Stay toned and flexible with these office-friendly exercises
Shh, don’t tell anyone, but that person over there has just done a complete work out while seated at their desk.
Admittedly, they don’t look as sweaty as perhaps they should after half an hour of exercise, and they seem to have been sitting at a computer throughout. But at the same time as working on their spreadsheets they’ve been exercising their scapula and toning their abdominals.
You can do it too. Check out the five great exercises below which will help keep you toned and flexible. However, you might just want to tell your colleagues what you are doing. On the other hand, it might be more fun not to bother…
1. Your glutes, also known as your gluteus minimus, medius and maximus are the strongest and largest muscles in your body. It’s important they are strong as they support and protect your knees, hips and ankles, says personal trainer Jon Munroe. They are an area which is often neglected during workouts so it’s good to give them a bit of attention while you’re sitting at your desk. First tighten your right glute (ok, bum cheek). To check you are just tightening the glute, and not your thigh, place your hand on your bum and feel it tighten. Hold for five seconds and then relax. Do this five times on each side, and then repeat. At this point maybe let the colleagues sitting nearest you know what you are doing!
2. Strong lower abdominal muscles are important when it comes to having good control over your pelvic floor muscles, as well as helping prevent back pain and having strong tummy muscles. You can do tummy contractions while sitting at your desk, and no-one will know, says Munroe, who has been a registered personal trainer for 17 years. Just sit up straight. Have your feet flat on the floor and pull your tummy in. Focus on the area just below your belly button. That is your transverse abdominal muscle and it goes all the way around your waist like a belt. Pull it in, hold for five seconds and then release. Do this five times.
3. Doing calf raises is good for the area at the front of your shins and it also strengthens the calf muscles. “It’s particularly good if you don’t often wear high heels, but are planning to, as it strengthens the muscles you need” says Munroe. It also helps prevent the degeneration of the Achilles tendon which happens to everyone over the age of 30. You just need to take your shoes off and sit at your desk. Have your feet hip width apart and gently raise both your heels up and down. Do this 20 times, rest, repeat, rest, repeat, doing the exercise three times 20 in total.
4. It’s important to stretch muscles to keep them long and lean says Ellysia Noble, a registered personal trainer for six years, who specialises in weight loss and lifestyle coaching (www.noblepersonaltraining.com). “These exercises are a must for tired back, neck and shoulders,” she says. To stretch your upper back, sit up tall in your chair, on your sitting bones (the bony part of your buttocks). Put both your hands out in front of you with straight arms and clasp your hands together. Pull the elbows wide apart, separating the muscles between your shoulder blades. Tuck your chin down into your chest to enhance the stretch and hold for 45 seconds.
“Stretching the chest is also important, to prevent bad posture and neck pain,” says Noble. Place the palms of both hands on the base of your spine and try to squeeze your elbows together, as close as you can, while looking up at the ceiling. Hold this for 45 seconds. Lastly, stretch the neck by placing your left hand on your seat, next to your bottom. Put your right arm over your head, and let your right hand lightly grip your left temple. Gently pull your right ear towards your right shoulder while sitting as tall as possible. Hold for 30 seconds and then change sides. Breathe throughout.
5. Now, this isn’t really an exercise, but research from the University of Queensland shows the more breaks you take from sitting at your desk, the smaller your waist. And this even goes for people who do a lot of exercise outside of work. The 25% of people who took the most breaks had a 4.1cm smaller waist than the 25% who took the least amount of breaks. Having a thick middle is associated with type 2 diabetes and heart disease. So instead of doing push ups at your desk, just stand up. Walk over to colleagues instead of sending emails, stand while you’re on the phone. These little things can make a significant difference to your health.
