desk-ercise

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mickipedia
mickipedia Posts: 889 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
So, I'm sure like many of you I spend 8 hours a day sat down at my desk at work.

I have been looking for ways to maximise my exercise as once I get home I have tea, then after spending time with my mum I'll go visit my boyfriend (so I only have short periods of time to exercise)

I've been reading into a crazy idea known as desk-ercise (things you can do whilst at work)

These include: swapping desk chair for an exercise ball, having weights on your desk to lift occasionally, holding your legs out straight for as long as possible and just generally keeping yourself moving..

Now what I was wondering was if anyone's tried anything like this and if so have you seen results (I know it won't be much but its a start) and also does anyone have any more ideas of things you can do whilst sat at a desk?
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Replies

  • LJA1968
    LJA1968 Posts: 516 Member
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    Totally interested in this as well. I'm desk bound all day too!
  • rmdiaz1
    rmdiaz1 Posts: 56
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    10 Hours a day here. I have to remember to amke myself get up and walk around or do something to get in a little exercise. Really need more alternatives.
  • UsedToBeHusky
    UsedToBeHusky Posts: 15,229 Member
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    I just take walks on my breaks.
  • Gwooh
    Gwooh Posts: 80 Member
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    Try:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BwluNvhryIY
  • sarscott
    sarscott Posts: 189 Member
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    I spend 9 hours at work and 2 hours a day commuting...I need some ideas, too! I do know someone that now uses an exercise ball...
  • Amara15
    Amara15 Posts: 211 Member
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    I use an exercise ball (on the days i don't wear a skirt or dress!) I noticed this strengthening up my obliques, i guess because I use them to balance on it. But i would love to hear other ideas!
  • dianer75935
    dianer75935 Posts: 186 Member
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    bump
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
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    These include: swapping desk chair for an exercise ball,

    I have been thinking of doing this. I mentioned it to my daughter, who is an SLP, and she asked one of the PT she works with. He said "It's a great idea but I'd get very tired". I'm still thinking of trying it but I'll keep my regular chair also so I can switch if I find it too tiring to do all day.

    My other daughter has a special needs child and says that all the OT at the children's hospital use them. But they wouldn't sit all day like I do.
  • pope369
    pope369 Posts: 159 Member
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    Thanks for posting this question. I work at a computer all day so I'm stuck in a chair for 8 hours, too. I also listen to my iPod on shuffle all day so I invented a thing I call, "Fitness Roulette". The rule is, if a song from one of my exercise mixes begins playing, I get up and do 10-15 pushups, sit-ups, jumping jacks . . . something like that. Or, if I can spare 5 minutes, I'll go for a 5 minute fast walk.

    It helps that I work from a home office. :-)

    Anyway, that's just my 2 cents.
  • starbucksbuzz
    starbucksbuzz Posts: 466 Member
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    me too! I've always wished I could covertly be doing yoga at my desk, haha.
  • mickipedia
    mickipedia Posts: 889 Member
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    well i really would love to try the fitness ball thing but i think it would mean i'm sat too low for my desk :/ maybe some sort of desk push up? or maybe a stress ball.. just squeeze throughout the day to keep your arm muscles tensed.. oh i don't know!!
  • UsedToBeHusky
    UsedToBeHusky Posts: 15,229 Member
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    I use an exercise ball (on the days i don't wear a skirt or dress!) I noticed this strengthening up my obliques, i guess because I use them to balance on it. But i would love to hear other ideas!

    I might try this. Did you have to get approval from your manager? It seems to me that they would be concerned about safety.
  • Amara15
    Amara15 Posts: 211 Member
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    i actually got mine from my manager. We had a few other people in the office that were using them already when I asked about mine.
  • mn2italy
    mn2italy Posts: 13 Member
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    I use the exercise ball sometimes and I don't really notice a difference, I just think it's more comfortable than my hard chair. I try to get up once an hour and walk around the office, whether it's to check my mailbox, get water, or talk with a co-worker. If you stare at a computer all day, this is a good practice to protect your eyesight too.

