Symptoms of a desk job: tight hamstrings, compromised hip flexors, chronic lower back pain, sore wrists, poor posture...and the list goes blazes on as long as your in-box after a week's holiday.
Mind you, a proper workout in the middle of your office is a difficult, if not amusing, endeavor - since arriving to an afternoon meeting like a smelly mess isn't an optimal selling point for your next promotion. However, a few little tricks can loosen stiff legs, prevent ailing backs and, possibly, even stimulate some toning.
1. Sit properly in a well-designed chair - your back should be straight, your shoulders retracted back and the top of your computer screen should be on level with your eyes (if you have to look up or down, you need to adjust the monitor).
2. Even better than sitting properly in a well-designed chair is a stability ball (aka Swiss ball). This re-enforces proper sitting posture and requires more core activation.
3. Many little movements can be performed while sitting on your chair/stability ball:
i. lift your legs using the balls of your feet, hold a beat, then set them down, repeating until your calves are comfortably tired. Do this routine every ten minutes for an hour
ii. buy a hand gripper; they are cheap and small and great forearm workouts while on phone calls or document readings
iii. contract your abs and gluteals through out the whole day; squeeze, hold for a few beats and relax, constantly repeating
4. When your computer is downloading larger files or while on a dull conference call that doesn't require much participation, take advantage of this, and other similar down time, to perform pushups, planks, jumping jacks, etc You can also invest in a set of elastic bands and do simple exercises such as overhead shoulder press, bicep curl, back row, etc etc
5. Learn to stretch. Every hour or so, stand up and stretch your neck (front to back, side to side, but NOT in circular motions), roll your wrists and ankles, do forward bends (with ultimate goal of touching your toes), clasp hands behind your back, interlocking your fingers and raise your hands as high as you can, feeling a squeeze between your shoulder blades and a pull of your chest.
6. Have a water bottle on your desk, refilling it throughout the day - this is the perfect time to stretch. Symptoms of a desk job: tight hamstrings, compromised hip flexors, chronic lower back pain, sore wrists, poor posture...and the list goes blazes on as long as your in-box after a week's holiday.
No comments:
Post a Comment