Sitting all day at a desk can ruin what you’ve worked so hard for at the gym. What can you do to keep fit and healthy at work? There are many ways to exercise while working at your desk in the office each day. Don’t let your hard work go down the drain.
Take the Stairs
If your building is equipped with an elevator, make the choice to take the stairs. Choose the stairs every time, and you’ll find it a good way to stay active and fit at work. You can even take it one step further and do a stair workout during your lunch or break. Do two stairs at a time, or increase your pace and burn off some extra calories from your lunch.
Legs and Bum Exercises
Exercises that you usually do in a gym setting can also be done at work. Take a break from sitting and typing and get off your chair and stretch. Do some squats beside your chair or lunge walk down the hall. You can even find an empty spot on the wall and do some wall sits. These are great ways to take a break from work and get the muscles working instead. There are many other leg exercises and stretches that can be done beside your desk such as leg lifts, leg curls, and leg kicks.
Arms
The arms are another muscle group that can easily get a good workout during a break from working at your desk. Tricep dips are a great example of a simple workout that you can do at your desk. Leave the keyboard behind for a bit and use a sturdy desk for support. Try doing some arm curls. Find something lying around that you can use as a weight and curl and work your biceps. Even doing some simple arm movements like pulsing the arms backwards while they are at your side or holding your arms out straight from your shoulder for as long as possible.
Neck and Shoulders
Rolling and stretching your shoulders is great for staying fit and helping with posture and relieving the stress and pressure from sitting at a computer all day. Press your shoulder blades back and hold that position for several seconds. Also try the shoulder shrug. Raise both shoulders up to the ears and hold for 5 seconds, then relax. These will also help get the kinks out and get you more comfortable to get back to work. Stretch your neck muscles by tilting your head (ear towards the shoulder) and holding. Do one each side. Don’t forget to put your chin to your chest and tilt your head up too. Hold each spot for a couple of seconds to feel the stretch.
Core
A fun way to keep your core fit while at work is using your swivel chair to work out your oblique’s. Keep your feet flat on the floor and grasp the edge of the desk with your hands, sitting upright, use your core to swivel the chair side to side. Just simply by keeping good posture, you can work your core muscles. Keep feet flat on the floor, back up straight and arms at 90-degree angles to the floor for the entire day you are at your desk, you are working those core muscles. Try the sitting crunch. With elbows on the thighs, try to curl the chest in towards the legs while resisting the movement with the arms. Hold for 10 seconds.
Not only are you maintaining a healthy work-fitness balance, you are helping with better posture and probably even your work productivity. You don’t need to stay sedentary while working all day at your desk. Add some desk exercises and you’ll feel a whole lot better.
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