Hey guys! I’m really enjoying the results from Sunday’s “Prepare for the week ahead” challenge – preparing ahead has made it so easy to pack up my lunches each morning, and I’m also saving a good 5-10 min per day of dinner prep. This is a HUGE difference for me because chopping veggies with a toddler clinging to your legs, and a 4 and 6 yr old whining that they are “SOOOOOOO HUNGRY MOMMY!”really grates on my nerves, and causes me a lot of stress. Saving that time and being able to hand the kids a small plate of veggies that are already cut up has made the dinner rush go more smoothly for me – special thanks to Julie for all of her tips in that post!
Today we’re building off of Kodjo’s awesome guest post yesterday on exercising at work. Kodjo and I got a tweet from twitter follower @bjornkarger asking us how to get a great workout in while working. I work in a large department at a cubicle (yes folks, I’m a cubicle dweller too) so I understand the limitations of getting a good workout in. Some days I need to work through my lunch hour and skip my lunch workout – but that doesn’t mean it isn’t possible to get a good strength training workout in.
So without further adieu I present to you today’s challenge….
Now let me introduce you to a new kind of strength training – one that you’ve done before, but probably didn’t realise you were doing:
ISOMETRIC STRENGTHENING
Isometric exercise or isometrics are a type of strength training in which the joint angle and muscle length do not change during contraction (compared to concentric or eccentric contractions, called dynamic/isotonic movements). Isometrics are done in static positions, rather than being dynamic through a range of motion.
Source: Wikipedia
Yes, you’ve done this before – a plank, is an isometric contraction, whereas a sit-up is an isotonic contraction.
Yeah, yeah – I know you’d be the office fool if you dropped to the nasty carpet, or linoleum and did planks beside your desk. This is why I’m going to share with you some exercises that you can do while sitting at your desk…
Strength training that can be done without anyone even noticing that you’re working out!
* Hold each of these exercises for as long as you can and repeat 10 times. Do NOT hold your breath while doing them, instead concentrate on slow even breathing>
- Abs: Sitting straight in your chair, contract your abs – don’t bend over, just hold them as tight as you can and for as long as you can. Be careful not to hold your breath – that increases your blood pressure and isn’t good for you.
- Hamstrings (back of your thighs) and Quadriceps (front of your thighs): Sitting straight in your chair, extend one leg straight out under your desk, and push your bent leg down into the floor. Strong>I love this move because you can work both legs at the same time.
- Gastrocnemius (calves): With both legs bent, flex your foot down and push your toes into the carpet, causing your calves to contract.
- Lateral Deltoids (shoulders): With your arm bent at 90 degrees, swing your chair so that your forearm is parallel to your desk, now push your arm outwards against the desk. Use the rest of your body to counter the force that you’re exerting against your desk.
- Biceps: With your arm bent at 90 degrees, and sitting perpendicular to your desk, make a fist with your hand, and place it below your desk surface. Now push your fist upwards into the desk.
- Triceps: Sitting upright in your chair, arm bent at 90 degrees, push your arm back into the backrest of your chair. Use your abdominal strength to counter the backward force.
So there ya have it – a full body strength routine you can do at your desk, without looking like the weird fitness freak! I gotta go do my desk workout now, will you do it with me?
Have a great desk workout!
For a list of all of the Challenges, see the 31 Days to a Healthier You page.
PS – you can join the 31 Days to a Healthier You challenge anytime by leaving a comment below indicating your interest & ticking the “Notify me of new posts by email” box so that you’ll be emailed the daily challenge.
Forward to a friend
Good post!! Definitely need to remember to do this during the day. Right now I go in my back room and do sit-ups, squats, puch-ups, ect throughout the day whenever I need a pick me up.
[...] Janice in 31 Days to a Healthier You Hey guys! How are you? Are you sore from yesterday’s desk workout challenge? I was really feeling my workout and week of training today – I tried to go for a [...]
Okay great suggestions, I really need to just keep a set of weights here because I never get myself to do them at home (just a the gym!) Your blog is supercute too
Twitter: Kodjoworkout
says:
Great addition to my previous post, Janice.
Love them.
Kodjo
Great post! It’s so useful to know exercises you can do sitting at a desk, especially since so many of us have no choice but to spend so much time sitting down. Love it!