Desk Job Exercise Group

livesmith

You might want to check out fitbolt.com I have their Chrome extension installed and every half hour it pops up with an exercise or stretch to do. My only problem is not wanting other people in the office to know that I'm doing them. I somewhat have my own area so it's somewhat doable... (:

Sedna_51

Hmm, sounds very interesting! I'm in an open-plan office, but I might be able to work something in...and I really like the idea!

smerkord

I'm in. I walk 30 minutes at lunch and have an adjustable desk and I try to stand 4 hours a day. 2 hours before lunch and 2 hours after lunch.

aseymour13

Ok I am going to make a group now and invite you all!

If I may, count me in!!! I try and do things at work, go out at lunch and walk when I can but it would help to have some support and accountability! I'm going to be commuting longer in the not too distant future and will really need to keep it going!!! I need to get a fitbit too!

sandy_gee

I want an invite!!!

AprilSchulte10

where are you doing these activities....and I can't see doing jumping jacks in a skirt. I try to get up every half hour or 45 minutes, and I walk after lunch. In the winter I guess I can walk indoors, but there is still no place to have a mini workout session.

Ditto! I dont have anywhere to do anything but the bathroom. Ugh..I cant even really walk indoors bc its such a small office.

hobbitgeekgirl

Not sure if it will help or if you can install anything on your work computer, but this Fitbolt app is nice for reminders to move and gives you some quick exercises to try. This thread actually reminded me to fire it back up!

djshari

I would love to be in this group! I have looked up quite a few things I can do at work - either at my desk or in the bathroom (where I have more space and privacy to do jumping jacks and stuff like that). Always look for new tips or ideas to help keep me moving. I also walk on my lunch break if the weather is nice enough but I also can use reminders to get up in the 4 hours before and after.

GerritTheBlacksmith

i am in.
i don't have much ares to do this but want to try to do more.

iperceive2

This is awesome!!
A group would be great so I would always know where to go!
I do squats all day and arm excercises with the weights i keep at my desk.

SuperKeely

You might want to check out fitbolt.com I have their Chrome extension installed and every half hour it pops up with an exercise or stretch to do. My only problem is not wanting other people in the office to know that I'm doing them. I somewhat have my own area so it's somewhat doable... (:

That's brilliant, thank you!

40andFindingFitness

Hello,

I work in an office and I copied this from a site a while back. Sorry, I no longer have the link but these are good ideas for us folks who do not have active jobs:

Exercise at Work

• Try a minute's worth of jumping jacks. If you're a beginner, try the low-impact version (raise your right arm and tap your left toe to the side while keeping your right foot on the floor; alternate sides)
• While seated, pump both arms over your head for 30 seconds, and then rapidly tap your feet on the floor, football-drill style, for 30 seconds. Repeat 3-5 times.
• If you can step into a vacant office or conference room, shadow box for a minute or two. Or just walk around the room as fast as you can.
• No conference room? Take to the stairs -- two at a time if you need a harder workout! Do this 5-7 times a day.
• Stand with one leg straight and try to kick your buttocks with the other.
• Sitting in your chair, lift one leg off the seat, extend it out straight, hold for 2 seconds; then lower your foot (stop short of the floor) and hold for several seconds. Switch; do each leg 15 times.
• To work your chest and shoulders, place both hands on your chair arms and slowly lift your bottom off the chair. Lower yourself back down but stop short of the seat, hold for a few seconds. Do 15 times.
• To stretch your back and strengthen your biceps, place your hands on the desk and hang on. Slowly push your chair back until your head is between your arms and you're looking at the floor. Then slowly pull yourself back in. Again, 15 of these.
• Desk pushups can be a good strengthener. (First, make sure your desk is solid enough to support your weight.) Standing, put your hands on the desk. Walk backward, then do push-ups against the desk. Repeat 15 times.
• Sitting tall in your chair, stretch both arms over your head and reach for the sky. After 10 seconds, extend the right hand higher, then the left.
• Let your head loll over so that your right ear nearly touches your right shoulder. Using your hand, press your head a little lower (gently, now). Hold for 10 seconds. Relax, and then repeat on the other side.
• Try this yoga posture to relieve tension: Sit facing forward, then turn your head to the left and your torso to the right, and hold a few seconds. Repeat 15 times, alternating sides.
• Sitting up straight, try to touch your shoulder blades together. Hold, and then relax.
• You get to put your feet up for this one! To ease the hamstrings and lower back, push your chair away from your desk and put your right heel up on the desk. Sit up straight, and bend forward just until you feel a gentle stretch in the back of your leg. Flex your foot for a few seconds, and then point it. Bend forward a little farther, flex your foot again, and hold for 10 seconds. Repeat on the other side.
• Women can do kegels -- tightening and holding, then loosening, their pelvic floor muscles (the muscles that control the flow of urine when you go to the bathroom). This will prevent leakage and other problems down the line.
• Butt clenches are also helpful in today's booty-conscious society. Tighten your buttocks, hold, hold, hold, and then relax. Repeat 15 times. The same goes for ab squeezes -- just tighten your tummy muscles instead.
• Tap your feet rapidly under your desk. You can aslo stand in front of a small trash can and lift your leg to the edge alternating feet.
• Take the stairs two at a time for stair master-like leg burn.
• Sit: Wall sits are great for building strength and endurance. Standing with your back against the wall, bend the knees and slide your back down the wall until the thighs are parallel to the floor. Sit and hold for 30-60 secondsFor some extra burn, try crossing the right ankle over the left knee, hold for 15 seconds, then switch!
• While seated, straighten one or both legs and hold in place for five or more seconds. Then lower the leg(s) back to the ground without letting the feet touch the floor. Repeat (alternating legs if raising them separately) for 15 reps. Underwhelmed? Loop a purse or briefcase strap over the ankle for added weight. Or, for more of an ab workout, add a crunch.
• Scope out the office for a ream of paper, or a sealed package of printing paper. While seated, place the stack in between the knees and press legs inward, engaging the inner thighs. Continue squeezing the paper ream in place for 30-60 seconds while sorting through the morning’s flood of emails.
• Seated upright with feet flat on the floor, bring the palms together in front of the chest and push both hands together powerfully until you feel the arm muscles contract. Hold the prayer hands pushed together for 20 seconds.
• Sitting up and with feet flat on the floor, clasp hands together as if giving yourself a handshake (with one hand’s thumb pointing to the floor and the other pointing to the ceiling). Then pull! Resist the motion of both arms (you should definitely feel this in those biceps). Hold for 10 seconds or more, release, and repeat.
• Standing with arms by your sides and palms facing behind, pulse the arms backward for 5 seconds. Release and repeat for 12-15 reps. For best results, make sure to keep the arms long and straight!
• Casually lean against the nearest wall, supporting your body with the forearm only. Now lean into the wall until the upper arm almost touches it, and then push back out
• Stand and clasp the hands together, resting them on the right shoulder as if holding an axe. Gently swing the imaginary “axe” by straightening the elbows and moving the hands toward the left thigh. Next, bring the clasped hands to the left shoulder followed by a swing to right thigh. Repeat 15 times on each side.
• Raise the legs into a criss-cross applesauce position while seated in a chair. With your hands on the armrests, push upwards to raise the body off the seat and remain floating for 10-20 seconds. After granting a few wishes, release back down to the chair, rest for a minute, and repeat.
• Seated or standing, take the stapler in one hand with the palm facing upwards. Starting at the thighs, bend the elbow and curl the arm up towards the chest, just like a regular dumbbell bicep curl. Pause momentarily and then lower the stapler back down. Continue for 12-15 reps, then switch. Don’t have a weighty stapler? Try using a filled water bottle.
• Simply raise both shoulders up toward the ears, hold for 5 seconds, then relax. Repeat for 15 reps. Feeling unstoppable? Try advanced shoulder shrugs while standing and holding a paper ream in each hand.
• For the first isometric neck strengthening trick, put your head in your hands as if exasperated by the workday (you may already be in this position), and press your palms into your forehead as if trying to push the head backward. Resist the motion by engaging the neck muscles. Next, clasp the hands behind the back of the head and try to push the head backward, resisting the motion with your hands. Hold each deskercise for 5 seconds.
• For the first isometric neck strengthening trick, put your head in your hands as if exasperated by the workday (you may already be in this position), and press your palms into your forehead as if trying to push the head backward. Resist the motion by engaging the neck muscles. Next, clasp the hands behind the back of the head and try to push the head backward, resisting the motion with your hands. Hold each deskercise for 5 seconds
• Simply take a deep breath and tighten the abdominal muscles, bringing them in towards the spine as you exhale. Stay squeezed for 5-10 seconds and release. Repeat for 12-15 reps.
• With both elbows on the thighs, try to curl the chest in towards the legs while resisting the movement with the arms. Hold for 10 seconds, release, and repeat times 10
• While seated in a chair with wheels, position yourself at arm’s length from a desk or table and grasp its edge with your hands. Next, engage the core, raise the feet slightly off the ground, and pull with your arms until the chair slowly rolls forward and your chest touches the desk’s edge. Then roll back by pushing away, with the feet still raised. Repeat 20 times, or until you burn holes into the carpet.

