Desk Exercises: An Easy Way To Boost Your Health At Work

Many of us spend hours sitting at our desks or hunched over our computers each week. While it is the nature of the job, it is also incredibly unhealthy.

According to a recent JAMA Network Open study, spending most of your day sitting increases your risk of death by 16%. Your risk of dying from cardiovascular disease increases by 34%. The risks are sobering but finding time to consistently work out can be challenging when you are juggling a busy schedule.

Desk exercises are a simple but effective way to get physical activity while you are at work. You do not need to worry about finding large chunks of time for longer workouts and there is no special equipment required. These exercises reduce health risks, improve mood, and relieve sitting-related strain. Read on to explore the benefits of desk exercises and different moves you can try at work.

Sitting for long periods has serious health consequences, such as higher risks for obesity, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, increased body fat around the waist, and death from cardiovascular disease and cancer. However, light exercise can decrease your risks and help you live longer. 

In an interview for CNN, Dr. Leana Wen, CNN’s wellness expert, stated that even a slow walk is enough to make a positive impact.  Her recommendations for incorporating movement into your workday include:

• Walking: Get up and take a short walk every 30 minutes. It does not need to be long. You can take a one-minute loop around your office or down that hall and back.
• Planks: Hold a 30-second plank several times a day. Planks strengthen your core and work your entire body.
• Stretches: Side bends and twists can help relieve muscle tension from sitting. 

Being physically active is not only healthy for your body, it improves your mental health too. It turns out that the opposite is also true. ASICS released a study that revealed it only takes two hours of nonstop desk work to negatively affect mental health and increase stress levels. The good news is that 15 minutes of any type of movement boosted participants’ mental state by 22.5%.

To improve your mental well-being and reduce stress, try some of the desk exercises Mindy Pederson, an ACE-certified fitness trainer, gave to Business Insider: 

• Neck rotations: Relieve tension in your head and neck by dropping your chin and rolling your neck slowly in circles.
• Shoulder rotations: Rolling your shoulders can relieve the pain and strain from sitting hunched over. 
• Wrist rotations: Spending hours writing or typing can cause carpal tunnel syndrome. Stretch your wrists often to release tension.

Micro workouts are just as effective as longer workouts and can work well as desk exercises. Katie Lawson, an exercise physiologist, shared a 7-minute workout on the Cleveland Clinic’s Health Essentials podcast that only requires a chair and a wall. It consists of 12 exercises including wall sits, push-ups, crunches, squats, and tricep dips that you do for 30 seconds each with 10 seconds of rest in between. 

For those who prefer individual exercises, Ariel Belgrave, a certified personal trainer, recommended several desk exercises to Women’s Health that anyone can use to tone and strengthen their muscles, including:

• Seated oblique crunches: Make sure you are sitting up tall and keep your elbows pointing out to the sides. You will need to shift your weight from one leg to the other as you contract your core.
• Incline mountain climbers: Form is key. Make sure your ankles, hips, and shoulders are in alignment, your back is flat, and your core is engaged.

If you do not have a private office space, isometrics make great desk exercises because they can be done without anyone noticing. Dr. Eric Moogerfield, a physical therapist and athletic trainer, suggested butt clenches, desk pushes, and hand and thigh presses when interviewed by the Cleveland Clinic. You should hold each move for three to ten seconds and work your way up to three sets of ten repetitions.