A lack of physical activity, particularly if it’s combined with work-related stress, can threaten your overall health. According to physician members of the Pennsylvania Medical Society, building fitness and healthy food choices into your daily office routine can make a big difference in your physical and mental well-being. Summer is gone, which means those beach vacations, bike rides and long walks through the park most likely have disappeared along with the warmer temperatures. But just because you’re stuck at your office desk every day doesn’t mean you have to endure aches, pains and hours of sitting in the same position. Follow these tips to stay active even while in the office.

“Today, most Americans spend a lot of time sitting,” said Ralph Schmeltz, M.D., 2011 president of PAMED and an internal medicine specialist. “That’s not necessarily good for flexibility, muscular strength and the health of our lungs and heart.”

The physician members of the Pennsylvania Medical Society offer the following ideas for incorporating fitness and health into the office setting: