Streches You can Do at Work
Page 4
- Who knew you could do a modified version of jumping jacks while sitting down?
- Sit at the edge of your seat with your knees & legs together & your arms bent upward
together at your chest. - Take a deep breath in & out, then engage your core, lean back a little & inhale as you
extend all of your limbs outward. - Repeat this at a slow pace for more of a controlled body weight type of exercise or faster
to get a cardio effect. - To make this slightly harder, try not to touch the floor with your feet when you extend all
your limbs out. - You can do this by flexing your feet rather than pointing them.
Cross Toe Touches
- You probably didn’t think you could get a full body workout with one chair move, did you?
- Cross toe touches work everything including the arms, the shoulders, the core, the hips &
even the legs. - As if that wasn’t awesome enough, it’s also a great cardio exercise.
- Sit at the edge of your chair with your knees wide, at least shoulder width apart or more.
- Lean forward by hinging at the waist & then twist your torso so that your left arm touches
your right toe while your right arm extends up & your left leg extends outward. - Twist to the opposite side, raising and lowering opposite arms while bending & lengthening opposite legs.
- Alternate as fast as you can if you really want to get your heart rate up.
- This move is easier when you slide your feet along the floor, but you can make it harder by adjusting the height of your chair so that it’s higher.
- This way, you can keep your feet off the floor.
Squats
- Everyone loves a basic squat, right?
- The great thing about having your desk chair with you is that you can use it as a squat
barrier. - Squats work all those big lower body muscles, including the glutes, quads, hamstrings &
even the calves. - They’re also much more of a discrete move since it looks like you’re just sitting & standing
back up. - Standing up straight in front of your chair with your legs hip distance apart, bend your
knees & shift most of your body weight into your heels. - Keep bending, making sure that you can still see your toes.
- Stop just before you hit your chair’s seat & stand back up, but avoid locking your knees
when you’re all the way back up. - If you can adjust the height of your desk chair, try lowering it to challenge yourself to squat deeper.
Bonus Exercise: Plank
- Plank is an extra fun one to do on a chair that has wheels, because it will really challenge
your stabilizer muscles. - To get into plank on a chair that has wheels, start by kneeling in front of the seat of your
chair & placing your elbows on it shoulder distance apart. - Hold your hands by lacing your fingers together.
- Using your shoulders and arms to hold your upper body up, engage your entire core as
you extend one leg straight out behind you & place the ball of your foot on the floor. - Do the same with the other leg and foot.
- Your body should be like a straight line.
- Use your shoulders & upper back to push yourself up from your chair’s seat.
- Squeeze your glutes & quads together to support work done by the core.
- Activating all these parts of your body will help you avoid sticking your butt in the air
or sagging your torso toward the floor.
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