of capital N New Year’s Resolutions. I think we have the tendency to go too big and either make ourselves sick rushing to achieve achieve achieve or throw the whole thing out within a few weeks.
Whether you’re a resolute resolutioner or not, January is often seen as a month of turning down the chaotic static of the previous season. For many industries, the first few weeks of the Gregorian calendar are spent getting set up for the rest of the year and finding ways to entice consumers or clients once the sting of holiday spending has passed.
Fitness, I suppose, doesn’t fit that trend. Anyone who works at a fitness centre is familiar with the new surge of folks resolved to improve their wellness in the coming year.
Some trainers pooh-pooh this, writing off anyone who doesn’t stick with their January workout schedule past Groundhog Day. Personally, I think it’s an amazing opportunity for us to help new or returning gym-goers and workout video viewers find the kind of rhythm that will be sustainable all year.
With that in mind, here are some practical ideas for any fitness level, to help you make fitness a priority without it completely overshadowing every other aspect of your life.
1. If you’re starting over/from scratch
I love that you’re kicking off the new year with your long-term wellness in mind. Even a “minimal” fitness practice has so many amazing payoffs that’ll help you move better throughout your whole life.
Regardless of how fit you’ve felt in the past, if you're not doing much right now, scheduling three hour-long strength sessions + two 5-km runs every week might not pan out.
Instead, think about those research-backed movement goalposts. 150 minutes of moderate exercise is a lot more achievable than it seems at first. Here’s an example of how you might break it down over a week:
Half an hour on a bike/elliptical/etc.
A 1-hour yoga class (something that gets your heart rate up a little, not Yin or Restorative). A strength-based session at home or at the gym is great too!
A 45-minute stroll with a friend (at a pace a little quicker, or on more of an incline, than a super casual plod)
A 15-minute cardio interval video off YouTube (I’ll have one up very soon…)
Total: 150 minutes! Go you!
2. If you have some good habits in place, but 2026 is lining up to be a lot
(I have multiple friends with babies on the way this year. So fun, and, oof, so busy.)
First of all, well done on the habit-building! That’s no easy feat.
Since you have a decent base level of fitness behind you, I’d love for you to get some strength training in every week. As I’ve said before, that doesn't mean finding time for 90 minutes on multiple days. You can get a ton done in just 45 minutes, warm up and cool down included!
What that might look like:
Something akin to the 150 minutes mapped out above
One or two strength workouts that incorporate one of each of the following:
A pulling exercise, such as bent-over rows, seated cable rows, or pull-ups (any variation/modification)
A pushing exercise, such as pushups, chest press (barbell or dumbbell), or overhead pressing
A knee-dominant exercise, such as walking lunges, squats, or step-ups
A hip hinge exercise, such as hip thrusts, glute bridges, or deadlifts
Something core-specific, like Russian twists, farmer carries, or dead bug
Give me 2–3 sets of 10-12 reps of each of these (using a weight/pace where the final rep feels really hard but you can still do it with good form), resting for about a minute in between each set.
Total: 5 exercises x 3 sets + rest = 25-30 minutes.
Bam!
3. You levelled up your fitness last year and are ready to keep raising the bar (figuratively and literally)
Yes! You're set up for so many exciting personal bests in 2026!
If you’ve been sticking to your workouts like a champ but not seeing quite the gains you were looking for, it’s time to challenge yourself.
Obviously, I’m not the no-pain no-gain type, but to put it plainly, if you’re not feeling some soreness in your muscles after your workouts anymore, those muscles aren’t getting stronger anymore (they’re probably maintaining, which is still a good thing).
In your 2026 workouts, I want you to keep a few things in mind:
The last rep should always feel hard. Not “using momentum and crap form” hard, but like it’s the last or second-last one you’ve got in you. After your rest, you should be able to pretty much do those reps again, with the same end result.
If you’re still doing 14-16 reps of an exercise, you need to increase your weight and decrease your reps. You've got the good form locked in, and it’s time to go heavier. Find a weight that achieves Point 1 in around 8 reps.
Start playing around with power and plyometrics. If functional fitness throughout your life is the goal, start to mix it up! Give box jumps a try, add skipping rope to the end of your session, slam a medicine ball against a wall or floor (unless you live in an apartment building…). Be mindful of how your body feels, take as much rest as you need, and start light, but do begin to explore.
Bonus tip: Need a hand breaking all this down but don’t want to work with a personal trainer per se? I offer free consultations and single/small package virtual programming! Hit me up, and we’ll make sure you absolutely rock 2026.
What are your fitness goals for 2026, and how are you planning to wedge them in amongst all the other important things on your list this year?
I’d love to hear about your past wins and new goals—drop me a line to share! I promise I’m an excellent cheerleader (as long as you don’t expect a backflip).
