Involve exercise while working 9-5!
Friday 23 April 2010
The personal trainers, P.E. teachers and those who work outdoors amongst us will exercise throughout the day because of the nature of their jobs.
However, many of us don't keep fit because we're either working in offices or too tired to bother with exercise when we get home from a hard day's work.
If you're finding it hard to work out when to workout, here are some ways to incorporate exercise into your work life:
Get up twenty minutes earlier and go for a jog/walk/workout before work. You'll probably feel a bit rough when you first wake up, but the post-exercise rush will give you a surge of energy to perform a good day's work. As a result of running for 5 miles every morning, a 76-year-old lawyer by the name of Jeffrey Gordon will be participating in his 30th marathon on Sunday.
If you can, bike to work. This will mean you avoid the crowds at bus stops and train/tube stations, and keep you fit too.
When you get to work, keep good posture and tense your stomach muscles while sitting at your desk. This will help with toning. If you're really keen to tone your tummy at work, you could buy an exercise ball to sit on rather than a chair.
Try stretches you can do sitting in your chair. One of these is the Wrist Stretch. This involves the entension of one arm in front of you with your palm up. Reach for your fingers using the other hand. Pull your fingers in a gentle manner towards you to stretch out your forearm. Hold for 20-30 seconds before repeating on the other side.
An exercise to avoid a dead leg and work your thigh muscles is the Inner Thigh Stretch. Place a mug or water bottle between your knees and sit up straight with your abs in. Squeeze the bottle or cup between your knees and release your muscles 16 times. You colleagues may give you an odd look but it is an actual office-based stretch!
Use the stairs rather than the lift to get to the floor you work on. This will exercise your leg muscles! Every little helps.
Take your lunch break to go for a wander or, better still, to the gym. Getting some fresh air will also improve your productivity.
If you do some exercise while you're at work, you'll feel less guilty about coming home to eat some grub and plonk yourself in front of the telly.
Do you exercise while you're at work?