Working Out At Your Desk

A ton of people are just like me -- chained to our desk, in front of the computer, day after day. After work each day I don't have a lot of time to get the everyday things done -- house work, errands, cooking dinner. I especially find it hard to find time to squeeze in a workout every night. I was sitting at my desk one day and I stretched...a huge, muscle tightening stretch. It felt so good. After that, the light bulb came on. I surfed the net a lot that day and was able to jot down a few ideas on how to "work out" while I was at my desk. Getting my work done and toning my physique? I was all over it! Here's a list of the things that I've been doing for several months now. I feel great, and I have noticed a bit of a difference over the months.

Posture:
I have always had pretty good posture, but now and again I find myself slouching -- usually out of boredom. Slouching is horrible for your shoulders and back. So whenever I would catch myself slouching I would immediately straighten up. Good posture requires you to hold your abdominals tight and shoulders upright. Constantly engaging these muscles will help to tone and firm your body!

Great legs:
This one is always a quick, easy way to work your legs. Push your chair away from your desk and stand up. Start with your feet flat on the floor and raise up onto your toes so that your calves tighten. Hold a few seconds then release back down to flat feet. If you have stairs in your office that will make this exercise a little more challenging. Do 10-15 reps.

Tension:
Remember what I said about the stretching? As you sit you can tense and release your muscles all at once, or one by one. Start with your neck and shoulders and work your way all the way down to your feet. This is a great way to get muscles working and it is so relaxing afterwords. Do it a couple times to help relax yourself during a stressful day, or as part of your toning routine.

Arms:
I typically do this while I'm just sitting at my desk reading something. Raise your hand to your shoulders first -- elbows pointing outwards. Raise your hands towards the ceiling first, then back down to your shoulders, then straight out to the side. Repeat this 10-15 times. This one is great for toning your arms and strengthening your shoulders.

Circles:
Rolling your shoulders is a good form of relaxation as well as a muscle toning and strengthening move! Roll your shoulders forwards and backwards, each about 10 times. To crank it up a notch, put your arms directly out to the side and repeat.

Squats:
I put my own twist on the normal squats. Instead of doing it without the chair, I use the chair. From the sitting position, hold out arms out directly in front of you at about shoulder height. Stand up completely, without using your hands to help yourself up. Do this 15 times and you are guaranteed to see results quick! The squats combined with the leg raises make for some very sexy legs!

Get moving! You'll feel great and you'll notice a difference.