Being chained to a desk at work doesn't sentence you to eight or more hours of sedentary living five days a week. Do one or all of the following exercises at your desk to burn calories, stay in shape and lose weight while on the job. Whether it's drinking a glass of cold water or staying busy with a portable pedal machine, it's not difficult to make the time you spend earning a paycheck pay off in a slimmer you.
Step 1
Drink ice water. Nutrition expert Charles Stuart Platkin says it burns about 30 calories for your body to heat a liter of ice water up to your body temperature, something your body does automatically to maintain your temperature equilibrium.
Step 2
Do leg lifts under your desk. "Cosmopolitan" magazine's Zoe Ruderman suggests sitting up with your back against the back of your chair and raising one leg until it's parallel with the floor. Repeat with the next leg. If you do this for 10 minutes, you'll not only tone your muscles, but you'll burn approximately 50 calories.
Step 3
Take the "magic carpet ride." "Forbes" magazine advises desk-bound workers eager to burn a few calories to cross your legs at the ankles, put your feet on the seat of your chair, place your hands on the chair's armrests, raise yourself off the seat while pulling in your stomach and hold for between 10 and 20 seconds. The magic carpet ride pays off by burning an estimated 10 calories per minute.
Step 4
Trade your chair for a balance ball part of the day. MayoClinic.com says sitting on a fitness ball, or balance ball, helps strengthen your core and tone your stomach muscles. According to FitBalancedHealthy.com, you'll also burn approximately three calories every minute you spend balancing and building your muscles.
Step 5
Bicycle on an under-the-desk pedal machine. According to a study published in the "British Journal of Sports Medicine," desk workers using under-the-desk pedal machines were more active at work and said that the machines didn't interfere with their productivity. Slow bicycling also burns about seven calories per minute.
Tips and Warnings
- To lose calories away from your desk, try taking the stairs instead of using the elevator. Bring your own low-fat snacks to work instead of buying from the vending machines. Stand at your desk, such as when you're on the phone, to burn more calories than if you were sitting down.
Things You'll Need
- Office chair
- Desk
- Exercise ball
- Under desk pedal machine
References
- KCBY.com; A Few Unique Ways to Burn Extra Calories — NEAT (Non-exercise Activity Thermogenesis); Charles Stuart Platkin; January 2008
- "Cosmopolitan"; Lose Weight while Sitting at Your Desk; Zoe Ruderman
- Pro Health; Exercise & Activity Calculator; 2011
- "Forbes"; The Magic Carpet Ride; Courtney Meyers; September 2008
- MayoClinic.com; Office Exercise: How to Burn Calories at Work; Mayo Clinic staff; September 2009
- FitBalancedHealthy.com: Calories Burned
- "British Journal of Sports Medicine"; Feasibility of a Portable Pedal Exercise Machine...; Lucas J. Carr; December 2010
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