    Here are some exercises/stretches that you can do in your chair and won't make you all sweaty: http://workawesome.com/office-life/office-desk-exercises/
  • Iceskatefanrn
    Iceskatefanrn Posts: 489 Member
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    I'm so interested in this as well, thanx to the OP!

    I have an exercise ball at home and I've been thinking about bringing it into the office to try it out.

    Luckily I have to go to a daily meeting that's several buildings over from my office, so going there and back is probably more than a mile. It's about a 10-12 minute walk each way.

    PLUS - a while ago I decided to NEVER get in an elevator again. I do chart reviews of patients in a 7 story hospital, so I take the stairs to whatever floor I need to be on.

    Today I decided to go from the lower level to the "PH" (pent house, i.e. roof level) just for the heck of it... it's a total of 205 stairs - awesome!

    Plus, when I'm back in my office building, it's 61 stairs to get to the floor my office is on.

    Had to go up and down several floors today, plus have been up the stairs to my office twice so far - I'm keeping track today, and so far I've gone up a total of 381 stairs!

    So if you've got access to a stairwell, take a hike! Tee hee!

    :drinker: :drinker: :drinker:

    Ice
  • mickipedia
    mickipedia Posts: 889 Member
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    I'm so interested in this as well, thanx to the OP!

    I have an exercise ball at home and I've been thinking about bringing it into the office to try it out.

    Luckily I have to go to a daily meeting that's several buildings over from my office, so going there and back is probably more than a mile. It's about a 10-12 minute walk each way.

    PLUS - a while ago I decided to NEVER get in an elevator again. I do chart reviews of patients in a 7 story hospital, so I take the stairs to whatever floor I need to be on.

    Today I decided to go from the lower level to the "PH" (pent house, i.e. roof level) just for the heck of it... it's a total of 205 stairs - awesome!

    Plus, when I'm back in my office building, it's 61 stairs to get to the floor my office is on.

    Had to go up and down several floors today, plus have been up the stairs to my office twice so far - I'm keeping track today, and so far I've gone up a total of 381 stairs!

    So if you've got access to a stairwell, take a hike! Tee hee!

    :drinker: :drinker: :drinker:

    Ice

    I use the stairs all the time but there never is really too much of a reason for me to go up and down them all the time as our office is the top floor and the lower floors are other companies therefore stairs are for leaving/entering the building thats it..
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
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    Resistance bands are great for this (the flat kind ... not the handles). Lightweight & fold up to tuck away.

    About.com has lots of reistance band exercises that can be modified to do at your desk. You can sit on the band - stand on the band.

    I'm able to close my door at lunch time & "go for a walk" - exercisetv.tv.com has "walking" workouts called Start! Walking 1 Mile and Cardio Slim Down these are only 20 minutes (and free right now) .... these require very little space and can be quiet (I use an MP3 player).
  • elizabunny
    elizabunny Posts: 16
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    I have to excercise in the morning because of this very reason.
  • Lizzie1229
    Lizzie1229 Posts: 40 Member
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    Leg lifts under your desk, tightening abs and holding for 10-15 seconds at a time (longer if you like), triceps dips, sets of getting up from/sitting down on chair (make sure you don't use arms to push yourself up!). Other ways to fit exercise in while not at work include leg lifts while brushing teeth at night, countertop pushups after washing hands in the bathroom or preparing food, or straight-leg marching or lunge-walking from one room of your house to another.
  • ttillman19
    ttillman19 Posts: 54 Member
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    I do medical transcripiton from home and sometimes sit at my desk for up to 12 hours a day. I do arm circles forward and backward with palms up and palms down. All the arm exercises at the gym for tricepts, back, chest, biceps can be done at your chair with or without hand weights. You can flex your different muscles and hold them there, which will increase blood flow. When I take a bathroom break I do some squats, counter pushups or tricept dips.You can to leg raises under your desk if you have your feet free. Also if you have a water cooler fill your glass and dont keep a bigger container at your desk, then you have to get up and walk to refill. I am thinking of getting the exercise ball for my desk, but keeping my regular chair just incase and to start out slowly. It cant hurt anything to have to balance while sitting instead of relaxed. Plus you can do a lot of exercises with it at your desk without looking crazy.

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