The month of May is Global Employee Health and Fitness Month. With sedentary desk jobs shown to impact the body negatively, exercises in the office, also known as deskercises, are a recommended alternative to prevent weight gain and health risks, including strokes.
If you want to burn calories and boost your wellness, here are seven effective desk exercises you can do (without disrupting your co-workers).
This deskercise requires so little effort that you have no excuse but to do it. Calf raises are an act of lifting your calves (the back portion of the lower legs) 20-50 times whenever you can. This exercise yields excellent results and is best done while standing. For example, do them while waiting for your computer to launch, or while waiting for the printer to transfer work information onto paper.
Are calf raises not challenging enough for you? Try leg lifts. This desk exercise requires you to raise, straighten, and extend one or both of your legs while sitting. You can lift them for about 30 times or maintain the “elevated legs” position for as long as you can, keeping your abdominal core tight. None of your co-workers will notice, and you don’t even need to stand up!
Unless your boss discourages otherwise, keep a pair of 3-5 pound weights near your desk. You can use them to build your arm muscles while sitting down or at any time as long as they don’t interfere with your work.
If you don’t mind getting a few stares from your officemates (you might even inspire them to do desk exercises), try tricep dips. This bodyweight deskercise builds arm and shoulder strength. Simply sit on the edge of your chair (make sure it’s not a swivel chair) and grip its sides with your hands. While facing away from the chair and your legs extended, lower your body until your elbows are bent between 45 and 90 degrees.
You don’t have to drop on the floor to do push-ups. Doing push-ups against your desk is an adequate way to strengthen your pectorals and shoulders, or blow off some steam after a stressful meeting. To do incline push-ups, place both hands on your desk and position your feet to form a 45-degree angle. Bend your elbows to lean in, then push back, and repeat.
From increasing blood flow to your muscles to healing and preventing back pain, stretching has many benefits. You can move your shoulders in circling movements to reduce stiffness, or place your arms above your head to stretch tense back muscles.
The standing or sitting butt squeeze is a Pilates exercise that engages your gluteus maximus, which is the largest muscle of the buttocks. To tone this body part, squeeze your buttocks, hold for 5-10 seconds, and then release. Repeat as you can or until your glutes tire.
While these deskercises may seem too easy, they can boost your well-being and productivity. After a month or two, you will see results (especially if you hit the gym, too) and feel healthier.