Exercise For The Workaholic

Are you always at work?

Can't exercise, can you?  Can't seem to ever drag yourself out from that chair behind a desk. Then by the time you do get out of that office, pure fatigue and exhaustion is all you feel so who in their right mind wants to do exercise?

Reality Check Time

Now stop and think about your entire day. What exactly did you really do?

• answered phone calls
• made phone calls
• shuffled paper
• attend meetings
• plan or execute presentations
• visit the lunch room, water cooler or rest rooms

See my point. What exactly did you really do? Nothing strenuous, was it? It's all just mental pressure and fatigue. Your body is craving some release from the stress.

How To Stay Fit While You Sit

Would you like to go home everyday feeling a little more in-tune with your surroundings? Here is a few simple movements you can add to each day which will actually let you leave the job feeling a little more relaxed, less stressed out, none of those tension headaches and wound up tense muscles in your back, neck and shoulders.

Repeat each exercise for about 3-5 minutes as you fit a few repetitions into your daily schedule each day!

1. Find some tunes, whether they are from the PA system, a radio or just in your own head. Sit on the front edge of your chair and start swinging your legs, one at a time back and forth, right and left and touching your toes to the floor on each pass. Add some arm movements to coordinate with your legs and use the beat of the music to keep your little "dance" going for a few minutes to lighten and lessen the mood of the moment. This one is especially easy if you happen to have a swivel chair.
2. Do the "Clapper". Hold up your left leg directly in front parallel to the floor as you raise your arms to shoulder height and clap those hands. Return the leg to the floor and repeat with the right leg and clap. Continue with this adding a little speed until you get nice smooth even movements.
3. Sit on the front edge of your chair again and with knees bent, toes on the floor  and start rhythmically opening and closing your legs. As you open your legs use your right hand and touch your left knee. On the next pass, use your left hand and touch your right knee. Keep alternating back and forth.

So, yes these may make you look a little silly and may sound a lot sillier but the advantages to your health and wellness by the end of each day is worth its weight in gold, so just relax and enjoy yourself for those few silly moments each day!