And of course, if you want personalized tips or workout guidance, I’m always here to help!
Here's to making 2026 our strongest (+ calmest + kindest) year yet!
💪🧘💚
Dec 23, 2025 — Issue 13
Hey FTWer!
What habits have you been trying to break lately?
You know about habits. I even talk about them in this very newsletter.
Depending on who you ask, it takes 40, or 60, or 100 days to build a habit. Missing one day doesn’t derail the goal, as long as we get back on track.
We generally think about this habit-building effect as it applies to habits we want to develop— meditation, reading non-fiction, eating our veggies, gratitude journaling. But what about the problematic side of habit-building?
It’s so easy to build unwanted habits: scrolling Instagram for hours on end, slumping over our desks day after day, flipping between three dozen open tabs to feel productive for weeks and weeks.
We’ve been building these negative habits in the background for well over 100 days (and apparently weekends don’t deter them!). They come pretty darn naturally to us now.
And, boy, building positive habits is as hard as breaking negative ones! Three days of crappy sleep, and a dedicated practice of doing yoga first thing goes right out the window.
Today, I want to break down three movements you can do right at your desk. By removing the friction of the transition between work and workout, hopefully you'll find it easier to build the habit of doing something good for your body in between tasks.
And, of course, I’ve given them catchy holiday-themed names you can pop on sticky notes on your monitor til they become second nature as much as the eight-hour slouch!
Grandma’s Hugs
Aww, remember the hugs from Grandma (or whoever gave the best ones in your childhood)? These thoracic spine CARs (controlled articular rotations) take your mid spine—which is supposed to be extremely mobile but is, in reality, very clunky and stiff for many people—through movement that increases range of motion and feels great.
2. Cookie Give-and-Takes
These wrist rotations and extensions are borrowed from classic carpal tunnel prevention. You know, the 11x17 sheet of blotchy, over-photocopied exercises everyone who ever worked at a desk got in the early 2000s.
3. Sleigh Stoppers
If I had a dollar for every time I realized as we drove away that the food I was bringing to the Christmas party was still on the kitchen counter…I’d have at least five dollars. Stop the car!!
This seated lunge gives your sore, tired hip flexors and hamstrings a nice stretch, and strengthens the quads a bit to boot!
Disclaimer: Please use the brake, not your foot, to stop the car.
Dec 9, 2025 — Issue 12
Hey FTWer!
When someone at work asks you for help, what’s your knee-jerk response?
Is it yes, because, as you’re perfectly aware, you’re part of my not-so-exlusive People Pleasers Party?
Or, is it no, because they should’ve sorted out their schedule, and you’re not their mother?
I’m just guessing here, but I bet a lot/most of you fall into the former category. “Sure, totally” is our default because
We want people to like us,
We want to be helpful,
We want to rise up in our careers, and we’ve always been told that agreeing to whatever someone asks is a good way to do it.
I’m not telling you anything you don’t already know—you know being a die-hard people pleaser is bad for your health and others’ perceptions of you, so let’s get straight to some tips on how to avoid thoughtlessly signing up to bring coffee, plan the Christmas party, overhaul the inventory system, and walk your boss’s dog this Saturday. (Then, we'll talk mobility in fitness.)
How to Become a Less-Persistent People Pleaser
1. Change your knee-jerk answer.
I’m pretty sure one big reason we say “yes” right away is a fear of silence. Savvy negotiators know this and use it against people like us (or are you one of them? Can you teach me?). Everyone else just thinks we’re super helpful.
Letting the silence draw on while you think about the ask and prepare an answer true to your availability and interest is hard. Instead, practice filling the void with a different response, one that buys you time: say “Let me get back to you on that by the end of the day.”
Just like that, you acknowledged their ask, gave them a hard deadline for your response, and gave yourself time to actually consider it. If you decide you're interested and/or have time, great. If not, you can pad your “no” with a recommendation for where else they might look, which makes you look capable and—whaddaya know—still helpful! Just don’t throw another people pleaser under the bus ;).
2. Don’t interrupt them before they’re done asking.
Every time I think something is “just me,” the internet quickly proves me so, so wrong. So, here’s one I catch myself doing too much, and maybe you do too:
When someone starts to ask for something, or even if they just generally state that they need something, I'm already nodding. So set-in is my desire to help and save and be liked that, half the time, I’m offering my assistance before they’ve requested it. Sometimes, that means taking on even more than they were going to ask in the first place. 😱
Instead, you can try (as I am) to keep your mouth shut until they’re done talking/explaining. For one thing, it’s still interrupting even if you’re offering to help. For another, they might just be asking for a recommendation or your opinion! If they do want your time, you’ll have all the details before you tell them—say it with me—"let me get back to you on that by the end of the day."
