Workout Routines For the Office
Most office-based employees spend a great deal of time at their desks in a sitting position with no physical exertion or cardiovascular strain beyond typing. When additional hours in the week are necessary for an employee to complete their necessary job functions, it can be difficult to find time for exercise. Working out in the office - at a desk - is one way to maintain physical activity while remaining stationary. Before pursuing any consistent workout routine at the office, be sure that the body is in acceptable physical shape and stretched appropriately. One quick way to stretch the body is as follows:
1.) Sit with both feet on the floor and the back in a straight, upright position.
2.) Reach arms around one side of the body to grab the chairback while keeping head as stationary as possible.
3.) Hold stretches with abdominal muscles twisting for 15-30 seconds.
4.) Return to original position and repeat stretch to opposite side
Abdominal muscles are often the victim of an under-worked office body. Core muscles surrounding the abdomen and the back can get knotted and weak without regular exertion. One exercise for these muscles while sitting in the office is as follows:
1.) While sitting up straight in an office chair, contract the lower abdominal muscles, pushing the lower back out into the lower half of the chairback. Hold this crunch for 5 to 30 seconds and repeat until fatigued. Be sure the shoulders, hips, and ears are all in vertical alignment.
Although the tasks of an office worker may be conducive to the development of muscles in the hands and fingers, there is not enough consideration made for the ongoing health of shoulders and arms. By spending a bit of time each day focused on the continuing strength of the upper body, posture will improve and soreness should decrease after multiple hours in a sitting position. One extremely efficient arm exercise for an office workout routine is as follows:
1.) Grab a book, paperweight or water bottle with one or both hands and hold it in front of the body at shoulder height.
2.) Lift arms slowly up without breaking the elbows to a completely vertical position. The biceps should be just outside each ear.
3.) Break at the elbows, bending to drop the weight behind the head and hold at a 90-degree angle for 15 seconds.
4.) Complete each motion in reverse until the weight is back to its starting position in front of the body
Posture is an optical trick that can make the body appear taller and stronger. Office chairs do not often promote the appropriate posture until adapted to the individual's ergonomic specifications. Many work environments offer ergonomic assessments to prevent back problems among employees. If an ergonomic assessment is not available to you, remember these three points:
1.) The arms should bend at the elbow at no more than a 90-degree angle
2.) Wrists should be straight through the hands to the keyboard or desk
3.) The head should rest comfortably above the shoulders, avoiding any hunch or lean to the workstation
