Standing is part of many manly situations: You STAND your ground, take a STAND, STAND and deliver, STAND tall, STAND on your own two feet, the list goes on.

But SITTING? When a harmless spider threatens your loved ones, or an eavestrough is about to overflow, do you just SIT tight, SIT idly by, or SIT this one out? No way!

Standing is also one of three types of easy exercise highlighted by Canadian Men’s Health Foundation National Champion Adam Kreek in the “Gold Medal Office Health Tips” ebook (which you can download for free here). What does the Olympic champion rower-turned-executive coach recommend? Here’s the scoop:

Take calls standing up

No way to leave your desk while working your magic on the phone? No problem! Simply rise from your chair every time you pick up the receiver. Keeping your body moving like this can help prevent stiffness and joint pain, and can also be a great warm up for the next two easy moves…

Go for walking meetings

If your work phone is of the cellular variety, there’s little stopping you from taking calls while hoofing it. Walk and talk around the office, around your building, on the way to the local coffee shop or to a nearby park for lunch. For face-to-face meetings, there’s also little stopping you from inviting your co-workers along for a stroll. You’ll all get some easy exercise while getting the job done. Now that’s the kind of multi-tasking Canadian Men’s Health Month is all about! And if your proactive style impresses that hottie in accounting, all the better…

Take the stairs if it’s 3 flights and under

Swapping elevator rides for stair climbs is a simple, free example of how to get more workplace exercise and strengthen the biggest muscles in your legs. You don’t need any fancy equipment or a gym membership to do it, and it’ll help you get in shape by burning up to 7 calories per minute (or twice as many as walking).

An active workday is a healthy one

Why exercise at work? On one hand, standing has been shown to reduce the risk of shoulder and back pain. On the other, sitting for long periods has been linked with a higher risk of obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart disease and cancer.

Standing also burns more calories than sitting, which can help you lose weight, look better and feel healthier. To take things to the next level, WALKING is where it’s at. According to a recent study, sitting burns around 80 calories per hour, while standing burns about 10 per cent more. Walking, however, burns nearly three times as many calories — around 210 per hour! Then there’s stair climbing, which burns twice any many calories as walking. If a three-flight climb takes two minutes, and you make the climb twice a day, you can burn 140 calories over the work week.

Put it all together, and an easy workout can slide seamlessly into your day. It STANDS to reason, does it not?

Easy Health Tips

Need motivation to get active?

Get expert advice, free workouts and science-backed info to move more and feel better. Sign up for the Don’t Change Much newsletter.