Essential Health and Fitness Tips for the Office

Staying fit and keeping your body loose and relaxed while spending all day at your desk job is a must when it comes to your health.

There are many tricks for staying healthy at work like taking mini stretching breaks, using a ball chair, getting a stand-up or adjustable desk, and using wrist supports for typing.

Don’t miss this quick guide to health and fitness tips for the office.

Office space; image source: pexels.com

Easy Desk Stretches

With prolonged sitting being linked to multiple lifestyle diseases and even early death, it’s critically important to routinely get up from your desk to stretch and walk around.

At the same time, a stretching routine may also treat your musculoskeletal-related issues like low back pain.

  • Shoulder Shrugs – Lift and release your shoulders. Like a shrug. Do this 10 times.
  • Torso Twists – Twist from side to side focusing on your core or torso. Do 10 to each side.
  • Chest Stretch – Reach behind you and grab a bookshelf or something with your right hand. Then, twist left slight until you feel your pec muscle stretch. Hold for 10 seconds. Repeat with the left side.
  • Wrist Bends – Bend your wrist up and down and side to side.
  • Forearm Stretch
  • Neck Stretch – Move your neck from side to side and then slowly roll your head in a circle for 20 seconds.
  • Hip Flexor Stretch – Stand with your right leg behind you. Turn your left foot to point to the right side of you. Feel the stretch for 20 seconds. Switch legs and repeat.
  • Ankle Rolls – Slowly roll your ankles for 20 seconds each.
  • Knee Bends – Stand up and curl a knee up to your buttocks supporting it with your hand. Hold for 10 seconds. Switch legs and repeat.
  • Ab Stretch – Stand straight up and reach your arms and neck as high as you can. Hold for 10 seconds and release.
  • Oblique Stretch – Turn to your left. Grab a desk with your right hand. Feel the stretch in your oblique muscle holding for 10 seconds. Switch sides and repeat.

Sitting on a Ball Chair

Using an exercise ball in place of your office chair may increase core strength, while possibly improving your posture.

Because you are constantly having to maintain your balance with small body adjustments when sitting on a large exercise ball, you will naturally keep your legs and core muscles activated and possibly even help your blood circulation throughout the day. Some office chairs actually come as an exercise ball fixed into a chair frame.

Using a Standing or Adjustable Desk

standing desk
Standing desk; image source: pexels.com

It is highly beneficial to rotate between sitting and standing throughout the day and one of the easiest ways to do this is with a standing desk that rises and falls to meet your needed height. Most recently, standing desks have also been shown to help people burn more calories than just sitting.

Supporting Your Wrists When Typing

The angle of your hands when typing can affect the health of your wrist and finger joints. Keeping fit in the office must include preventing joint stiffness and tension in these critical areas, as well as addressing pain associated with conditions like arthritis and carpal tunnel which can negatively impact your work productivity.

Wrist supports can we worn as gloves or sleeves, or serve as standalone cushions that rest in front of your computer to support proper typing body mechanics.

Starting a stretching routine at work, along with incorporating a ball chair, wrist supports, and stand-up desks can not only prevent health issues down the line but improve your overall experience of your job. So what are you waiting for?

About author:
This article was contributed to healthiack.com by a guest author.

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