Hope that helps! :0)

airant

Please invite me. I will love to join the group

niricava

I'd love to join too. And I like the small pedal bike idea! Thanks for that, although I may need to adjust my rolling chair to use it, I would imagine... :flowerforyou:

speedgoose

Hello,

I work in an office and I copied this from a site a while back. Sorry, I no longer have the link but these are good ideas for us folks who do not have active jobs:

Exercise at Work

• Try a minute's worth of jumping jacks. If you're a beginner, try the low-impact version (raise your right arm and tap your left toe to the side while keeping your right foot on the floor; alternate sides)
• While seated, pump both arms over your head for 30 seconds, and then rapidly tap your feet on the floor, football-drill style, for 30 seconds. Repeat 3-5 times.
• If you can step into a vacant office or conference room, shadow box for a minute or two. Or just walk around the room as fast as you can.
• No conference room? Take to the stairs -- two at a time if you need a harder workout! Do this 5-7 times a day.
• Stand with one leg straight and try to kick your buttocks with the other.
• Sitting in your chair, lift one leg off the seat, extend it out straight, hold for 2 seconds; then lower your foot (stop short of the floor) and hold for several seconds. Switch; do each leg 15 times.
• To work your chest and shoulders, place both hands on your chair arms and slowly lift your bottom off the chair. Lower yourself back down but stop short of the seat, hold for a few seconds. Do 15 times.
• To stretch your back and strengthen your biceps, place your hands on the desk and hang on. Slowly push your chair back until your head is between your arms and you're looking at the floor. Then slowly pull yourself back in. Again, 15 of these.
• Desk pushups can be a good strengthener. (First, make sure your desk is solid enough to support your weight.) Standing, put your hands on the desk. Walk backward, then do push-ups against the desk. Repeat 15 times.
• Sitting tall in your chair, stretch both arms over your head and reach for the sky. After 10 seconds, extend the right hand higher, then the left.
• Let your head loll over so that your right ear nearly touches your right shoulder. Using your hand, press your head a little lower (gently, now). Hold for 10 seconds. Relax, and then repeat on the other side.
• Try this yoga posture to relieve tension: Sit facing forward, then turn your head to the left and your torso to the right, and hold a few seconds. Repeat 15 times, alternating sides.
• Sitting up straight, try to touch your shoulder blades together. Hold, and then relax.
• You get to put your feet up for this one! To ease the hamstrings and lower back, push your chair away from your desk and put your right heel up on the desk. Sit up straight, and bend forward just until you feel a gentle stretch in the back of your leg. Flex your foot for a few seconds, and then point it. Bend forward a little farther, flex your foot again, and hold for 10 seconds. Repeat on the other side.
• Women can do kegels -- tightening and holding, then loosening, their pelvic floor muscles (the muscles that control the flow of urine when you go to the bathroom). This will prevent leakage and other problems down the line.
• Butt clenches are also helpful in today's booty-conscious society. Tighten your buttocks, hold, hold, hold, and then relax. Repeat 15 times. The same goes for ab squeezes -- just tighten your tummy muscles instead.
• Tap your feet rapidly under your desk. You can aslo stand in front of a small trash can and lift your leg to the edge alternating feet.
• Take the stairs two at a time for stair master-like leg burn.
• Sit: Wall sits are great for building strength and endurance. Standing with your back against the wall, bend the knees and slide your back down the wall until the thighs are parallel to the floor. Sit and hold for 30-60 secondsFor some extra burn, try crossing the right ankle over the left knee, hold for 15 seconds, then switch!
• While seated, straighten one or both legs and hold in place for five or more seconds. Then lower the leg(s) back to the ground without letting the feet touch the floor. Repeat (alternating legs if raising them separately) for 15 reps. Underwhelmed? Loop a purse or briefcase strap over the ankle for added weight. Or, for more of an ab workout, add a crunch.
• Scope out the office for a ream of paper, or a sealed package of printing paper. While seated, place the stack in between the knees and press legs inward, engaging the inner thighs. Continue squeezing the paper ream in place for 30-60 seconds while sorting through the morning’s flood of emails.
• Seated upright with feet flat on the floor, bring the palms together in front of the chest and push both hands together powerfully until you feel the arm muscles contract. Hold the prayer hands pushed together for 20 seconds.
• Sitting up and with feet flat on the floor, clasp hands together as if giving yourself a handshake (with one hand’s thumb pointing to the floor and the other pointing to the ceiling). Then pull! Resist the motion of both arms (you should definitely feel this in those biceps). Hold for 10 seconds or more, release, and repeat.
• Standing with arms by your sides and palms facing behind, pulse the arms backward for 5 seconds. Release and repeat for 12-15 reps. For best results, make sure to keep the arms long and straight!
• Casually lean against the nearest wall, supporting your body with the forearm only. Now lean into the wall until the upper arm almost touches it, and then push back out
• Stand and clasp the hands together, resting them on the right shoulder as if holding an axe. Gently swing the imaginary “axe” by straightening the elbows and moving the hands toward the left thigh. Next, bring the clasped hands to the left shoulder followed by a swing to right thigh. Repeat 15 times on each side.
• Raise the legs into a criss-cross applesauce position while seated in a chair. With your hands on the armrests, push upwards to raise the body off the seat and remain floating for 10-20 seconds. After granting a few wishes, release back down to the chair, rest for a minute, and repeat.
• Seated or standing, take the stapler in one hand with the palm facing upwards. Starting at the thighs, bend the elbow and curl the arm up towards the chest, just like a regular dumbbell bicep curl. Pause momentarily and then lower the stapler back down. Continue for 12-15 reps, then switch. Don’t have a weighty stapler? Try using a filled water bottle.
• Simply raise both shoulders up toward the ears, hold for 5 seconds, then relax. Repeat for 15 reps. Feeling unstoppable? Try advanced shoulder shrugs while standing and holding a paper ream in each hand.
• For the first isometric neck strengthening trick, put your head in your hands as if exasperated by the workday (you may already be in this position), and press your palms into your forehead as if trying to push the head backward. Resist the motion by engaging the neck muscles. Next, clasp the hands behind the back of the head and try to push the head backward, resisting the motion with your hands. Hold each deskercise for 5 seconds.
• For the first isometric neck strengthening trick, put your head in your hands as if exasperated by the workday (you may already be in this position), and press your palms into your forehead as if trying to push the head backward. Resist the motion by engaging the neck muscles. Next, clasp the hands behind the back of the head and try to push the head backward, resisting the motion with your hands. Hold each deskercise for 5 seconds
• Simply take a deep breath and tighten the abdominal muscles, bringing them in towards the spine as you exhale. Stay squeezed for 5-10 seconds and release. Repeat for 12-15 reps.
• With both elbows on the thighs, try to curl the chest in towards the legs while resisting the movement with the arms. Hold for 10 seconds, release, and repeat times 10
• While seated in a chair with wheels, position yourself at arm’s length from a desk or table and grasp its edge with your hands. Next, engage the core, raise the feet slightly off the ground, and pull with your arms until the chair slowly rolls forward and your chest touches the desk’s edge. Then roll back by pushing away, with the feet still raised. Repeat 20 times, or until you burn holes into the carpet.

