Training In Your Office

When you have been sitting at your office desk for several hours, and you suddenly get up, you often find difficult even to walk, let alone going out for a run. You feel tight and your muscles are stiff. This is due to inactivity, rather than from working itself. It is indeed really easy to overcome this runner's unfriendly discomfort: while in your office, just engage in these simple exercises to maintain your body fit.

• Stretch your neck - Place hands behind your head with the fingers placed together. Attempt to push your head backward for six seconds (counting one-thousand-one, one-thousand-two, and so on) as you resist with your hands. Resist with head forward, then straight, and all the way back. Stretch your neck as far as you can in all directions.
• Train your chest muscles - Sit at your desk, attempt to compress it by pulling your arms together, resisting for six seconds. This exercise helps to keep the chest muscles strong and the bust firm. Use stove, refrigerator, wardrobe or any other convenient item of furniture.
• Flex your shoulders - Sit at your desk (or table) and raise your arms forward until the backs of your hands are touching the underside of the desk in front of you. Keep your stomach muscles tight and your back straight. Attempt to lift the desk, pushing for six seconds; then relax. Vary this exercise by standing in a doorway and trying to push its two sides apart with the backs of your hands.
• Exercise your back - Bend over at the waist, holding your legs with your hands behind the knees. Pull your stomach muscles in and attempt to straighten your back. Resist back extension with your hands and hold for six seconds. Try these exercise anytime your back feels tired but remember to stretch and loosen up the back before and after.
• Raise your legs - Lean over your desk. Slowly raise one leg as high as possible, for six seconds. Slowly return to the starting position. Alternate legs. Vary by raising leg with knee bent.
• Do V sit-ups - Lay on the office floor. Raise both legs and your upper body simultaneously keeping your legs straight with arms out straight for balance. Hold this V position for six seconds, slowly returning to the starting position. Three repetitions of this exercise will help you to relax.
• Flex your hips - In the lobby of your office, sit on a sofa with your feet under the coffee table. Hold the top of the table for stabilization. Raise one leg - keeping the knee straight - until the toes touch the table. Try to lift the table with the straight leg for six seconds; relax. Alternate legs.
• Stretch your calves - Stop as you go up the stairs, hold onto the rail and place the balls of your feet on the edge of a stair. Slowly rise on the toes as high as possible; stretch. Slowly lower own beyond the edge of the stair, stretching the heel cords. These easy quick exercises in the office really help to keep you fit and fine.
• Squat your legs - Stand in front of your office chair with your feet shoulder-width apart. Bend your knees as though you are sitting on the chair, keeping your weight on your heels. When your legs are parallel with the seat of the chair, slowly rise to your original standing position.
• Opt for plié squats - Take a wide stance with your toes pointing outward. Standing upright, slowly bend your knees in the direction of your toes until you can no longer see your toes. Slowly return to your starting position.
• Do some wall sits - With your back touching the wall, move your feet away from the wall so that the wall is supporting the weight of your back. Bend your knees so that your legs form a 90-degree angle. Hold as long as you can.
• Push on your legs - With your arms by your side, take a giant step forward with your right leg so your thigh is parallel with the floor. Pushing off the same leg, return to your starting position. Repeat with the left leg.
• Raise your calves - Holding onto your desk or a file cabinet for balance, raise your heels off the floor, then lower. Peek into your neighbor's cubicle while you do toe raises. Sitting in your chair or standing, lift and lower your toes while keeping your heels on the ground, or walk around on the heels of your feet.
• Squeeze your gluteus - While sitting or standing, squeeze the muscles of your rear end. Hold, then relax.
• Do some crunches - Lying on your back with your knees bent, reach for your knees, hold for two counts, then return to the floor.
• Do some push-ups - Perform push-ups standing upright with your hands a little wider than shoulder-width apart, against a wall or lying facedown on the ground.
• Do some dips - With the palms of your hands on your chair and feet on the floor, scoot your rear end off the end of your chair. Bend your elbows, lowering your body, then straighten your arms to return to the starting position.

Credits

Run The Planet thanks the Pak Taste website (www.paktaste.com) for the permission to reprint the article "Exercises At Office". Original text has been slightly adapted. Image © 2003 by Run The Planet..