Exercise Hacks for The Busy Office Professionals

You absolutely love your job! It’s interesting, rewarding and challenging. It also might be hazardous to your health.

Office spaces are set up to require little movement, making it easy to gain weight. Before you know it, you’ve added 30 kilograms on your frame. Besides increasing weight, desk jobs also increase the strain on your back, wrists, eyes and neck, and can result in a general loss of muscle tone.

To combat the adverse effects of the 9-to-5 routine, it’s important to exercise. But when can you find the time? Workplace workouts can help you make the most of your limited hours. With a little creativity, you can take advantage of the few minutes you have between pending deadlines and learn to exercise while you work.

For your company’s benefit, squeezing in a little exercise improves concentration and actually makes you more productive. But just in case others aren’t convinced (or you don’t want to be conspicuous), here are some exercises you

1. Pre-Meeting Workout 

Your department start-up meeting is a great way to prepare for the workday. It’s also a great time to get your muscles ready for your office workout with some stretches.

Stretch from head to toe, beginning with the neck.

• Slowly tilt head toward shoulder.
• Hold for ten seconds.
• Alternate sides.

Next loosen up your shoulders to get rid of the ache, increase flexibility and add strength.

• Roll both shoulders forward in a circular motion.
• Roll both shoulders backward in a circular motion.
• Repeat ten times.

Stretch your wrists to get ready for computer work.

• Stretch arm out with palm down.
• With other hand, pull fingers down.
• Hold for three seconds.
• Then pull up on fingers.
• Hold for three seconds.
• Repeat, alternating three times.

Relieve the tired and lethargic feeling you get in your legs with ankle and calf stretches.

• Hold one foot off the floor with your leg straight.
• Flex your ankle pointing your toes up.
• Extend you ankle pointing your toes down.
• Do ten times and repeat with other leg.
• Next, draw a circle with your toes, moving one foot clockwise and then counter-clockwise.
• Change feet.

2. Copier Machine Workout

Time spent watching copies spew out of the copy machine can be rather unproductive. Make use of these precious minutes with some leg toning and strengthening exercises.

With leg lifts and swings you use the muscles in the leg you are moving and also use the weight of your body to strengthen the leg you are standing on for support. It’s best to hold onto the copy machine for balance. If you hear someone approaching, you can quickly stop.

• Lift one leg to the back or side, keeping it straight.
• Slowly lower it.
• Change sides.
• In the same position, bend your right knee.
• Swing leg forward and back for 30 seconds.
• Repeat with left leg.

Glute kicks and calf raises will stretch out your hamstrings and calves.

• Stand with one leg straight.
• Try to kick your buttocks with the heel of your other leg.
• Repeat ten times with each leg.
• Next, raise your heels off the floor.
• Slowly lower them.
• Repeat ten times.

3. Under the Desk Workout

Your co-workers will see you intently reading the report from yesterday’s meeting, but they won’t see you strengthening your abs and relieving your tired leg muscles.

• Start with feet flat on floor.
• Sit tall at your desk.
• Hold your abdominal muscles tight.
• Extend one leg until it is level with your hip.
• Hold for ten seconds.
• Slowly lower leg.
• Repeat 15 times.
• Change legs.

Chair squats are an effective body-strengthening exercise. Sneak a few in every time you get up from your chair and sit back down.

• Stand tall.
• Keep back straight.
• Lower to one inch of chair, pretending you are sitting down.
• Hold for ten seconds.
• Lift back up to standing position.

You don’t need a resistance band to get great leg toning.

• With legs straight, cross one on top of the other.
• Raise them off the floor.
• Press top leg down and resist with bottom leg.
• Do until muscles are tired.
• Repeat with opposite legs top and bottom.

4. High Profile Workout

It’s good for your career to be seen around the office. These aerobic exercises will help to keep your weight down and your profile high.

• To keep your projects and your body moving, visit colleagues rather than e-mailing them.
• Drink a lot of water. Research suggests that drinking water can aid in your weight loss efforts. Plus, the more trips to the restroom, the more calories you’ll burn. To increase the calorie count, visit a restroom further away from your desk. You might also run into some new people along the way.
• Always walk fast without running. It’ll get your heart beating faster and make it look like you have somewhere important to be.
• Take the stairs whenever possible instead of elevator. For a better workout, take the steps two at a time.

5. No Sweat Office Workout

Sometimes the best way to burn calories isn’t by exercising at all. Following are a few non-exercise ways to shed some weight.

• Stand whenever you can. You’ll burn more calories than sitting, as many as 50 more an hour .
• Fidgeting can burn an extra 350 calories a day. Rapidly tapping your feet, talking with your hands, and chewing gum, all count. While the calorie burn for each movement is minimal, fidgeting could add up to a loss of up to 16.3 kilograms a year.
• Good posture is an effective core strengthening measure. It requires you to use muscles to keep your tummy tight and your back straight. Do it continually to build abdominal strength, alleviate lower back pain and help you feel more confident.
• Deep breathing helps you relax and lowers heart rate. Breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth.
• Laugh often. It tightens your stomach muscles, exercises your diaphragm, works your heart, relieves stress and gives you a better outlook on life.

By making exercise part of your everyday work routine, you’ll be healthier, happier and more productive. Plus, it’ll make you look like you have more work to do around the office. But let’s keep that our little secret 🙂