Advice For Getting Exercise at Work
Staying seated for many hours at work can quickly become boring. But more importantly, it can be very damaging to your health. That’s why getting exercise at work is essential.
Recently, researchers have performed many studies on the topic. For example, they have completed studies on types of cardiovascular problems that you can experience from staying seated for many hours each day. Another important study found that a sedentary lifestyle can remove up to seven years from the quality of life.
As these studies show, you should move more during working hours to improve your health and your quality of life. Because of this, we think it’s appropriate to give you some tips that you can use to move around more at work.
Leg extensions
These consist of lifting and stretching your legs in the air. You can alternate your legs as you are doing this, or use both legs at the same time. It’s a good way to move at work, particularly if you are sitting down for long periods of time. Aside from that, it has the specific benefit of strengthening your quadriceps, as it’s an exercise you can do at work that targets this specific area.
Isometric curls
Similar to the previous movement, this one can be made by alternating the feet or using them at the same time. It’s convenient enough to do when you’re sitting in your work chair. It involves pushing your heels against the legs of the chair. At the same time, you have to keep your legs flexed.
It might seem as if this exercise is only good for passing the time. However, you’ll be working your hamstrings.
Leg adduction
In order to do this exercise, you’ll need to have a book or a flat object that you can easily hold with your legs. The exercise involves holding the object with the insides of your legs and pressing them together.
With this exercise, you’ll be moving at work and strengthening your abductors.
Leg abduction
You can perform this exercise with both legs at the same time, or you can alternate your legs as you do it. This movement is meant to specifically work your abductors and your glutes. Also, you can use your hands to help you put more pressure on your legs, as you push your knees outwards.
Foot extensions
Another one of the exercises that you can do easily at work, are foot extensions. Once again, you can do this with both feet at the same time, or alternate the foot that you use.
To do this exercise, lift your heels in such a way that your feet are supported by the toes. We will also be working our triceps surae muscles, especially the soleus, and to some extent the gastrocnemius muscles.
Foot-ups with the leg extended
In order to do this exercise, you should extend your leg and lift the back of the foot in order to try to get the toes as close as possible to the shins. You can do this with both feet at the same time or by alternating them.
Experts recommend that you do three sets of 20 repetitions for each of these, when you’re doing this exercise at work. The goal of this exercise is to keep a high level of neuromotor activity in the corresponding muscles for each exercise.
Glute work
This part of the body is one area that suffers the most, when you sit down for long periods of time. You can firm your glutes by contracting your gluteus muscles as you’re sitting down. You have to do this without getting up, and while you keep your back straight.
Abwork
These exercise complement the previous one, because you can get firmer abdominal muscles while you’re sitting down. You can even do this at the same time that you’re working your glutes, so you get double the exercise at work!
Contracting your abdominals will help to strengthen them. It also has the added benefits of allowing you to contract the glutes more powerfully. You should keep your belly contracted for a few seconds, in order to obtain best results.
Other advice for getting exercise at work
Aside from the above advice for getting exercise at work and strengthening certain muscles, we have some other tips for you. These will help you to move without having to tire out your muscles too much:
- Stand up during meetings
- Stay standing while talking on the phone.
- Don’t eat at your desk.
- Avoid the elevator and instead go for the stairs.
- Take a break from the computer every 30 minutes and stand up for a few seconds.
- Take a walk to the desk or office of coworkers instead of using your cell phone or E-mail.
This advice isn’t just simple, it’s very useful. Many studies have shown that standing burns an extra 50 calories an hour, when compared to sitting.