Deskercise at work!

Some days making it to the gym just isn’t in the cards whether there’s not enough time or you just don’t want to brave the cold weather. University of Illinois Springfield Recreational Sports wants to give you the opportunity to workout without leaving your office or cubicle. With little to no equipment required, deskercise is the perfect opportunity to burn a few calories while you work.

Exercises: 

1. Toe taps: tap toes & moving feet - fidgeting is shown to be correlated with lower weight 
2. Ab vacuums: contract core and hold for 10-30 seconds before relaxing
3. Seated leg raises/alphabet leg raises: pulling knees in and out or spelling out the alphabet
4. Namaste arm contractions: pushing hands together by contracting the arm muscles
5. Shoulder circles: arms straight out make circles, switching directions every so often
6. Desk chair swivel: rotating side to side to work the oblique muscles
7. Desk chair pulls: keeping core tight, lift feet off the floor and pull body towards desk and the push back to start
8. Sitting on a physioball forces better posture and works the core 

 Standing:

1. Jog in place for 1 minute to give a postural to your body from sitting
2. Wall sits: lower body to where knees form a 90 degree angle and hold contraction
3. Chair squats: use the chair for support or do the squats without desk support
4. Ham curls holding chair: focus on pulling the heel towards the glutes
5. Desk dips: keeping arms close to sides, bend at the elbow then extend back to a straightened arm
6. Desk push-ups: drop chest towards desk and push back to extended position
7. Calf raises while on the phone: lift up on your toes and lower the heels back to the ground
8. Walk to converse with co-workers: take postural breaks from sitting as often as you can throughout the day
9. Take the stairs 

These exercises may not be as demanding as taking your workout to the gym, but on those days where that gym-based session isn’t a possibility deskercise can leave you feeling accomplished and refreshed. Try out a few or all of these exercises the next time you’re at the desk, which may be right now. There is no excuse for inactivity with these simple exercises and Rec Sports hopes you utilize them for improved overall health.