We all know that sitting for 7 hours a day at a desk job and constantly being inactive can be bad for your posture and for your health. But what can we do to prevent that slouch in posture or wrist soreness? Here are some exercise tips you can do to help minimise this.
- To decrease your slouch and enhance that attractive posture! Adjust the height of your desk, chair and screen. Make sure your hips and arms are at a 90 degree angle, make sure your back is straight and your abs are engaged (yep, they’re there!) to hold yourself up. Also be sure that your head is level and facing straight ahead. Be aware of your neck as well. Have it upright and be sure to realise it is not leaning too far forward or leaning too far back. A good posture can lift your mood and can increase your confidence so shoulders back everyone!
- It is important that you stay somewhat active in your desk job so be sure to take regular walking breaks. Walk around the office or go out for a stroll around the block and then come back to your desk. Increase that circulation.
- Is your neck feeling a bit stiff? Let’s do a neck stretch together. Move your head to the left aiming to touch your ear to the edge of your shoulder, hold for 5 seconds and then repeat on the right side. You can also have the option to hold your head down gently with the same arm you are leaning towards. Repeat 3 times.
- It is easy to fall into the habit of hunching your back while sitting at a desk so this exercise will help greatly. Squeeze your shoulder blades back like you’re trying to hold a whiteboard marker. Hold for 10 seconds and then repeat 5 times. This will help strengthen your back muscles as well as helping to maintain your posture while sitting for long periods of time.
- Get that cardio going and take the stairs instead of using the lift if you can.
- Lift that be-hind! Squeeze your glutes for 5 seconds and repeat 5 times while sitting. It may feel weird but it is a great way to keep those glutes activated (and also enhance that lift!).
- Here is one you can do every few minutes. This one is called “The Upper Body Stretch”. Raise your arms straight above your head, back straight and pull your upper body up towards the sky. You should feel a stretch through your arms and all in your upper body. How did that feel?
- Don’t forget your joints! Let’s stretch our wrists so they don’t stay locked. Here we go: Stretch your arm straight in front of you at shoulder height and with your palm down facing your body, use your other hand to push your hand down, release, then move your wrist the other way with fingertips to the ceiling, use your other hand to push your fingers towards your body. Repeat with the other wrist.
- Shoulders can get really tight if we don’t loosen them and can cause other muscle issues in relation to them. This exercise could be an easy way to help release some tension. Roll your shoulders, steadily and smoothly, forward 5 times and then back 5 times. Repeat as many times as you like!
- I almost forgot an exercise for the lower body! This exercise is one you can do while sitting at your desk. It’s called the “Point and Flex”. Point your toes, then flex them and repeat as many times as you like to help increase the circulation in your legs.
These exercises are great for keeping you moving. Can you come up with any other ones that we haven’t mentioned above?
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References
https://greatist.com/fitness/deskercise-33-ways-exercise-work
