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Jan 31, 2017
Dan Rose, Content Creator at SkillPath
The phrase, “workplace workout” should become part of your daily office routine from now on. February is National Heart Month and, considering how many hours some people spend sitting at their desks for work, it’s time to stop taking the health of our hearts for granted. Many Americans put in six to eight hours a day behind a keyboard … sit again for an hour or more in the twice-daily commute to and from home … and then crash after dinner in front of the TV until bedtime.
Without some kind of a workplace workout, too much sitting increases the risk for obesity and the subsequent back pain, poor posture, leg cramps, sore necks and tension headaches. While more companies today are trying to get their employees up and about, with incentivized wellness programs and the like, the fact remains that a majority of workers don’t get nearly enough exercise.
Luckily, even if you have a job that keeps you at your desk all day every day, there are exercises you can do in your chair, cubicle, office or even in the stairwell that will give you an effective workplace work0ut and have a big impact on your health. Here are some of the best:
If you don’t do any other exercise during the day, make sure you start your morning off with these stretching exercises to get your energy kick-started. Repeat them throughout the day whenever you feel the need.
To begin with, stretch from head to toe, beginning with the neck.
Next, loosen up your shoulders.
Spend a lot of time typing every day? Then you absolutely cannot skip this wrist exercise.
Relieve leg fatigue with these ankle and calf stretches.
No, not the latest band from Australia, but leg and ab exercises you do under the table away from prying eyes. A fun game to play by yourself is doing a few sets of these during a meeting without anyone noticing. Hey … whatever it takes to make meetings fun, right?
Forget about your workplace workout for just one minute. Sometimes you just need to find reasons to get up and away from your desk. Not only will these tips get you up and around, but you’ll be seen around the office and the exposure never hurts.
To be environmentally sound, you should be drinking your daily water supply from a reusable container like a cup or mug and not from a plastic bottle. However, having a full liter bottle of water at your desk gives you an impromptu hand weight to do the following workplace workout. Begin with bicep curls to tone and strengthen your arms.
Next, move on to front arm raises and overhead presses.
Finally, work on your abs and your waistline.
Isometric exercises are fantastic ones to do while working because there is little to no movement of your joints.
Hand squeezes provide relief if your digits are getting sore from spending a lot of time on your computer. You can do these with or without a stress ball.
Strengthen your calves and ankles while you read, listen to a Web cast or talk on the phone.
There are dozens more examples of workplace exercise you can do around the office to keep your joints and muscles limber, your mind fresher and your disposition sunnier. And, just because February is when we recognize heart health, it is something to concentrate on the other eleven months of the year as well.
Dan Rose
Content Creator at SkillPath
Dan Rose is a content creator at SkillPath who uses his experience from a 30-year writing career to focus on timely events that impact today’s business world.
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