Ever think to yourself, “There just isn’t enough time in the day”? Our lives are not simple and we’re often pulled in many different directions, forcing us to prioritize what we spend our time on. It’s no secret that exercise is usually the first thing on the priority list to take a backseat but it doesn’t need to.
With a little creativity, you can easily add exercise to your day while at work and here’s how:
10 Ways to Work Out while at Work
1. Walk or Bike to Work
More and more cities are adding pedestrian and bike friendly paths along main roads, making it easier and safer to ditch the car. Bonus: It’s good for the environment too!
2. Take the Stairs
Even if you work on the 20th floor of a high rise, get off a few floors before and hike the rest of the way. Take them on the way down too; you’re still working muscles even if it doesn’t feel like it.
3. Swap out the old office chair with an Exercise Ball
There are plenty of benefits that come from doing this such as improving posture, engaging your core and helping with back pain.
4. Standing Push Ups
Use your desk and position your hands as if you were doing a push up on the floor. Make sure you keep your back straight, elbows bent and bring your chin close to your desk.
5. Free Weights
Just get out of a stressful meeting? Work it off by doing some free weight exercises. Easily stash your weights under your desk and when you’re ready to pump some muscle, check out these 5 upper body moves.
6. Jumping Jacks
Get your blood pumping in just a few minutes. You don’t need much space or time! Try working up to doing 100 in a minute.
7. Stretching
Just taking a minute to stand up to stretch your arms and legs will improve body aches and give your muscles a break for being stuck in the same position for hours.
8. Lunges
Lunges are great for strength and toning but it is important to make sure you’re doing them properly, otherwise you could be adding unnecessary strain to your joints. Be sure to keep your back straight, chin up (pick a focus point on the wall to keep you from looking down), bend both knees as you lower your hips and don’t let your front knee extend over you ankle. Do the same amount for each leg to keep things even.
9. Squats
This simple move can be done almost anywhere. Take 5 and do some squats. If you do them daily, you’ll be surprised how quickly you start noticing results.
10. Standing Abs
Who wants to lay on the gross floor to do 100 crunches the Old School way? Not us! Check out these 5 Standing Ab Moves you can do pretty much anywhere. Mix these moves in throughout your day and use your exercise ball when you’re doing work, this will keep your core engaged even when you aren’t moving.