For many, working a desk job means 40 hours a week of being sedentary. If you have space, doing jumping jacks or jumping rope can get your heart rate going. However, those who sit at a desk cube need simple activities, such as strength and stretching exercises, that can be done in office clothes.
Shoulder Stretches
Sitting at a desk can make your neck and shoulder tense. Loosen them up with simple stretching exercises, such as shoulder rolls. Sit up at your chair with good posture and roll your shoulders backward. Hold this position. With both arms, reach behind your lower back and lock your fingers to stretch out your chest. Release your fingers and roll your shoulders forward. Extend your arms out to the front and lock your fingers again, palms facing out. This stretches the upper back.
Wrists
Stretching your wrists can help prevent carpal tunnel syndrome, a painful disorder that affects those who work frequently with computers. Bend your right wrist backward, using your left hand to apply light pressure to the top of your right hand. Release and reverse the exercise, bending the wrist forward and pressing down on the top of your knuckles. Repeat on the other hand.
Lower Body
Strengthen your legs with extensions and thigh adductions. To do a leg extension, sit up straight and rest your hands on the chair for support. Straighten your right leg out in front of you and tighten your thigh muscles as much as possible. Hold for three to five seconds, and then lower your leg. Repeat this 12 to 20 times, and then switch to the other leg.
Inner-thigh adductions help tone an area that tends to accumulate fatty tissue, according to health website Fitday. Find an object that can be squeezed, such as a rolled up towel or a sweater. Place it between your knees while you're sitting at your desk. Using your inner thigh muscles, squeeze the towel or sweater as hard as you can and hold it for three seconds. Repeat this 20 times.
Midsection
To help keep your midsection in shape, MayoClinic.com recommends trading your office chair for a fitness ball. The simple act of sitting on it is a good exercise. It improves your balance and tones your core muscles.
Another midsection exercise requires you to sit up straight in your desk chair with your feet flat on the floor. Tighten your abdominal muscles while breathing deeply through your nose. Hold this position for two to three seconds and then exhale through your mouth and relax your muscles.
References
- Baptist Memorial Health Care: Refreshing Stretching Exercises at Your Desk
- FitDay: Try These 5 Thigh-Toning Exercises at Your Desk
- FitDay: How to Stay Fit with Desk Exercises
- MayoClinic.com: Office Exercise: How to Burn Calories at Work
- National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke: Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Fact Sheet
Member Comments