There are several ways to incorporate exercise into a busy lifestyle, and one is to work out at your desk. If you are comfortable and have the space, you can do push ups, pull ups, and squats while you’re working.
Try wall sits and planks. These exercises are quick, easy and can be done right at your workstation.
Isometric exercises are easy to do within confined spaces. In fact, most of them actually require confined spaces!
Try these simple, isometric exercises right at your desk!
Desk curls:
Place your hands palm-up under your desktop (your actual furniture desktop, not your computer). Then try to “lift” the desk up off the floor, hold for just five seconds, then relax. Do this for 5 to 10 reps, no more. This exercise is excellent for burning calories as well as building and toning your biceps and shoulder muscles.
Desk push-ups:
Stand up. Place your hands on your desk. Step back (hands still on desk) so you are at an angle. Then, lower yourself till your chin touches the desktop. Push with your hands till you reach your original position again. Do this for about 5 reps.
Pseudo push-ups:
Okay, so maybe you feel a bit self-conscious standing up and doing push-ups in your office, with others around you. No problem, you can do pseudo push-ups that are just as effective.
In fact, if done correctly, pseudo push-ups can also work your abs and thighs! So how do you do them? Very simple: while still seated in your chair, place both hands on your desk, bend your elbows and then try to lift your entire body off your chair using just your hands.
It doesn’t matter if you don’t actually achieve “lift off”. The act of trying to lift your body will exercise your shoulders, biceps, forearms and even your abs and thighs. Try for 2 to 5 seconds, then relax, then do it again for 5 reps or so.
Chair ab-crunches:
This exercise is so ridiculously easy, you can do it at odd times during the day without anyone noticing. Hold the armrests of your chair. Bend your elbows, raise your feet off the floor and try to lift yourself off the chair using just your arms.
Unless you’re possessed of exceptional upper body strength, you won’t actually lift yourself but that isn’t the point. The point is to exercise your muscles and this achieves exactly that.
No excuses
Human beings – in fact, all beings – have a tendency to be lazy. This is an evolutionary need but it does tend to get in the way of being fit. However, this tendency can be beaten. And the beauty of it is, you don’t need to work hard to beat it. In fact, you don’t need to work at it at all!
Sounds crazy?
It isn’t. Think about the things you do without thinking. You brush your teeth. You comb your hair. You get dressed for work. You put on your shoes. You drive to work or take the train or bus.
You do these things without having to decide to do them! At most, you will take some time to decide what to wear to work but ultimately you WILL get dressed and go to work.
It’s the same with exercise. Once you incorporate small bits of exercise into your work day you won’t have to think of exercise at all. It’ll become a matter of habit to do a few desk curls or pseudo push-ups at varying intervals.
So, you won’t even have to make up excuses not to exercise. The exercise will happen naturally.
