Dressing for Success at the Office

What you wear can have a big impact on how your day at the office goes. Everything from your footwear to your shirt can affect your comfort levels, focus and even stress!

After all, clothing that lets you move will encourage you to stay on your feet and get more light exercise breaks in – which are a guaranteed way to destress and increase your focus and productivity.

Since not every office lets you wear gym clothes to work, you might need to be a little strategic when it comes to wearing the clothes that let you be active and healthier.

Today, we’ll be looking at clothing (shirts, pants, etc.), footwear and eyewear that can have a big impact on your productivity, stress and ability to stay active at the office.

1- Tips for Office Clothing

When it comes to your office outfit, aim for clothes that are breathable and have some flexibility.

Fabrics such as linen and silk are incredibly light-weight and breathable, helping reduce how much you sweat during the day. They’re also very comfortable and it’s not hard to find formal or semi-formal office wear made from either of them.

If you’re the kind that enjoys our Office WODs or whose office has gotten into walking meetings, you’ll want to make sure your clothes allow for some movement – especially when it comes to pants.

Thankfully it’s easy to find office clothes that have at least 1% spandex in them at most stores. Having just a little bit of spandex mixed with your other fabrics gives clothing a light stretch and added flexibility.

One of our favorite ways of trying out office clothing is to put them through the “air squat test.” Basically, if you can pull off an air squat while wearing them, then you’ve covered the full range of motions for most office workout or movement requirements!

If you’re not sure where to start looking, a lot of fitness brands are releasing their own lines of office clothing. There are a lot of options for both women’s and men’s clothing when it comes to athletic office wear. LuluLemon and Mizzen and Main have dress shirts and other business casual lines that are the right fit for any office.

2 – Tips for Office Footwear

When it comes to footwear, flexibility and comfort should be top priorities – especially if you want to get in some movement and light exercise at the office.

We recommend minimal footwear whenever possible. Nothing too fancy or out there is required. Aim for shoes with a wide toe box and a minimal heel or lift. After all, you don’t want to be stuck in anything that pinches your toes or that gives you sore feet if you stand up for too long. Brands like Vivobrefoot and Carets offer really decent options, but bear in mind that they can be pricey.

For some people, especially those with specific issues, orthopedic shoes or ones designed to give you more cushion might be your number one choice. These shoes often give you the flexibility and comfort you need to alleviate pain but also be able to move and get in some light exercise.

Also, remember that what you wear on your feet can have a big impact on your day, even if you spend most of the day sitting down. If your shoes are too tight, they can squeeze and rub your toes together all day no matter what activities you end up doing.

In an ideal world, we’d all be able to find that perfect pair of business shoes that meets our office dress code and offers the comfort and mobility we need to stay active. However, when that’s not possible, we recommend picking up a second pair of shoes to bring with you to work. Keep them in a bag by your desk and slip into them when more formal footwear isn’t required!

3 – Tips for Office Eyewear

If you have the kind of job that requires you to sit and work in front of a computer screen all day, you’re probably familiar with some of the consequences. Sore and strained eyes, daytime fatigue and haziness, and even a hard time falling asleep later at night.

Recent studies have suggested that excessive blue light, one of the types of lighting produced by our screens and monitors, is the likely culprit. Therefore, minimizing how much our eyes absorb is key to reducing our strain and soreness and keep us focused at the office.

The good thing is that there are affordable (and fashionable, as some might say) solutions to cutting down on blue light: eye glasses! Even if you don’t wear prescription glasses, you can pick up special blue light blocking glasses that don’t affect your normal vision.

A couple of things to bear in mind when looking to cut back on the blue light:

• You don’t have to cut out 100% of the blue light you frequent each day. Some blue light is healthy and any reduction will likely leave you feeling the difference.
• There are a number of companies out there producing high-quality blue light blocking glasses, such as Felix Gray, but you can also find more affordable ones on Amazon too! A lot of these brands offer clear lens options (no yellow tint) that will help you avoid some funny looks at the office.
• If you’re really susceptible to blue light, you might want to consider something like Swannies which can block considerably more light. Glasses like these will usually have a yellow tint so be prepared for some questions if you choose this option.

If you’ve been experiencing any of the symptoms of blue light, we strongly recommend you give the glasses a try! We’ve felt the difference ourselves.

Wrapping Things Up

These are just a couple of the ways you can tackle comfort, stress and ensure you get the chance to be more athletic, healthier, and even happier at the office. Ultimately, every office is a little different, but there are tons of options these days for navigating dress codes while still focusing on comfort and flexibility.

Yours in wellness,

The FC Squad