Gonna give these a try? If you have your own methods for dealing with requests at work—and at home—hit reply to this email and share ‘em! I’m sure we could all use more ideas for how to stay helpful-but-not-harried.
There’s a fitness tie-in here even before we get to literal mobility:
When you have more time to breathe and think and participate in your favourite recreational activities, your stress decreases, and you are healthier. Full stop.
But also…mobility!
Well-rounded physical fitness aims to achieve three things: strength, flexibility, and mobility.
Strength is how much force your muscles can produce (lifting a dumbbell over your head).
Flexibility is how well your muscles, tendons, and ligaments move through a range of motion (passive; bending down to touch your toes).
Mobility is how well your joints move through a range of motion (active; swinging a tennis racket without pain).
Here are three mobility exercises that are easy to add to your midday movement break (15-second how-to videos are linked!):
1. Inchworm + World Greatest Stretch
What you’re getting: thoracic spine rotation, hip flexor extension, hamstring extension (glute attachment), chest opening, spinal flexion…you can see why people like this one.
What you’re getting: posture reset, inner thigh stretch, spine strengthening, hip mobility.
3. Windmill
What you’re getting: stabilization in the shoulder blade, a very mobile area; back body stretch; isometric contraction of your upper back; mild hamstring stretch. (Note: You can also do this one with no weight until you get comfortable with the movement!)
You got this!
💪🧘💚
Prefer written instructions? I’ve got you.
1. Inchworm + World Greatest Stretch
Start standing. Roll down, articulating through your spine, until your hands come to the floor. Bend your knees as much as needed.
Walk your hands out to a plank, then step your right foot forward between your hands. (Lower your knees first if you want).
Put your right fingertips behind your ear. Keep your left hand on the ground and twist toward your right leg, raising your elbow toward the ceiling, opening your chest to the right.
Hold for a count of 3, then rotate back and plant your right hand.
Step back to plank, then step your left foot forward between your hands.
Repeat the twist on the left side.
Pike your hips (like downward dog) and inch back to standing.
Repeat all that 3 times.
2. Wide-Leg Seated “Deadlift”
Sit on a chair with your knees wide. Choose a seat height that lets you bend your knees about 90 degrees.
Sit tall, firm your core, and find a slight forward pelvic tilt (think of popping your butt out just a bit). Stretch your arms straight down, so the backs of your wrists/forearms are against your inner thighs
Keeping this posture, with your chest proud, lean foward as deeply as you can or until your fingertips come to the floor. If your low back rounds (losing the butt pop), reduce the depth.
Pause at the bottom, then bring your torso back up.
Repeat 10 times.
3. Windmill
With a light dumbbell (or a full water bottle—no excuses!) in your left hand, stagger your feet with your right foot forward (like you took one step and then paused).
Press the weight up overhead and hold it there.
Slowly bend forward, running your right hand down the inside of your right leg as deeply as you can go. Bend your knees a bit, but think deadlift (butt going back, torso hinging forward) not squat (butt going straight down, torso upright). Keep the weight pointing to the ceiling.
Press through both feet to return to standing.
Repeat 8 times, then switch sides.
Nov 25, 2025 — Issue 11
Hey FTWer!
Stop waiting for your AWOL motivation.
When's the last time you skipped a workout, or a run, or a yoga class, or a meditation because you weren't motivated to do it?
For me, it was earlier this week. I've also recently skipped writing, studying, and cleaning because the spark of desire for it just wasn't there. (No desire to clean? Unheard of!)
Obviously, the idea that we need to stop relying on motivation to get things done isn't exclusive to fitness. It comes up all over our lives and can lead to just as much guilt and stress when we had the time or energy, just not the inclination.
We “do it anyway” when it comes to going to work and doing the
laundry—why are we so resistant to that approach for other tasks?
All too often, that feeling bad leads us to try to double down.
One of the owners of Tactic—a functional nutrition and fitness company whose Instagram is a treasure trove of inspiration—posted a great reel about this recently.
The problem with adding the minutes you missed today onto tomorrow's run, say, is that if you weren't motivated to run 20 minutes today, you almost definitely won't be motivated to run 40 tomorrow.
Instead, they suggest cutting the time in half. Meant to go for a 30-minute run? Make the next one 15. Supposed to write 500 words today? Shoot for 250 tomorrow.
You can always work your way back up, but a shorter practice you actually do will always benefit you more than a longer one you end up skipping.
So, in the spirit of making our tasks a size we'll actually do, I've got a three-exercise workout for you today. You only need one (or two) medium-weight dumbbells, and you can wrap up 3 sets in just 15 minutes or so.
