Exercise at Your Desk? Absolutely!

We come across these headlines all the time: “How Your Desk Job is Killing You,” “10 Easy Exercises You Can Do at Your Desk” or “Boost Your Energy at Work with Three Simple Stretches”. And then we make a mental note that we really should do something about them and we file them away in the back of our minds. Meanwhile, we continue to suffer from poor posture, low energy and a myriad of other complaints.

Today is the day to change it up! I started a few weeks ago and I’m loving the difference.

One issue some have with working out at our desks is how to fit exercise into our workday, when it seems there isn't enough time to get our work done as it is. Phone reminders are easily set, as are discreet reminders on your computer. (And just as easily ignored!)

Of course one concern for some is they don't want to look foolish at work. (I have a home office so that’s a non-issue for me.) But are our bad postures and spare tires representing any kind of cool image anyway? It's time we got over ourselves and out of our desk chairs.

Right? So here’s what I’ve been doing:

A few stretches I found to get me started a few weeks ago - easy and fast, then back to work….

1. Either standing or seated: touch your opposite shoulder, gently grab your elbow and pull it towards the opposite side. Repeat on the other side.
2. Either standing or seated: keeping your back straight, lift your arm over your head and reach towards the opposite side. Repeat on the other side.
3. While seated: extend one leg and hold for 2 seconds. Lift leg as high as you can and hold for 5 seconds. Repeat with other leg.

You want cardio? Ok, here goes…

If you're willing to get sweaty, there's no reason you couldn't jog in place or bring a jump rope in to work.

But here are a few lower body exercises I found that could still get your heart rate up a bit, but primarily are good for improving your circulation and stretching your muscles. These I like, and started doing them a few weeks ago.

1. Toe raises. Either standing or seated: lift your toes while keeping your heels on the ground.
2. Calf raises. Stand beside desk or chair, holding the furniture for balance. Raise your heels off the floor and slowly lower them.
3. Squats. Stand with feet together, bend the knees slightly as if sitting in a chair. As you bend, raise arms towards the computer screen. Hold for 15 seconds and release. Repeat.
4. Push-ups. On the desk or against a wall.

For me, it’s a mindset thing. If I consider exercise at work as part of my normal routine, it is not so hard to work into my everyday schedule. 

For more information and exercises, here is an excellent article from WebMD.