Calling all office workers chained to their desks from morning till night! You may not realise this, but your office job is very dangerous. Having a desk-bound lifestyle is directly linked to early death from a range of causes, including diabetes, heart conditions, mental health conditions, knee pain, low back pain and a lot of other pains.
So what is a worker chained to their desk to do?
Luckily, if you are cubicle-bound, deskercises are an amazing way to improve your overall fitness levels and heart health. No, they do not promise any Olympic medals or a six-pack, but they do improve your strength and burn a few calories.
Here are some deskercises you can do at your desk!
Cardio
Tap into your inner Fred Astaire and speedily tap your toes on the floor under your desk
A simple change to your routine that gets your heart pumping is taking the stairs instead of the elevator
Take the long way back from the printer back to your desk and get those steps up
Leg and butt
When waiting for your printing, do some calf raises. Stand with feet shoulder-width apart and press up onto your toes
Consider leg raisers whilst sitting at your desk. Whilst seated, straighten one or both legs and hold in place for five seconds, then lower to the ground, repeat this movement.
Challenge co-workers with the Wall Street Sit, sitting against the wall and holding for 60 seconds. For an extra challenge, take the right ankle and rest it over the left knee, then switch.
Core
Practice perfect posture by ensuring your chair height allows your feet, hips and arms to be at a 90-degree angle to the floor.
Take advantage of your swivel chair by sitting upright in your chair with your feet hovering over the floor. Hold onto the edge of your desk and use your core to swivel the chair side to side.
Other activities
You don’t need 20kg dumbbells to curl, a regular stapler will do! Take the stapler in one hand with your palm facing upwards, bending the elbow and curling the arm toward the chest.
Casually lean against the wall waiting for the printer or your morning coffee. Lean into the wall only using your forearm, leaning as close to the wall as possible.
Test your shoulder strength by rolling the back of the shoulders until the shoulder blades are pinched together and hold for 10 seconds then release. Repeat this 12-15 times. Really challenge yourself by trying to hold a pencil there!
If your cubicle is too small for regular pushups, wall pushups work just as fine. Lean against the wall with hands flat, arms parallel to the ground and bend the elbows to bring the body toward the wall.
It is so important for those of you that are bound to your desk to set aside regular breaks from your workspace. Set your reminder now to deskercise!