Let’s face it. For most office workers, going to the gym after or before work seems like a mission impossible and people tend to use the old “no-time-to-exercise” excuse more than ever. In fact, being at the office for long hour can be a little bit stressful especially when the workloads are heavy and this may lead to depression and cardiovascular disease. No matter how busy you are, there are always some ways to help you get in shape while being glued to your desk. Even though working out at office is seemingly impossible, but a little amount of exercise can keep your health in check and improve your posture. As most of us are required to work eight-hours (or more) per day, here are some simple exercises that you can do while sitting at the desk!
1. Stretching
Do some of the stretches that target the muscles of your body especially your back, neck and shoulders to increase flexibility and reduce tension and stress. The stretches you can do while sitting include chest stretch, torso stretch, spinal twist, neck rotations and so on. Make sure your back is straight while contracting your muscles.
2. Standing
Hours of sitting down is especially bad for your back and it causes spine problem. Standing up while working can improve your blood flow and build up your muscles around abs and calves area. Do make sure your laptop is placed at the same level as your chest area so you won’t have to hunch down and do your work.
3. Leg Raise
To do a leg raise while sitting, raise your left leg in front of you to the same level as your hips and hold the position as long as possible (10-20 seconds). Repeat the movement with the other leg.
4. Sit on Stability Ball
Replace your chair with a stability ball when sitting at the desk. Stability ball helps you to correct the sitting posture and improve circulation while work out your core muscles.
5. Stress Ball/ Hand gripper
Tone up your arms simply by squeezing a stress ball or hand gripper regularly. Not only it build up muscles on your muscle, it also helps reduce stress too.
6. The Alphabet
Lift your left leg while sitting at the edge of the chair. With your toes slightly touching the ground, trace each letter in the alphabet on the floor. Repeat the alphabet with your heels then switch to right leg after completing the alphabet with left leg. (source)
Stand up from your seat and stand straight. While holding out your arms for balance, lower down your position until your hips almost touch the seat and keep that position for a few seconds. Stand back up to the standing position and repeat the movement 12-15 times.
8. Heels Lift
Sit at the edge of your chair with your back straight and keep your knees together. Lift up your heels as your toes touch the ground. Place a stack of books or whatever that is heavy on your lap and hold the position for a few seconds. Lower down the legs and repeat the exercise. The amount of weight may increase gradually when the exercise gets easy.
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