These days many of us work office jobs and are sedentary a lot of the day. I know this story all to well. I’ve been sitting either behind a desk, or the steering wheel of a car for the last 13 years. Each year I’ve watched my fitness levels wane.
Since finding out we were going to welcome our first child into our house I decided it was now or never to try and regain some of that fitness and energy that I had back when I was 20.
Just because you’re stuck behind a desk most of the day in your office doesn’t mean you can’t get some exercise. Here’s some simple tips to keep you burning calories and building on your core fitness throughout the day;
- Start with a good chair for posture support, or better yet a Swiss Ball which keeps you in a constant state of motion and is better for your spine
- Stand up every 30 minutes, stretch a little, walk in place a few steps – this can even be done while you’re still working
- Roll your wrists and stretch your arms regularly during the day
- Waiting for something to download or upload or rebooting the computer, take this time to walk around a bit, stretch, depending on what setting you’re in you could even do some tummy crunches in your seat (or on the Swiss Ball) or push ups against your desk
- If you’re stuck with having to use a chair set your chair back to be at an angle wider than 90 degrees so that you have to use your core to keep you properly upright
- Don’t slouch! The simple act of sitting upright will improve not only your posture but also your core strength
- Don’t sit still, keep moving your legs, your arms, your hands, as the constant movement will burn calories
- On a business call, walk around the office if you’ve got a cordless phone, or mobile
This type of ‘at your desk fitness’ is not designed to replace a proper exercise routine. You will still want to get out in the fresh air and get moving for at least 30 minutes a day while on your lunch break, or walking to and from work or your transport, etc. what it will do however is help you maintain your energy and keep you feeling good.
Got any other tips that I can add to my repertoire, leave them in the comments box below.
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Thanks for the great post. It’s definitely easy to do a fantastic workout right there in your home office. The best part is that it will increase your productivity, improve your focus, time management, and your quality of work.
I’ve been encouraging work-at-home-moms and dads to get active at their desk with a Free Home Office Fitness Challenge http://fatlossquickie.com/blog/30-day-home-office-fitness-challenge-day-1/
It’s been a lot of fun and the participants are really starting to notice the benefits of home office fitness and how it can improve their business and life.
Congratulations on the soon to be new addition to your family. It’s great that you are becoming a positive role model for your child before they even enter the world. I know that my children have been a great driving force for me to maintain my health and be the best dad that I can be.
I’m glad that I found your site. I’m looking forward to reading more.
Scott Tousignant