How you make up for a living might be helpful for your pocket. However, sticking to your desk job 24*7 is not very helpful for your physical body and mental wellbeing.
Recent research after the Covid-19 pandemic shows that doing desks jobs all day long with a stationary lifestyle can increase your risk of metabolic diseases, coronary illness like heart attack, and musculoskeletal diseases such as knee pain and osteoporosis.
Sitting all day long without any movement can also prompt you towards severe medical conditions like diabetes, hypertension, depression, anxiety, stress, and obesity.
New examination shows that even 30 minutes of cardio or brisk walking five times each week may not fix these wellbeing chances.
If you don’t even have time for cardio and walking, then what?
If you want to defeat the harm brought about by an inactive way of life, try doing these 16 simple ways to exercise at work. You can start doing these in your office chair right away.
No Jumping, No Cardio, No Walking…Just Simple Movement.
If you are a complete beginner, start by doing a couple of these first.
Then take a few baby steps, gain some strength, and gradually develop your daily exercise routine around your work desk that incorporates all of these moves.
16 Simple Ways to Exercise at Work Setting
1. Marching Shoulder Press
- Stand up, start marching on the spot, and push your palms towards the roof.
- It’s just like – doing shoulder press with no weights as you are also marching on the spot. Keep your shoulders engaged and core tight.
- You can add weights by holding water bottles in your hands to expand the intensity.
2. The Rocking Power Punch
- Get into a shadow boxing stance, now punch forcefully with lots of force.
- Simultaneously, keep rocking from one foot to another as you punch. This will help you to add a cardio element.
- Also, keep your arms a little bent to lessen the pressure on the elbows.
3. Palms Back Push
- Remain with arms by your sides, palms looking behind you.
- Keep arms long and straight and move them in a backward direction. Hold for five-ten seconds.
- Relax your arms by coming back to the starting point and repeating.
4. Side Squats
- Keep feet and knees together.
- Take a big step with your right foot to the right side and squat.
- Your left leg should be somewhat straight, and your right knee should not extend past your toes while squatting.
- If side squatting is difficult for you, try holding to your desk for support and then squat.
5. Standing Heel Lifts
- Stand tall and lift your heels off the floor till you are on the toes of your feet. Hold for a few seconds, now relax, and repeat.
- After doing this for 5 minutes, you will feel the blood rushing into the soles of your feet instantly.
6. The Neck Extension
- Warm up your neck by sitting straight and rotating your neck side to side at a slow and controlled pace.
- Place one hand on your head and attempt to stretch your neck by inclining towards the other arm over your head.
- Repeat this on both sides. Keep the movement slow and precise, as you do not want to hurt yourself.
7. Wrist Flex Stretch
- Palms facing upwards, extend one arm in front of you.
- With the help of another hand, pull your fingers in the downward direction and hold this wrist stretch for a few seconds.
- Rest and now repeat the same on the other side.
8. Stair Surprise
- Using the stair rather than the lift is very helpful for your overall wellness levels in the day.
- If it’s less than five floors. Then speed up your pulse by taking those stairs.
9. Wall Sit
- Open your legs shoulder-width apart. Gaze at front.
- Bent down your knees at a 90 degrees angle and slide down into a well-supported squat hold.
- Sit and hold this until failure. Rest for 15 seconds. Similarly, repeat four more rounds.
10. Simply Stand Up
- Significant long durations of sitting have been linked to the increased danger of obesity and cardiovascular sickness.
- Increase your calorie consumption by taking a 5-minute walk break every 30 minutes.
- Or simply try to stand for 5 to 10 minutes between work breaks.
11. Standing Meet
- Make a rule at your workplace by assembling for standing conferences and work meetings.
ALSO READ – Does Yoga Stretching Burn Calories
12. Narrow Squat by the Desk
- Increment your strength, build up some muscle, and burn fat by performing squats at side your desk.
- Start with feet close together and bend your knees somewhat till thighs almost correspond to the ground.
- As you bent down, take support by the desk and perform ten squats in a go.
- Rest for 15 seconds and repeat doing the same for three more rounds.
13. Chair Seated Leg Extension
- While seated, engage one of your legs and extend it forward as your leg gets completely parallel to the ground.
- Hold it for 3 seconds and feel the stretch in your front thighs and quad muscles by engaging them all the time.
- Do 50 reps on each side if you have time.
- Or you can also attempt doing this with both your legs simultaneously.
14. Abs Acer
- Take a full deep breath and push the stomach muscles towards your spine.
- Envision attempting to get your navel by tucking your abs inside and contracting your abdomen muscles.
- Hold the contracted muscles for 5-10 seconds, then relax and repeat these four more times.
15. Chair Dip
- Sit at the edge of a sturdy chair, table, or sofa.
- Place your hands on either side of the body by grabbing the very edge. Legs will be placed, extended, and straight.
- Dip down towards the ground by bending down your body at a 90-degree point.
16. Shoulder Shrug
- Roll back your shoulders in an upwards direction. Stretch till your back blades (Scapula Muscles) are crushed together.
- Envision you’re holding a golf ball between your shoulder blades.
- Perform reps until failure. Try to hold your back muscles for 5 seconds while engaging the Scapula and Trap Muscles.
- Rest for a few seconds and repeat these four more times.
ALSO READ – Walking For Weight Loss
The Bottom Line
If exercising daily is difficult and time-consuming for you. Try performing these “16 ways to exercise at work” settings during your work breaks.
Most of them will help you stay active and, you won’t be able to acquire any of the lifestyle diseases.
Few of these workouts will also help you burn fat and gain muscle strength over time with consistency.
But, if you have goals like muscle gains or shedding pounds, we recommend you to consult a professional health care expert or trainer.
They will help you create a plan as per your goals and also help you find motivation in your daily workouts.