I walk you through the exercises in a quick video:
(Need a modification I don't show, including no weights? Drop me a line!)
Nov 11, 2025 — Issue 10
Hey FTWer!
How much “doing nothing” have you been doing lately?
I'm not calling you out; I hope you're finding time to do nothing.
I know that I'm not good at this. There's always something on the go, even if it's something deceptive in its nothing-like-ness, like reading on the couch. I also know I have a problem with “multitasking”…
Thing is, research shows humans can't actually multitask.
Unlike a computer, our brains can't run multiple tasks simultaneously. When we jump from task to task, it takes us an average of 25 minutes to get settled and focused every time.
According to one researcher, “multitaskers are…terrible at keeping information in their head nicely and neatly organized.” As professionals, that's not our best look.
I often see the evidence and detriments of my task-switching at work, but it wasn't until this weekend that I realized how deeply those habits have seeped into my life.
I was sitting on the couch, working on a cross-stitch piece and pausing between stitches to try to finish a chapter of my novel.
I mean—what possible benefit could that have? All it did was make me half as fast at both activities (and twice as likely to stab myself).
We need to get better at doing nothing. Studies show that because kids aren't bored anymore—they always have a tablet to look at, there's always an extracurricular to get to— they aren't forced to come up with fresh and creative ideas. The ideas that can lead to amazing advances and discoveries, both personal and world-altering.
This is why today, instead of sharing physical exercises or stretches, I'm going to lean on my yoga background and share three simple mindful pause practices.
Mindful Pause #1: The 20/20/20 Rule
How it works: Set a recurring 20-minute timer. When it goes off, shift your gaze to something 20 feet or further away (look out the window or spy on your coworker across the room). Maintain that focus for 20 seconds.
What it does: Staring at a screen just 20 inches from our faces causes eye strain and fatigue. Because certain muscles must tense to focus on closer objects, if we don't take breaks, over time these muscles struggle to relax, which means it takes us longer to focus farther away.
Mindful Pause #2: Box (or Triangular) Breathing
How it works: Set a timer for 1 to 5 minutes (start small and work your way up).
1. Closing your eyes to softening your gaze, take a deep inhale through your nose, counting to four.
2. Hold that breath for a count of four.
3. Release the breath for a count of four, through your nose or mouth.
4. Hold the air out for a count of four.
Alternatively, remove the final step and go back to step 1 (make a triangle instead of a square). The box breathing method is meant to calm and focus us. I personally find holding the breath out stresses me a bit, so I prefer to skip that one!
What it does: Focusing on your breath is a quick mindfulness activity that forces you to be in the moment. Breathwork practices like box breathing help ease anxiety and improve mood. For even more anxiety relief, make your exhale longer than your inhale. This instantly stimulates the vagus nerve and slows the heart rate.
Mindful Pause #3: Body Scan
As someone who sucks at sticking with any kind of meditation practice, I've found the body scan to be the easiest and most rewarding method.
How it works: Take a comfortable seat—in a chair or on the floor—and close your eyes. Draw your focus to the crown of your head. From there, let your attention move down, noticing each body part and consciously relaxing it as you do. Move slowly, all the way from the top of your head to the soles of your feet.
For a quick, 6-minute guided body scan, click the link below:
What it does: A body scan is a method of mindfulness meditation that helps you notice spots of tension in your body and consciously relax them. Over time, you develop greater awareness of where tension and relaxation exist in your body, changing how you relate to these sensations. The practice can ease stress and bring clarity.
Oct 28, 2025 — Issue 9
Heya, FTW Team!
First of all, did you hear about the Fit to Work podcast?
Episodes will be dropping on Tuesdays in between newsletter issues. Listen and subscribe here:
LISTEN TO EPISODE 1 ON SPOTIFY | (Apple Podcasts link coming soon)
Alright—let's get to today's topic! It's a bit longer than usual, but I promise there are exercises at the end :)
(If you just want the moves, just scroll down til you see the green FTW dots!)
What kind of leader do you prefer?
As a trainer, I know my instruction approach isn't for everyone. I deliberately brand myself as fun, motivating, and encouraging—it's not my style to stand over you while you pump out bench presses, screaming “Give me one more rep, you worm!,” and I proudly proclaim that I don't assign burpees.
But some people thrive on that exacting encouragement, and some people love burpees. (If you're one of the latter, it's fine. Just…slow down and really make sure you're nailing each part with great form—the intensity and complexity of that exercise mean it can cause real injury, acutely or over time.)
Different “coaching” preferences come up at work, too. Some of us want weekly check-ins with our managers, while others prefer to follow up only if they have questions. You might love the rigid tracking of a JIRA board, while your co-worker has to keep reminding himself to keep it up to date.
