5 Minutesto Success - Workout at Your Desk

Today, it seems like everyone is spending more time at their desk. If you spend an awful lot of time at your office, you might be neglecting your health. For those, who spend too much time at the office, we have some workout routines for you, so that now you have no excuse, not to workout. If you are able to spare a few minutes at the office, you are able to perform these exercises and be on your way to physical fitness. A healthy lifestyle including a healthy diet and proper rest is often the key to the prosperity of your professional and social life. Achieving and maintaining a balance between your work and personal life is one of the key elements of success.

Health is wealth. Staying fit physically is the first step to building your overall career and future. This becomes more important when you have a busy lifestyle. If you aren’t able to spare a few minutes to go for a walk or get in the gym for a decent workout, you can work out in your office, whenever you have a few extra moments to spare.

Dangers of sitting at the desk too long

Joan Price, author of The Anytime, Anywhere Exercise Book says that “We are made to move, not sit at a desk 12 hours a day.” Sitting at the desk for a prolonged period of time, no matter how comfortable your chair may be, gives rise to severe physical injuries, including back and neck pain.

In an article published at spine-health.com titled Ergonomics of the Office and Workplace says that “Back pain is one of the most common work-related injuries and is often caused by ordinary work activities such as sitting in an office chair.”

Working with your computer for a long time will also cause you headaches and dryness of the eye. So, it is recommended that you take a break for a few seconds to walk around and get something to drink every couple of hours of working at your computer.

Work out at the office

If you are one of those who spend most of the time at the office working at a desk and have no time for exercising, these following few exercises can be perfect for you. These are very light stretching exercises that anyone can do. Although these won’t build your muscle, and are not as intensive and strenuous as weightlifting, running, swimming, or jogging, these exercises are great for stretching and toning your muscles and they will surely get your blood circulation going. There are some cardio and aerobic exercises to target your heart rate. Always check with your doctor when adding in new exercises, especially aerobic ones.

Boost Circulation

Improving your heart’s rate variability and ability to jump from resting to “pumping” has been shown to improve heart condition, decrease risks of heart disease, and increase longevity. (webmd.com) Here are a few exercises that are given below to give you a boost in your circulation and heart rate.

Sitting at the desk

Toe-tapping: Rapidly tap your toes under your desk for 30 seconds. Then stretch your legs straight forward, pointing your toes out off the floor. Repeat this a few times.
Raise your hands: While sitting at your desk, raise both of your arms over your head, and repeat this for a minute.
Tilt your head: Slowly tilt your head over to your shoulder, and alternate sides in rotating motion. Do a few sets of these in a minute.
Shrugs: Roll both shoulders forward in a circular motion. Alternate directions and do a few sets of these.
Stretches: While sitting down, stretch arms out, palms down, then pull your fingers down with the other hand. Stretch arms sideways and pump them over your head. Do this for a minute.

Off the desk exercises

Jumping Jacks: Look at the wall clock, get up, and do a minute of jumping jacks.
Running in place: Run in place for a minute. You can walk to a vacant part of the office for this.
Hop on one foot: For a minute, try hopping on one foot and simulate skipping ropes.
Take the stairs: Take the stairs instead of the elevator. Take two steps at a time to accelerate your heart rate and get a leg burn.
Do squats: Doing simple squats is great for improving your blood circulation.

Any amount of exercise is useful for your health, so it is better if you can walk around once in a while and remember to do some stretches in the vacant part of the office, in the bathrooms, or in the stairwells of your office. Working out at the office will help you to release stress and also get in shape so that you can impress your clients better.

Sitting at the desk and using a computer to work for a long time can cause back, neck, and shoulder pain. Taking a few minutes off to stretch your muscles can give you quick cardio and aerobic workout, as well as help you manage stress and relieve pain at the same time. It is also important to design a proper work station and maintain a good working posture, ensuring that you have enough space for working. It will not only help you to slim down and look good but also help you to reduce the risk of heart disease and muscle strain, improving your work quality and attention, which will eventually lead to your career success.

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Source: Balanced Life Team