Workday Workout

Whether you’re working in the office or at home, here are a few workouts that can become part of your workday.

SEDENTARY BEHAVIOR – defined as activity where your predominant posture is sitting or lying, and your energy expenditure is low – is the most prevalent risk factor connected with cardiovascular disease and chronic heart disease. Almost 80% of people in United States do not meet the minimum weekly recommendations for 150 minutes of moderate physical activity or 75 minutes of vigorous physical activity. People who don’t get enough regular physical activity have a higher risk of obesity, high blood pressure, cancers, depression, diabetes and overall mortality.

Sedentary behavior has become a normal part of everyday life. Desk jobs and schools promote sedentary behavior on a daily basis. For most Americans, the more we sit at a desk in front of a computer screen, the less physical activity we get. Being glued to a desk for 40 hours a week can actually be detrimental to our health.

Fortunately, adding physical activity into your everyday life is easy. Get creative with your resources to turn your office, cubicle or living room into your own personal gym. Taking short breaks to stand, walking down the hall, or fitting in a quick exercise circuit are excellent options for meeting your physical activity goals, increasing your caloric expenditure, strengthening your muscles, and reducing your risk of chronic disease.

Here are a few exercises you can easily fit into your workday. Perform each exercise for 3 to 4 sets of 8 to 10 repetitions. Please check with a health care provider before starting any type of exercise program. By Hunter Blume, Boone Hospital Center Exercise Physiologist

Plank Shoulder Taps

Targets the abdominals, gluteus and shoulders. Start from a high plank position, with wrists under shoulders, arms fully extended, and feet shoulder-width apart. Make sure that your back is a straight line from heels to shoulders, your core is braced, and your glutes are contracted. If needed, the plank position can be done from your knees. Keeping your core still, touch your left shoulder with your right hand. Return to plank position and repeat with the opposite shoulder and hand.

Desk or Chair Triceps Dips

Targets the triceps. Stand in front of a desk or counter with your buttocks pressed against it, or sit on the front half of a stable chair with arms. Place your hands on the counter, just outside your hips, or on the chair arms. With your elbows fully extended, carefully walk your feet out 12 to 36 inches in front of you – the farther you move your feet out, the harder the exercise will be. Brace your core, slowly bend your elbows, lower your body until your elbows get as close to 90 degrees of flexion as possible. Pause for a one-count, then exhale as you extend your elbows and return to the start position.

Chair Abdominal Crunch

Targets abdominal muscles responsible for posture and flexion at the hip. Sit on the front half of a stable chair. Place your hands on the edge of the chair, beside your hips. Brace your core and lean back slightly. Extend your legs out in front of the chair. Bend your legs, pulling knees towards shoulders. Pause for a one-count at the top of the exercise, then return legs to straight position on the floor.

Therapy Band Lateral Raise

Targets the deltoid muscles. Run an elastic band under the seat of a stable chair. Sit in the chair and grasp the band on both sides of the seat with your palms facing down. Brace your core, keep your arms straight as you lift them. Lift arms until your hands are at shoulder level. Make sure your hands don’t go above your shoulder height. Slowly return to starting position.

Therapy Band Chest Press

Targets pectoral muscles and triceps. Sit in a stable chair with the elastic band placed behind the chair’s back. Grip the band at chest level and make sure to keep your elbows out to your sides. Brace your core, then press the bands forward until your arms are fully extended in front of you. Slowly return to starting position.