As long as everyone's on board, there's nothing wrong with any of these approaches.
But there is such a thing as objectively negative coaching language, both in the office and at the squat rack.
Four Wrong Moves That Raise My Red Flags (and my blood pressure)
They draw unnecessary comparisons. “My Tuesday client could do an extra set.” “When Janina ran this project, we didn't hit these roadblocks.”
They aren't willing to adjust for you. “Screaming at my clients has always gotten results before.” “I expect you to only come to me if something is on fire.”
They don't get the difference between motivation and intimidation. “If you can walk tomorrow, you need to add weight to your squats.” “If you can't handle the pressure, you're in the wrong job.”
They give orders, not collaborative feedback. “I scheduled push-ups today, so we're doing push-ups, even if your shoulder is twinging.” “This doesn't need to be a discussion. Just get it done.”
Yikes. Did you get the same uncomfortable feeling in your stomach reading those as I did writing them?
These examples are glaringly bad, but negative leadership can show up in more subtle, sinister ways, too. If a specific instance jumps to your mind, drop me a line—a cringe shared is a cringe diminished, right?
Keep an eye out (for yourself and for your friends and coworkers). If you see bad coaching, call it out if you can, or find a way to distance yourself from it. The world is a fraught enough place right now; we don't need to encourage more crappy supervisors on top of it.
Your Work-Week Movement Snacks
Here's your Fit to Work assignment for this week! See if you can slip at least one of these moves in each day—and let me know how it goes!
Glute Bridge
Benefits: Resets your spine; gets the blood pumping and muscles moving in every part of your legs; mild hip flexor stretch.
Lie on your back with your knees bent, heels about a foot from your butt.
Give your chin a slight tuck toward your chest; just enough to keep your neck nice and long. Lay your hands flat alongside you.
Flatten your low back to the ground by tipping your pelvis toward your belly button.
Keeping that pelvis position and pressing through your heels, slowly lift your butt up off the ground. At the top (whatever that means for you), pause and squeeze your glutes.
Slowly lower, thinking of rolling back down through each vertebrae from top to bottom.
Repeat 10 times.
Not hard enough? Try walking your feet a little further from your butt for more hamstring engagement. Still too easy? Do them one-legged!
Lunge with Twist
Benefits: Loosening up a spine that has been static all day; waking up the glute, quad, and calf of the forward leg; stretching the hip flexor of the back leg; resetting posture.
Step into a high (knee raised) or low (knee on ground) lunge.
Tall torso; think of the crown of your head stretching up to the ceiling.
Raise your arms up overhead, shoulders out of your ears.
On an exhale, rotate your torso toward your forward leg, lowering your arms into a T as you do.
On the inhale, rotate back to centre, raising your arms.
Repeat 5-10 times, then repeat on the other side.
Tricep Dip
Benefits: Stretches the chest and strengthens the back (essential for desk workers, who sit in the opposite position all day); strengthens the shoulders and triceps (backs of the upper arms).
Video walk-through.
Sit on a sturdy chair that is against a wall or a ledge.
Placing your hands on the seat under your butt, walk yourself away from the chair. The further your feet are from the chair, the more challenging this exercise will be.
Slowly lower your butt until your arms are bent 90 degrees. Slowly raise back up.
Repeat 10 times.
Have a wonderful week full of inspiring leaders and fun movement!
Oct 13, 2025 — Issue 8
Heya, Team FTW,
Ever noticed how many fitness and sports-related terms make their way into corporate idioms?
In celebration of how perfectly movement and deskwork intersect, let me introduce the lineup for this year’s Quarterly Qualifiers!
Get ready for…
1.
Innnn this cornerrrrr (can you tell I don’t actually watch the Olympics?), the Deskletics are already warming up to Run a Meeting.
The move: High Knee Hugs
(Video how-tos for all the moves are right here.)
Why it’s great: You’re releasing that tight hip flexor in the standing leg while finding a deep stretch for the hamstring in the bent leg. Squeezing activates those lazy glute muscles, and your posture gets a reset when you’re forced to stand up tall.
What to do: With your right hand on the wall or the edge of your desk for balance, hug your right knee in toward your chest. Press down firmly through the standing leg and squeeze the glute. Draw your spine up nice and tall. Hold for a count of 5. Switch sides.
Repeat 3 times.
2.
Next up: They’re the first to arrive at every meeting with the C-Suite, and they always have follow-up questions—the Series A Sportsters are here to Push Up a Deadline.
The move: Shoulder Sliders
Why it’s great: You’re opening your chest by pressing your shoulders back and strengthening back and shoulders at the same time (which fights that over-the-keyboard slouch). This move is also proven to improve shoulder mobility and rotation.
