Beat your sedentary work life with these 4 easy exercise tips

It is essential that we keep a check on our sedentary lives with the help of certain easy desk exercises like stretches, rotations, and more!
desk exercises
Stretch a little! Image courtesy: Shutterstock
Dr Smitha Jain Published: 28 Mar 2022, 09:00 am IST
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Who would have thought that work from home would become a reality? And now with workplaces opening up, a hybrid work environment has become the order of the day. But whatever we may say, our lives have become much more sedentary today. There are certain solutions, and the most important is movement. Stretch your legs and move your body, as much as you can. Yes, walk around for at least five minutes per hour, or ten minutes every two hours. Did you know that short activity breaks have been linked to smaller waistlines and improved overall health? If nothing else, try some easy desk exercises.

Exercising at your workplace can help counteract the negative consequences of prolonged sitting. A study published in 2020 discovered that conducting short bursts of activity many times a day can help lower blood pressure and heart rate. The effects of three 10-minute exercise sessions are comparable to a single 30- to 60-minute session, according to the researchers.

exercises to beat a sedentary lifestyle
Avoid a sedentary lifestyle. Image courtesy: Shutterstock

Easy desk exercises that you can do at work or WFH:

1. Stretches

Stretches can assist to relieve stiffness and soreness in the neck and shoulders. They can help release stress, particularly in the head and neck, because while working on a computer, the head and neck muscles are bound to get equally rigid. It’s also a good idea to extend your legs and do some ankle rotations from time to time.

2. Push ups

Want to know how to do a push up at your desk job? The answer is contained within the question. Push ups at your desk, yes!

Push ups serve to strengthen the upper body and stretch muscles that have been inactive for a while.

exercises to beat a sedentary lifestyle
Tone for the upper body with these push-up! Image courtesy: Shutterstock

3. Shoulder rotations

The strain of sitting slouched over a desk all day can be very taxing on the shoulders. These stretches can help alleviate some of the discomfort. It’s also incredibly simple; all one has to do is continually move their shoulders forward, upward and backward.

4. Breathing exercises

Breathing exercises are ones that can be done, while working without disrupting the workflow. These exercises have been increasingly important in recent months, particularly when Covid-19 disrupted people’s breathing patterns and lung health.

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About the Author

General Medicine, SIMS Hospital, Vadapalani, Chennai. ...Read More

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