Have you ever lamented to anyone who would listen that you simply don’t have the time to exercise, thanks to work? Or that your gruelling office job is making you fat cos of all the hours you spend sitting at your desk? We totally know, cos these feature prominently in our common litany of complaints too! As busy working women, we try so hard to excel in all on our plates, that sometimes we put our own health and well-being last when really, it should be the most important.
We really recommend trying these office exercises out – also known as “Deskercises”. After all, we spend so many waking hours in the office that it only makes sense to squeeze in some workouts in what many consider to be a second home. You may also be jolted right into action when you find out that spending the majority of your day sitting and being sedentary can actually increase your cancer risk by up to 60%!
These five exercises can be done using your office furniture all throughout your work day and you can easily do one when you stand up for a stretch or for a break from the computer. Don’t forget to snack healthily throughout the day to refuel your body and brain. And while we are on the topic of snacking healthily throughout your work day, why not have some Cheryl W wellness tea to wash your snack down? Our teas come in a variety of soothing flavours all designed to detox and calm the body, which is so important in holistic wellness and health.
So, let’s get started on our awesome Deskercise guide, shall we? Our guide promises to turn your office into a mini-gym with all your existing furniture and stationery, and we tell you exactly what exercises you can do at each “station”!
1) Desk: Pushups, Tricep Dips
You always knew there was a reason why you made so much effort to keep your desk neat and organised: so that you have the hand space to do some office workouts, of course! Your desk is the perfect height to do some pushups or tricep dips while you take that break from your emails. Using your desk to do those push-ups are quite straightforward. As for the tricep dips, simply face away from your desk, place your hands shoulder-width apart with legs extended, and bend and straighten your arms slowly to keep tension.
2) Chair: Calf Raises, Leg Raises, Squats
Who would have known that the chair – the main culprit for your many hours of sitting – would actually turn out to be one of the best equipment to work-out with in your personal office gym? Use the back of the chair for support and raise your calves, holding for about 10 seconds before gently lowering your heel back to the ground for a few sets of these calf raises to tone those calves. Or sit, and work those ab muscles by straightening your legs and holding for 10 seconds before lowering them slowly to the floor. You can even do squats on your chair to tone your butt muscles as you wait for your emails to be printed. The options seem almost never-ending!
3) Book: Press, Curls
That heavy dictionary is not as obsolete as you think. Pick it up and use it (or basically, the heaviest book you have) as a weight. You can do so many things with this, but two that we particularly like are bicep curls and tricep presses which involve you holding the book behind your head and extending your arms up and down repeatedly.
4) Wall: Sits, Pushups
When you feel like you are backed up against the wall at work, work it to your advantage and do some simple sits or push-ups. You tone your quads, arms and abs all at once with these.
5) Cord Phone: Pacing
Those 20 minute calls don’t have to be spent sitting and doodling. With a corded phone, spend the conversation pacing up and down as you speak. You not get your heart to pump more as you walk, studies have also shown that doing this actually provides a creativity boost! In any case, you would be surprised by how many steps you actually take while discussing your project on the phone. It’s no treadmill for sure, but walking is definitely beneficial to your health as your heart is kept working at a slightly more elevated rate consistently throughout the duration of your call.
If you found this helpful, do share this article with your friends! Cheryl W’s philosophy has always been about wholesome and healthy weight management through holistic means, and we advocate exercise as a way of life that should be incorporated throughout the day!