The longer you sit, the more your body begs to move and stretch. Your muscles atrophy and get softer and softer. Maintain tone, circulation and flexibility even in a chair. In just five minutes, you can gently engage your legs, calves, abdomen, waist, buttocks, upper back, shoulders and spinal muscles.
Leg Extensions and Lower Abdominals
Leg extensions tone your thighs and lower abdominal muscle fibers. These exercises also stretch your hamstrings and enhance circulation. Sit tall on the edge of your chair and compress your abdomen in toward your spine. Inhale and lift one bent leg up off the floor. Exhale and extend or straighten your leg parallel to the floor. Inhale and bend, exhale and straighten. Perform 25 on each leg any time you feel the need to move.
Butt Squeeze and Resistance Calf Raises
Remain seated tall to tone your buttocks and calves. Inhale deeply. Exhale and squeeze your buttocks muscle. Inhale and hold the butt squeeze. Continue to hold the squeeze as you inhale deeply, expanding your ribcage out to the sides four times. Relax your buttocks and place your hands on top of your knees with your spine straight. Compress your stomach inward. Apply pressure from your shoulders, chest and arms down through your hands and onto your knees. Inhale and raise and lower your heels two times. Exhale and raise and lower your heels two times. Continue to coordinate breathing and heel raises for 20 seconds. Repeat the sequence of butt squeezes and resistance heel raises one more time.
Shoulder-blade Squeeze and Head Shave
Your upper back and shoulders often slouch while you sit. The shoulder-blade squeeze will strengthen your posture muscles and counteract the effects of slouching. Sit tall and raise your hands up behind your head with your elbows open. Inhale through your nose. Exhale and open your elbows by drawing your shoulder blades together. Inhale and relax, exhale and squeeze your shoulder blades together. Continue for six to eight repetitions.
From this same position do the head shave. This exercise will give you relief and mobility in your upper back and shoulders. Inhale through your nose while keeping your elbows open. Exhale and raise your arms up the back of your head until they are reaching straight toward the ceiling. Repeat five times.
Abdominal Compressions with Spine Twist
Your abdomen relaxes while you sit. Your deep abdominal muscle, the transverse abdominis, therefore atrophies and your waistline expands. Your spine, on the other hand, stays in one position and loses mobility and muscle tone. Abdominal compressions are the prescription for your waistline. The spine twist moves the joints, small spinal muscles and your side oblique muscles.
Sit tall with your arms folded across your chest and your hands on your shoulders. Inhale and relax your stomach forward. Exhale and compress it in toward your spine. Repeat eight times. Remain in the same position. Inhale and expand your ribcage out to the sides. Exhale and rotate your torso over to one side. Inhale as you rotate to the other side. Exhale as you rotate over. Repeat eight times.
References
- "Stretching"; Bob Anderson; 2010
- "Pilates for Wimps"; Jennifer DeLuca; 2003
- "The Pilates Body"; Brooke Siler; 2000
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