What do you: Find an open bit of wall and stand or sit tall against it, pressing your shoulders back. Tuck your chin slightly. Tuck your elbows to your sides and bend them, so the backs of your hands are against the wall. Doing your best to keep your upper back against the wall, slowly slide the backs of your hands up the wall and back down. Watch it here.
Repeat 5 to 8 times.
(Note: You can do these lying down on the floor, knees bent, if they don't work for you against a wall. Keep practicing and you'll get there!)
3.
Logging on at ten minutes past 9:00, we have the Overslept Outsourcers climbing the ranks to Punch the Clock.
The move: The Twist n’ Press
Why it’s great: Sitting up straight is a nice reset for your spine, and rotating is an essential core-based movement pattern. By pressing with the heel of your hand rather than making a fist, you’re performing wrist extension to counteract the flexion it sits in during the day, and getting a nice extra stretch in that forearm. We do this one sitting to make sure you move from your core, not your hips.
What to do: Sitting up tall, draw your belly button toward your spine to wake up your core. Raise your hands like you're waiting to catch a basketball, palms facing in at shoulder height. Rotate your torso to the right—thinking of moving with your core, not your shoulders—and your left arm to the right as well, pressing your left palm out as you twist. Return to centre with control and repeat on the other side. Watch it here.
Repeat 5 times.
4.
And finally, they put the ohm in work from home. Namaste Late Today are ready to Balance the Books.
The move: Tree Pose
Why it’s great: Standing when you’ve been sitting for hours will get the blood moving, gently stretch your hip flexors, and gently activate those lax glutes and hamstrings. Balance requires a degree of calmness and concentration, so it’s like a quick midday meditation. And your core, ankles, and feet—all things that don’t get much of a workout when you’re sitting—get stronger with every single-leg balance!
What to do: Stand beside your desk or near a wall. Before you lift your left leg, bring your weight into your right foot. Press down into the ground through your whole foot and unlock your knee. At the same time, pull the crown of your head toward the ceiling. Then, raise your left leg, bringing your foot to your ankle, shin, or inner thigh (depends on flexibility). Squeeze your standing leg (glute and thigh) as you balance. Watch it here.
Hold for 10 to 30 seconds on each side.
Sept 30, 2025 — Issue 7
Heya, workstar!
I'm going to take us to a more serious place this week.
Working and working out have some things in common. For instance:
A focus on an end goal;
Proven benefits from sticking with it;
A correlation between how much you enjoy it and how much effort you'll put in;
The danger of a toxic culture.
That last one's no joke.
Let me first acknowledge that there are plenty of great workplaces and plenty of great gym mindsets, communities, and methods. I am not calling out anyone in particular here, and I honestly don't even have any specific company or organization in mind.
But the toxic environment—for both fitness folks and workers—is a real thing.
Verbal harassment that crops up in the cubicle or at the squat racks;
A demanding manager/coach who won't respect your boundaries;
Peer-to-peer bullying from fellow gymgoers or coworkers;
“Motivating” with fear (if you don't get this project finished/hit this PR, you're a failure).
It doesn't matter if you're spending time in an open-concept office or a membership-only weight room—these are flashing neon red flags to start looking for something else.
And yes, I say that knowing full well it's not an easy task. The job market is plain dreadful, and if you only have one fitness facility in your area, switching could add hours to your commute (or, if you're like me, result in you just not going).
Thoughts on Tackling Toxicity:
Remember that boundaries are about what you will do, not what you want them to do.
- Isn't a boundary: “Don't give me more work than I can handle.”
- Is a boundary: “I will require a minimum of three business days to focus on and complete this project.”
Document the problems. You might feel like you're whining or overthinking it, but write down the date and an explanation of each interaction that makes you uncomfortable. Even if it's the first time and you don't really think there will be more issues. When we hear stories about harassment cases, this comes up a lot—how helpful it was that the claimant kept a detailed journal of events.
If finding another workplace/gym isn't an option at the moment, make time for self-preservation strategies. This might look like using more of your vacation days, exploring fitness options that don't require a facility, and talking to someone close to you about what's going on. (If you need help with a gym-free fitness plan for any reason, reply to this email. I'm always here as a sounding board for a crappy work/workout situation, too. )
Be mindful of toxic environments, wherever they might crop up. If it's your own experience, start finding even small ways you can make life a little better for yourself right now. If you know someone going through it, offer support however you can.
Circling Back
A reader reached out the other day to tell me about their workweek movement win: “I have been doing evening yoga every night this summer, and it has made such a difference in how I'm feeling in the mornings. Two yoga practices for 10 to 15 minutes each per day. That's my new recommendation for anyone hitting their mid-40s.”
Isn't that awesome? I'd say it's a great addition for anyone hitting any age! Whether it's yoga, or walking, or pushups, or dance breaks, moving your body more in ways that feel good can only help you.
