TOTAL LIFETIME FITNESS

Quick Workouts at Work

August 14th, 2008 Posted by David Lemberg

Do you sometimes wonder whether all the hard work you put in at the gym goes right out the window once you start your real workday? You felt great before you got to the office. You were energized, pumped-up, invigorated. You were thinking, “It’s great to be 35!” Or 45. Or 55. . . .

Now, at 4:00 or 5:00 o’clock, you’re not too sure. Your neck is stiff, there’s a nasty twinge in your lower back, your fingers are cramped, and there’s a dull ache right between your eyes. Not good.

Your work suffers, too. You’re focused on your aches and pains, and you notice your co-workers are giving you space. A lot of space. What’s going on?

What’s happening is that your body is shutting down, and your brain is following right along. You become sluggish and irritable. You lose your competitive edge. What you really want to do is take a nap.

There is a solution. Begin doing “Quick Workouts at Work”. You’ll wake up, get rid of those aches and pains, think clearly, and resume doing work you’re proud of.^1,2

Quick Workouts at Work are short range-of-motion and isometric exercises you can do right at your desk, in your cubicle, or out in the hallway. You don’t need any special equipment, just the willingness to take positive action and improve your well-being.³

The most important thing to do - every hour or so - is change your posture and get the body parts moving again. Stand up, take a few slow, deep breaths, and walk around for a five minutes. Change your perspective. Go to the window, look around, see something other than the Power Point you’ve been working on for the last hour. Refresh your mind with new images, new scenery.

Now, back at your desk, you’re ready to do a series of simple exercises that will get your physical and mental systems back online -

SITTING

• Gently tilt your head forward and back
• Gently turn your head toward your shoulder, right and left
• Gently tilt your ear toward your shoulder, right and left
• Shoulder shrugs - lift your shoulders toward your ears
• Shoulder rolls - forward and back
• Wrist circles - clockwise and counterclockwise
• Ankle circles - clockwise and counterclockwise

STANDING

• Arm circles - clockwise and counterclockwise
• Knee bends - halfway down and come up
• Knee raises (lightly touch a wall with one hand for support)
• Spine twists (hands on hips, gently twist right and left)
• Spine side bends ((hands on hips, gently bend right and left)

How many repetitions to do? Just a few for each exercise - you’ll know instinctively what feels good, what feels right. And in less than ten minutes, you’ve stimulated your muscles and joints throughout your body, recharged your nervous system, regained the benefits you achieved earlier in the day at the gym, and are primed to have a great rest of the day!

¹ Blanchette DM, et al. Aerobic Exercise and Cognitive Creativity: Immediate and Residual Effects. Creativity Research Journal, 17(3):257-264, 2005.
²Steinberg H, et al. Exercise enhances creativity independently of mood. Brit J Sports Med 31(3):240-245, 1997.
³Wiley RL, et al. Isometric exercise training lowers resting blood pressure. Med Sci Sports Exerc 24(7):749-54, 1992.

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