Inactivity, such as sitting at a desk, can cause muscles to atrophy, or shrink. When your muscles shrink, they take up less space in your body, causing the tissue and skin around them to become flabby. Increasing muscle mass not only helps firm you up and reduce flab, but it also helps you lose weight by boosting your metabolism.
Desk Exercises
Desk exercises are simple muscle-building and stretching routines that can be accomplished while at your desk. They don't require special workout clothes, equipment, large chunks of time or even a desk. These exercises can be done anywhere there is a chair and a flat surface, such as a desk, table or counter.
Upper Arms And Back
To tone the muscles in your upper arms and back, sit up straight in your chair. Bend arms at a 90-degree angle and pull your elbows in to your waist, pulling your shoulder blades together. With your hands out to your sides, make small circles as if you are waxing a surface on each side of you. Do this for 20 seconds, then reverse the circles. Repeat three times.
Abdominal Exercises
To strengthen abdominal muscles while sitting, the University of California at Los Angeles suggests sitting in your chair with your back supported. As you inhale, tighten your abdomen as if you were about to be punched. Hold for a count of 15 seconds and repeat five times.
The reverse situp can help strengthen your abs and arms. Stand in front of your chair and reach behind you to grab hold of the armrests. Take a step forward until your body is diagonal from your chair. Bending your knees, slowly sit in the chair, stopping about one inch from the seat. Lift hips back to starting position and repeat 15 to 20 times.
Gluteus Maximus Exercises
Isometric exercises use one muscle to work the other. In this exercise, use the powerful gluteus maximus muscles against each other to tone the buttocks. Squeeze your buttocks together as tightly as you can for a count of 10 and release. Repeat eight times, several times a day.
Thigh Muscles
To tone and strengthen thigh muscles, sit at the edge of your chair. Stand up straight and return to a sitting position, but do not put your full weight back into your chair. Stand up again and repeat eight times. Hold the edge of your desk for added support.
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