What movements have you been testing out?
Sept 16, 2025 — Issue 6
Hey, Team!
How are your workday movement goals coming along?
For me, it doesn’t seem to matter how focused I am on fitness that week. If I’m teaching three classes, getting in a workout or run every day, actually sticking to a dedicated yoga routine….when I shift gears to a day of desk work, any notion of getting up and moving throughout those sedentary eight hours just drops—pLoP!—right out of my brain.
Maybe you can relate? It’s like the habits we get really good at just don’t transfer over when we get into a mindset or position or environment in which they weren’t explicitly built.
Research tells us that habits and memory are context-dependent, so maybe if I didn’t develop my movement habit directly in situ during an actual desk work day, it makes sense—cognitively, behaviourally, and frustratingly—that it doesn’t kick in on a desk workday.
But also, “habits are more context-dependent than goal-directed actions,” so consistently reminding ourselves of the outcomes of incorporating movement (less back pain, better sleep, reduced eye strain) could help us actually remember to do them until the habit solidifies in this fresh context? (Source)
I guess that’s basically the whole premise of this newsletter, right?
To help the process along (because we’re all in this together), I think the best thing is to keep inundating you with easy-to-accomplish movements. If even just one in ten triggers an itch to move, then I’ve succeeded!
So, without further ado, here are 5 “movement snack” ideas for your busiest workday. I’ve cut the ones that require using your desk as a base because I bet some of you, like me, don’t have a solid wood beast of a tabletop.
Reply to this email to let me know which one is your favourite. And don’t forget to save and share the cards below. I know they’re ridiculously, obviously AI-generated, but still—pin ‘em to your whiteboard, stick ‘em in your day planner, staple ‘em to your dog’s collar. Whatever moves you!
Let’s go!
1. Re-Energizing Seated Pigeon Pose
Roll your chair back a bit.
Place the right ankle on the left thigh, just above the knee
Sit up straight and think about pulling the right knee down toward the ground
Move the chest forward (chin parallel to the ground, neck long) til you feel a stretch in the right side of your low back and glute.
Bonus: make pigeon cooing sounds to soothe your sympathetic nervous system ;)
2. Slouch-Correcting Seated Chest Opener
Sitting tall in your chair, open your arms out to the sides.
Press your chest forward and tip your chin up just a little bit. Inhale.
On your exhale, sweep your arms forward and press your mid-back away, fingers pointing forward or hands clasped. Tuck your chin.
Bonus: Inhale through your nose, and make your exhale a nice, loud sigh. Trust me, it’s cathartic.
3. Blood-Pumping Pulse Squats
Set your feet about hip-distance apart.
Lower your bum straight down, and aim to have your knees track over your feet as you do (you might need to turn your feet out a bit)
At the bottom of your squat (whatever that means for you), move up and down slowly three to five times.
Stand back up and repeat.
Bonus: Duck walk back to your desk and do the next hour of work without your chair. (Oh my gosh, this one is a joke…)
4. Power Pose Toe Taps (ChatGPT could not understand how to show this move )
Stand with your feet wide and your arms outstretched. Take up space! Power pose!
Tense your belly like someone’s gonna punch you.
Rotate your torso to the right, so your right arm moves behind you and your left moves in front.
As you rotate, keeping a long spine, lean forward and reach toward your left fingers toward your right toes. They don’t have to touch.
Stand back up and repeat the other way.
Bonus: Every time you stand tall, roar like a lion (I’m serious this time).
5. Jumping Jack-of-all-Trades
You know this one. Arms go up as legs go out. Aim for 20-30 seconds every hour-ish.
Low-impact option: as you raise your arms, tap first one foot out to the side and then the other.
Bonus: Sit back down and finally send that message to Karen telling her no, you won’t have time to do her job for her.
Sept 1, 2025 — Issue 5
Hi, Team,
Let me climb up on my plyo box for a sec. I want to talk about how flexible hours and remote work policies impact our movement. (Actionable suggestions at the end!)
Flexible work hours have been a thing for a while now. It started in earnest with the pandemic and continues for various reasons, like retaining staff who dig the remote scene, making things easier for working parents, and accommodating workers’ differing periods of productivity. We’re also seeing a slow acceptance of the truth that measuring work quality strictly in desk hours is nonsense. (Can you tell I write for a podcast that explores better business practices?)
One potential benefit of flexible work hours is more opportunity to work out. If there’s no hope once the kids are home or you hate how hectic your gym is before 9 am, now you have the option to slip some movement between meetings…Right?
Lots of articles list easier access to fitness as a possible perk of flexible work, but are workers actually using this somewhat self-directed time in this way?
