Effective Desk Exercises which deserve to be Tried and Tested.
17-03-2017 | Posted By: Admin | 3372 View(s)
Today, a lot of people have sitting jobs where they have to sit and work for 8-9 hours on a continuous basis. Various studies reveal that sitting at one place for hours can increase the risk of obesity and put you at risk for leg cramps, back pain, poor posture and tense muscles. In a nutshell, if people do not do certain physical activities at your desk, they might face some serious health concerns. There are many things that one can do to prevent muscle tension and back pain. Here we talk about effective Desk Exercises to keep you fit and Healthy.
Allow your body to stretch and relax within a break. Doctors say that those who remain seated for long hours without a proper posture can face a lot of problems in the future which is commonly known as Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT). This is a sign of danger among the IT Professionals or those who work for long hours in front of the computers.
Most of the people give many lame excuses when it comes to exercising as they do not want to move a bit out of their comfort zone. Thus, before knowing about the really effective Desk Exercises, one must know the harmful consequences of sitting for a prolonged period. It is because once they know the negative effects of sitting for long hours; they would be encouraged to go in for these really Effective desk Exercises.
Adverse Effects of Sitting All Day
1. It Damages Your Organ
When you sit for long hours, it impacts your internal organs. When you sit for a prolonged period, less fat is burned by your muscles, and your blood begins to flow slowly, which allows fatty acids to clog your heart easily. Sitting for a long time every day has been linked to Cardiovascular Diseases, High Blood Pressure and elevated cholesterol, Diabetes and can even develop Colon, breast and endometrial cancers.
2. It Degenerates Your Muscles
When you stand or walk, your abdominal muscles are tensed and tightened, however, when you sit, your muscles go unused which ultimately lead to a weak midsection. Sitting also affect the mobility of your hips and even the strength of your glutes.
3. It Leads to Weight Gain
This is a very common one as those who sit for more than 6 hours a day complain about gaining weight in no time. Thus, it is always recommended to do exercises for those who sit and work as obesity can lead to various other health concerns such as Hypertension, Diabetes and even Cardiovascular Diseases.
4. Neck and Back Pain
All of you who work continuously while sitting would agree to the fact that you do deal with Neck and Back Pain. When you work consistently in front of the computer or are on calls always, it leads to strains in your cervical vertebrae which in turn cause neck strain, back pain and sore shoulders.
5. It Increases Stress and Lowers your Productivity
When you sit at your desk, you may be organising tasks, writing blogs and using your critical and creative thinking. But, when you keep on sitting at your desk for a long time, your brain becomes foggy and slows down which in turn affects your productivity and causes mental stress.
Planning your office Desk Exercises:
Eyes are a very delicate and important organ of our body. With our eyes, we see the world and the world looks at us. It ‘s hard to imagine how we would cope up in the absence or improper functioning of our Eyes. We, therefore, need to take proper care of our eyes along with taking care of our office work and other important works. We need to take out a few seconds for our eyes to relax to ensure proper vision forever.
These few moments can be taken out even when you are typing or taking a print out of pages. Just close your eyes for 3 seconds and open again, look towards your right for 3 seconds and after that look to your left for another 3 seconds. Follow this 2-3 times and then again close your eyes for 3-4 seconds before getting back to your work. It will not take much time to practice this exercise at all. It is neither hectic nor time-consuming, so why not follow this every half an hour every day – Day in, day out.
Few Self-regulated Desk Exercises:
You can also follow few self-controlled exercises while relaxing:
1.Breathing in and breathing out
2.Moving and rolling both your shoulders together
3.Moving your neck from left to centre and then to the right and back to centre again.
4.Taking a small walk for 2-3 minutes
Apart from the above, you can also go in for these simple yet effective Desk Exercises
Simple and Effective Desk Exercises
1. Bicep Curl
This is an isometric exercise which is done for strengthening the arms. To do this desk exercise, you have to bend your elbows while sitting at your desk; then place your forearms under the table with the palms facing up. You have to keep your torso upright, and your arm muscles tightened; try to lift the table by pushing it up with both the arms. You have to push hard and hold the tension for at least 10 seconds. Then relax your muscles. You can perform ten sets of this exercise, and you must focus on maintaining a normal breath and a straight back while doing this exercise.
2. Chair Squats
This is one of the best and simple desk exercises which activate your leg muscles and glute. Just note that you must not wear high heel shoes while doing this desk exercise. Stand up and keep an upright position. You must make sure that your feet are hip-width apart and also are positioned equally to one another. You have to look forward during the whole exercise. Then, you have to bend at your knees (making sure that your body is upright) until your hips hit your chair- and then you have to stand up straight. So, simple you just have to stand up and sit back down on your chair, while keeping an upright position. You have to do this exercise 10 times for best results.
3. Calf Raises
This is the best desk exercise for toning the calf muscles. This exercise requires balance, especially when you are doing single leg calf raises. To do this exercise, you have to stand beside a table and then place one arm on the table for support. You have to keep your legs straight and then slowly lift your heels as high as possible. Hold for 3 seconds, lower the heels and repeat. So simply you just have to lift your heels up off the ground, then bring them down and repeat. Repeat this exercise 3 times. If you want to activate calves more- perform this exercise on one leg at a time.
4. Triceps Desk Dips
If you want to tone your arms fast, you must do this exercise. Face yourself away from the table and then place both the palms on the edge of the table. Then, you have to step forward and bend your knees. Slowly bend the elbows and then lower yourself until your elbows are at a 90-degree angle. After that, rise slowly until the arms straighten and then repeat. Do this 20 times.
5. Leg Lifts
This is yet another simple exercise for your leg muscles. You just have to lift one leg until it is straight and parallel to the ground. Then, you need to hold for a few seconds and then lower it down. Repeat ten times and then switch to the other leg.
6. Abdominal Crunches
We all wish for a flat stomach and better abs. Well, you can do abdominal crunches to make your wish come true. You have to sit up straight keeping your feet flat on the floor. Then contract your abdominal muscles just as you would do during a regular floor crunch. You have to hold the contraction for at least 10 seconds and perform three sets of these crunches. This is one of the most effective Desk exercises to get a flat stomach.
7. Walking
Yes, you heard it right. You must have heard the many benefits of walking– it is great for you too and easy to do. You can easily take a walk during your lunch break. So, from now on make it a habit of taking a small walk every day for around 10-15 minutes during office hours.
This article is for those who are in the habit of working for long hours on computers, laptops or are on smartphones. If you sit in front of your computer for long hours without taking any break for relaxation, you will end up ruining your eyes and develop other problems as well. So it is very much advisable to take at least 2-3 minutes to break after every half an hour while working on any of the devices mentioned above. Now that you know about few Desk Exercises-Try them out, it would help you gain concentration and relax your eyes as well along with reducing your waistline and help to prevent health issues.
You can also set the alarm so that you can remind yourself that it’s the time to leave the desk and move. Even if you walk for just two minutes every hour- it can reduce the harmful effects of sitting. So, get up and get moving! Also, you must go for a regular Health Check Up because you never know when illness strikes.
