Time on your feet at work can count toward the activity adults are advised to get each week, and the test it has to pass is the one every other activity faces: any aerobic activity counts if you do it at a moderate or vigorous intensity. Being paid for it, or not having chosen it, takes nothing away. Moderate means working hard enough to breathe harder, raise your heart rate and break a sweat.
The hours on your feet at work that count
Walking between tasks counts when it reaches that level of effort, whatever the job is, and so does climbing stairs at work, a moderate-intensity activity that builds endurance (see Is it normal to be out of breath after one flight of stairs?). Standing in one place is a different case: aerobic activity involves moving the body's large muscles for extended periods of time, so hours spent standing still at a counter do not count on their own. Physical work of any kind counts by the same test: general yard work and home repair work are moderate-intensity activities, and heavy yard work, such as digging or shoveling that raises your heart rate, is vigorous.
How hard a task is depends on the person doing it. Walking may feel like a moderate-intensity activity to you and vigorous to someone else, depending on the shape you are in, what you feel comfortable doing and your health condition. Two people working the same shift side by side can come away with different totals, and only you can judge your own. You can check the effort while you are moving: at moderate intensity you can talk, but not sing, during the activity (see How hard does a walk have to be to count as moderate?).
You don't need to be active for long periods to get the recommended amount of at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity activity a week, and the minutes can be spread out during the week and broken up into smaller chunks of time. Stretches shorter than 10 minutes count toward the weekly recommendation too, so short bursts of hard work scattered across a shift add to your week, as long as each one reaches moderate intensity.
Why the recommendation is in minutes when your phone counts steps
A step total on your phone, however large, cannot show whether you met the weekly recommendation, because the recommendation is written in minutes of effort and days of strength work. Adults need 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity a week, or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity activity, or an equivalent combination of the two, and at least 2 days of muscle-strengthening activity each week. Every part of that is a length of time at a level of effort, or a number of days.
A step total adds up every step at any pace, and it takes no account of how hard you were working or what you lifted. A shift can produce a large step count and few minutes of moderate effort if most of the steps were taken at an easy pace. Brisk walking, at 2.5 miles per hour or faster, is moderate activity.
Sitting less counts for something when it comes with some activity: adults who sit less and do any amount of moderate- or vigorous-intensity physical activity gain some health benefits, and going past 150 moderate minutes in a week brings even more. To find your own total, add up for one ordinary week the minutes at work and away from it that left you breathing harder, with your heart rate up and a sweat started. A printable Physical Activity Diary is one place to track the week.
The work a shift on your feet may leave out
Advice to exercise on top of a physical job has a point about strength work for every major muscle group, which a shift may not cover, and, for adults 65 and older, about balance work too. Most people tend to focus on one type of activity and think they are doing enough.
| Type | How much | What makes an activity count |
|---|---|---|
| Aerobic | 150 minutes of moderate activity a week, 75 minutes of vigorous, or an equivalent mix | Breathing harder, a raised heart rate and a sweat |
| Muscle-strengthening | At least 2 days a week, working the legs, hips, back, chest, abdomen, shoulders and arms | Effort to the point where another repetition would be hard without help |
| Balance | For adults 65 and older, part of the weekly recommendation, with about three sessions a week as the aim | Specific exercises, such as standing on one foot or the heel-to-toe walk |
A physical job can cover the aerobic minutes and part of the strength work. Carrying heavy items, such as groceries, is muscle-strengthening activity, and so is gardening, which may require digging and lifting, so lifting and carrying at work is the right kind of activity. Whether it covers the strength work depends on two things a shift may not supply. The effort has to reach the point where it's hard to do another repetition without help, and across the week the work has to reach all the major muscle groups (see Strength work twice a week, and why it matters during weight loss).
If your legs are already tired from standing, the strength work your shift leaves out may be somewhere else: the major muscle groups take in the chest, back, shoulders and arms as well as the legs and hips. Doing one type of exercise can help improve your ability to do the others, and variety helps reduce boredom and the risk of injury.
Activities to improve balance are part of the weekly recommendation for adults 65 and older; for younger adults, the recommendation is aerobic and muscle-strengthening activity. Balance means maintaining the body's stability while still or in motion, and balance exercises, like muscle-strengthening ones, help prevent falls and fall-related injuries. They are specific movements, such as tai chi, standing on one foot and the heel-to-toe walk, and for older adults about three sessions a week is the aim.
Stretching sits outside the three types in the table. Flexibility is the ability of a joint to move through its full range of motion, and stretching can help maintain and improve flexibility, which makes everyday movements such as reaching down to tie your shoes easier.
What adding something to your week would buy you
More activity pays off in health even when the scale barely moves: increased physical activity may not have a big impact on your weight loss, but its important health benefits do not depend on weight loss. It may also help you keep off any weight you lose.
Muscle-strengthening activities can help you stay independent and make everyday activities easier, such as getting up from a chair, climbing stairs and carrying groceries, and they are key to maintaining existing strength, slowing the loss of muscle mass and helping to prevent falls. Strength work 2 or 3 days a week, whether lifting weights, push-ups or some types of yoga, will not bulk you up: only intense strength training, along with certain genes, can build large muscles.
If you are new to strength work, try exercises without weights or resistance bands until you are comfortable with the movements. Whatever your level, avoid working the same muscle group on any two days in a row, so the muscles can recover between sessions. Overdoing muscle-strengthening exercises can cause exhaustion, sore joints, and muscle pain or injury (see Soreness or injury two days after lifting weights? The signs to check). For balance exercises, keep a sturdy chair, a person or a wall nearby to hold onto for support.
If you live with heart disease, arthritis, diabetes or another chronic condition, talk with your doctor about the types and amounts of physical activity that are right for you. Talk with your doctor as well before you start vigorous-intensity activity, such as heavy yard work, if you have been inactive, have a disability or have overweight.
As a NicoCares patient, you can also describe a usual shift in a message on Spruce, the secure app your care team writes back in, and ask them which type of activity to add beside your weight care.
