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In today's world, it can be quite difficult to exercise regularly with a packed schedule and increased workload. This physical inactivity can be very harmful to your health in the long run. That can result in various health ailments, including cardiovascular disease, weight gain, high blood pressure and diabetes.
Therefore, you must incorporate some routines into your daily schedule to stay active. Start with some simple desk exercises to keep you stimulated throughout the day. Desk exercises can provide you with multiple benefits, such as an increase in productivity, ability to stay active and deal with work, higher motivation and so on.
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Effective Desk Exercises to Stay Active
We have curated a list of five effective desk-friendly exercises that will help you stay active:
1) Chair Squats
This desk exercise will help you stay active by engaging the muscles in your lower body and legs, including the quads and glutes. Chair squats will help you in activating the leg muscles along with building strength in the lower region. You can easily do it at your desk without any hassle.
How to do it?
- Stand in front of the chair with a straight back, neutral head and tight core.
- Bring your arms in front of you, and fold them together.
- Gradually lower your body with bent knees, and push your hips backward. Make sure not to bend your head and chest.
- Lower your body till your hips touch the chair.
- Slowly rise back towards the initial position.
- Repeat.
2) Calf Raises
This desk exercise will help you stay active by strengthening the calf muscles and providing better stability to your ankle and feet. Calf raises will also help you in stretching your entire body during working hours. You do not have to leave your desk for this exercise, making it time-efficient.
How to do it?
- Stand close to your desk with both hands on the side.
- Lift your heels in the air while standing on your toes.
- Power back to the starting position.
- Repeat.
- Maintain the exercise position for a while. Do not slouch or bend your spine. You can also take support from the wall for more stability.
3) Chair Dips
This desk exercise will help you stay active by engaging your shoulders and arm muscles. Chair dips are known to be quite an effective workout that you can do without leaving your desk. They help in strengthening your arms and shoulders muscles along with easing shoulder pain in the long run.
How to do it?
- Make sure you use a regular chair for the exercise so that it does not roll away.
- Scurry to the front end of the chair with your legs in front, and keep your hands with an overhand grip on both sides of your hips at the edge of the chair.
- By engaging your arms and torso, lift your torso off the chair. Lower your bod,y and bring your bottom towards the ground.
- Repeat.
4) Desk Push-Ups
This desk exercise will help you stay active by stretching your muscles and increasing the functional strength of your body. Desk push-ups will help you improve your posture as well as protect against injuries to the shoulders and lower back.
How to do it?
- Grab the edge of your desk with your hands lined beneath your shoulders.
- Move your feet backward till your body is in an inclined position towards the desk.
- Gradually bring your chest towards the desk, and push yourself back to the initial position.
- Repeat.
5) Torso Twist
This desk exercise will help you stay active by enhancing your body movements. The torso twist helps in stretching your upper body and provides for better stability. This exercise will also help in building mobility in the spine along with improving the flexibility of your body.
How to do it?
- Sit on the front side of the chair, with your feet firmly positioned on the ground.
- Keep one hand on the back of the chair. Slowly rotate your upper body towards the same hand. Use your other hand to press it on your leg.
- Do the same steps on the alternate side.
- Repeat.
Bottom Line
Doing the above-mentioned exercises throughout the day will provide several benefits.
These include better mood, stretching of the body, better mobility, improved stability, and so on. These desk exercises are also time-efficient and do not require you to buy any equipment or stay away from the desk. That allows you to easily include short bursts of exercises in your daily schedule.
Apart from desk exercises, you can also stay active in your packed schedule by going on short walks during break time, utilising the stairs instead of lifts, swapping exercise balls for office chairs, and so on. Just find a way to keep your body physically active and moving.