Hope that helps! :0)

Wow so much and so good! thank you!

Bugsgettingfit

I'm in! Especially since I work at a gym!

40andFindingFitness

Wow so much and so good! thank you!

You're welcome. I still do a few of these. I may have to revisit this list.

UpEarly

Thankfully, I work someplace that is very supportive of good health and physical activity, because I have a completely sedentary desk job. For the past two years, my co-worker and I have been getting up three times during the day to take brisk 15-minute walks. Sometimes we run stairs and sometimes we go outside and walk hills around campus. That gives me about 5,000-6,000 steps during my workday. It's been a great way to squeeze activity into the day!

suzyfj8

Great idea as sitting down all day is bad for you

tristaj90

I'm in. I have an hour lunch and work in a location by myself and have to lock up. I change into work out clothes and do either a fitness dvd or dailyburn workout during my lunch now that it's colder. I was going for 40 minute walks during the summer.
I try to get up frequently to move around. When I'm not with customers i'm sitting down, so anytime i get a customer I have to stand up so that's usually about 3-5 minutes of standing in between sitting.. but I'd really like to not sit down as much as i do.

CaseyIsTooFat

I'm in! I do stretches and jumping jacks on my lunches usually

CaseyIsTooFat

I only have a 30 min break that usually gets knocked down to 20 though

kbugsmeemaw

Count me in as well..I work a desk job and would love the ideas!!

kpush910

Love the exercise list. I try to get out and walk/bike during lunch, but it's getting a bit cold to keep it up much longer. Can I have an invite? Looking for some new ideas to keep moving.
Thanks.

Bankman1989

I want to join! I have to get up and walk 10 minutes ever hour! And also I am getting out the office more and more walking thru out the day.