In 2024, a UK study asked workers to self-report on the benefits of hybrid work. 54% of them said that they were getting more exercise. But a 2018 study found the opposite—people with hybrid work schedules actually sat more.
So, the jury’s out. And that’s probably because there’s a whole lot more to encouraging movement than just a new policy enabling “flexible hours”. Implicit consent isn’t good enough. If you’re “allowed” to leave your desk to work out but you’re slammed with so much work day in and day out that you don’t feel like you can sneak away…what’s a wannabe workout warrior to do?
Companies need to support and encourage fitness in other ways, from literally telling workers they’re welcome to hit the weights at 1 PM to offering additional incentives like gym memberships. I’m not a huge fan of things like workplace step count or pushup challenges, but at least they highlight a supportive company mindset.
All that being said, let’s not overlook the many other health benefits inherent in flexible schedules and hybrid. These policies show signs of increasing employee happiness, which manifests as reduced turnover, sick days, and stress. Employees regularly report sleeping better and eating more nutritiously.
At the end of the day, we need to be the advocates of our own fitness and also accept that life is flipping busy and three hours at the gym isn’t always possible.
I want to hear from you! What kind of flexible work and/or fitness policies does your workplace offer? And if you work for yourself, how does your boss (ie: you) encourage you to get up and move your body, between, before, or after work hours?
A bit of movement motivation for your workday:
A 10-minute bodyweight workout when you can slide it in is always better than not moving because you can’t do a full hour.
Ask your favourite co-worker if you can take your next brainstorming session on the road. Walking meetings don’t just get you moving—research shows they can jiggle loose stagnant brilliance because “natural walking reliably boosts originality and divergent thinking.”
Yes, dancing = workout. Put on a song, practice your Grapevine and your Floss (that one’s passé now, isn’t it?), and get that vital blood flowing to all those extremities. If you try this and afterward get a break in a problem you were working on, reply to this email and tell me about it!
Sources:
Flexible Work: The Impact of a New Policy on Employees' Sedentary Behavior and Physical Activity, Journal of Occupational and Environmental MedicineHybrid working makes employees happier, healthier and more productive, study shows, The Guardian
The Effect of Employee-Oriented Flexible Work on Mental Health: A Systematic Review, Healthcare
What Research Says About the Benefits of Walking at Work, Psychology Today
Aug 19, 2025 — Issue 4
Hi, Team,
When our commute becomes a mere 20 feet, we muddy not just the physical divide between office and home but also the mental divide between Work and Not Work.
(This also goes for taking your office laptop home with you.)
Now, I’m obviously not here to preach the benefits of regular work hours. I think it’s great that we more and more of us can now divvy up our days so they fit with our lives, either because we have mandated flexible work hours or we work for ourselves.
I do think that blindly cramming Work and Not Work hours into one bumpy, 16-hour ball of sitting at our desks or hunching over our phones at the dinner table is less than ideal. So, with that in mind…
Here are three ways you can use movement to help highlight those lines between Work and Not Work, even if your “office” hours no longer resemble anything like 9 to 5.
Put the “Calm” back into “Commute.”
Just because your desk is three meters from your kitchen doesn’t mean you’re limited to a 10-step commute! Scheduling a walk around the block right before you sit down not only gets the blood moving and the mental juices flowing; it also creates a built-in divide between morning routine and workday—minus the tribulation of sitting in traffic.Designate a special EOD Commute Stretch.
I’ll always advocate for more stretching throughout your day, obviously, but what if you picked a specific one just for 5 pm? Seems like it should work similarly to having a regular bedtime routine—the brain begins to recognize that movement as a sign to shut down work mode.
My 15-minute stretch on YouTube might be just the ticket!Make yourself work (out) for that off-hours work.
How much more would you move if you weren’t allowed to sit at your desk outside of your official work hours (to check emails or make a tweak to a project, say) until you did 10 pushups, or jumping jacks, or calf raises?
It’s less about trying to prevent those off-hours work bits—they can relieve anxiety and set you up better for the next day—and more about being mindful. If we stop just plopping down without thinking and instead create a workflow (think of task > do 10 pushups > do work task), we become more aware of those decisions, and we get a bit of movement out of it, too!
4. Bonus: Change your clothes!
This isn’t really physical movement-specific, unless your clothing change involves wriggling out of tight leggings or you balance while you change your socks. But the thrill I get from pulling on sweats at the end of the day is most of the reason I put on “real person” clothes in the first place.
Circling Back
I was recently informed that every tech worker must have a rubber ducky on their desk for companionship. How was I not aware of this?! A reader kindly shared their own buddy, which brilliantly combines this essential buddy with a timer for break reminders!
How flippin’ cute is that?! Thanks, Erika :)
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.