8 great moves to stay active at your work desk.
So many people spend 8-10 hours a day at their desks and feel that they have no time to do anything productive as far as physical fitness. But remember, physical fitness doesn't just mean sweating it out in the gym. There are many ways to engage your muscles, get your joints moving, and get your heart rate up...even if its only a minute at a time here and there throughout the day. Anytime you move is a good time to move and can be beneficial to your health and fitness status. So, lets look at some things you can do. - Do one-legged squats (hold onto a wall or table for support) while waiting for a web page to load, the copier to spit our your reports, or a co-worker to show up for a meeting.
- Stand with one leg straight and try to kick your buttocks with the other.
- Sitting in your chair, lift one leg off the seat, extend it out straight, hold for 2 seconds; then lower your foot (stop short of the floor) and hold for several seconds. Switch; do each leg 15 times.
- To work your chest and shoulders, place both hands on your chair arms and slowly lift your bottom off the chair. Lower yourself back down but stop short of the seat, hold for a few seconds. Do 15 times.
- To stretch your back and strengthen your biceps, place your hands on the desk and hang on. Slowly push your chair back until your head is between your arms and you're looking at the floor. Then slowly pull yourself back in. Again, 15 of these.
- Desk pushups can be a good strengthener. (First, make sure your desk is solid enough to support your weight.) Standing, put your hands on the desk. Walk backward, then do push-ups against the desk. Repeat 15 times.
-Do a football-like drill of running in place for 60 seconds. Get those knees up! (Beginners, march in place.)
- Do some walking-lunges in your office or a vacant room. Set your PDA to beep you into action. No conference room? Take to the stairs -- two at a time if you need a harder workout! Do this 5-7 times a day.
There are always ways and always time to do something if you want to. Its all up to you. Remember, you can make excuses or you can make changes...up to you. There is no secret formula! See ya soon. TAG