Category: Desk Exercise

20 Simple Desk Exercises for Deskbound People

Just came across

this great post!

….Not everyone has the time to make it to the gym during their lunch break. But just because you can’t get out of the office (or your cubicle) doesn’t mean that you can’t get some exercise, or “deskercize” during the day. Here are some suggestions for web workers who want to get a work out and get their work done at the same time.

1. Buns of steel
Exercise at your deskNo, you don’t need a shiny lycra bodysuit or big hair to do this popular glute workout. All you have to do tighten and squeeze your buttocks, hold five to ten seconds, and release. Repeat these squeezes 8-10 times, as many times during the day as you feel up to, and notice your newfound buns of steel in just a few weeks.

2. Upper back stretch
The upper back can be a place where tension accumulates throughout the day. By taking just a few seconds to stretch it out, you can release tension and work your muscles. What you need to do is extend your arms in front of you, grab onto your wrist with the other hand and gently pull your arms forward as you round your upper back. Hold it for twenty seconds and then switch sides.

3. Body lift
This is a really easy one. Just place your hands on the arms of your desk chair and lift yourself up. Repeat (if you can).

4. Chair squats
This is another simple “deskercize” as it simulates a motion we’re all pretty used to: standing up and sitting down. To do the “chair squat”, place a chair behind you and stand in front of it with your feet shoulder-width apart. Bend your knees and squat toward your chair until you’re hovering just over it. Hold it for a second, then stand back up. You can do this throughout the day, or just try to hover each time you sit down.

5. Cherry picking
This exercise can help release tension in your upper body and looks just like it sounds. Stretch your arms up, one at a time, as high as you can, as if reaching to pick fruit out of a tree. Repeat 10 times, alternating sides as you go along…..MORE…..

Some super ideas there!

Enjoy,

Barbara

ps – need an ergonomic thingee while you’re at it?

Dealing with reality in strength and recovery

Morning,

Well! As I had earlier reported, this morning I did the P90x Legs and Back DVD, along with Ab Ripper X. Great stuff, that….and by 9am, I was at the gym with my husband, ready to do my 55 minutes of treadmill cardio.

That went rather peachy, I must admit. Then I was seized by an insane desire to see just how much weight I could leg-press….back before in my peak, I could handle 210 pounds. Imagine my surprise to realize that today, I was barely able to move 135 pounds!

Obviously, my leg muscles are still quite weak. This is okay…but frustrating, I will admit. Here I had thought I was well on the road to recovery….well, I *am*, to be honest, but it apparently will take far longer than I had expected.

Wah!

The good news is, with my “I can DO this!” attitude, I looked at it and said to myself, self, these things happen, so long as you’re on the right path, just keep enjoying the journey.

So I shall.

Reality. It’s something quite stark sometimes.

Enjoy,

Barbara

ps – want to see what else out there targets the abs?

Want to do Pilates? Check out these reviews and resources!

Morning,

Ever have an insane urge to do Pilates? Ever wonder what the heck Pilates is?

I’ve tried it myself and let me tell you, it translates into a killer of a workout! From Wiki, it’s described like so:

Pilates was formed by Joseph Pilates during the First World War with the proposal to improve the rehabilitation program for the many returning veterans. Joseph Pilates believed mental and physical health are essential to one another. He recommended a few, precise movements emphasizing control and form to aid injured soldiers in regaining their health by strengthening, stretching,and stabilizing key muscles. Pilates created “The Pilates Principles” to condition the entire body: proper alignment, centering, concentration, control, precision, breathing, and flowing movement … more …

It’s a LOT more difficult than one might think, and yes indeed, it does help you condition the body. Here are some more resources you can use to learn about it:

By poring over the above, you should be able to get a good idea if it’s for you.

Enjoy!

Barbara

ps – more Pilates goodies include:

Perfect Pushup Review – Excellent buy

Morning,

Well! My local Sports Authority had a 25% discount off of any single item in the store…and I was lucky enough to visit there when they unloaded 15 instances of the Perfect Pushup. At only $32 (including tax!), how could I resist?

After I got this beastie home, I opened up the box. The pushup thingees have extremely smooth motion and they’re extremely easy to rotate…and let me tell you, wow, do you really feel it in your muscles! Back, shoulders, triceps, biceps – each position you use activates different muscles.

One thing I really like is because the handles are about 3 inches off the ground, you can get virtually parallel with the floor while doing your pushups. Wow! Is that a challenge! Additionally, because your wrists can rotate to different directions, no longer will you feel any typical wrist pain from indulging in pushups.

Now, I’m used to doing between 30 to 50 pushups at a clip, but with these babies, I was able to do only 13 until exhaustion. Wow! Does my form and style need work. But still, even though it’s a weeeee bit pricey, I find it definitely an excellent value indeed.

Enjoy,

Barbara

ps – Wanna see ’em in action?

Looking for The Biggest Loser resources online?

Morning,

One of the most popular shows on TV these days is the reality show The Biggest Loser – the TV show in which lots of overweight people compete to lose the most weight possible.

It’s quickly developed its own cult following and is extremely popular online. I really have to give credit to the marketers behind the scenes – you can buy Biggest Loser membership access, the Biggest Loser cookbook, the Biggest Loser DVD, the Biggest Loser apparel and much much more. It must be an awesome moneymaker for the investors!

That being said, here are some great resources if you want to commune with other Biggest Loser fans.

These links above, btw, are part of the 900+ categorized resources I offer in the Safe and Smart Internet Weight Loss Edge. Cool, eh?

Enjoy!

Barbara

ps – more BL goodies are:

When your body says no to exercise, introduce it to 300 pushups…

Morning,

Today’s workout in the gym was most unique. I had planned on doing my usual 53 minutes on the treadmill (today was supposed to be cardio day!) but fate instructed otherwise. It seems that the massive physical exertions I’ve been doing in self-defense, karate, teaching my kids, etc.etc.etc…..have finally caught up to me. I didn’t feel anything on Saturday, nor on Sunday, nor on Monday, nor on Tuesday, but today, simply artistic bruising magically appeared on my hips/back and shoulder blades. My gosh, do I ache! I must have bashed deep-muscle tissue last week, and it took this long to come to the surface.

So! There I was, faced with a treadmill and legs that started laughing at me at the mere notion of working out. Cardio was definitely a no-go today!

But that didn’t mean I had to forgo exercising completely. Just because one part of my body was begging to collapse in a heap doesn’t mean I can’t turn on a dime and work out something else!

After considering all options, I decided that walking the track and doing pushups would be an acceptable alternative. Thus, after every 3 or 4 laps, I’d do 50 pushups. I ended up completing 300 pushups in batches of 50 and lost count of my laps.

End result? I did get a workout….and did protect my legs in the process. It goes to show when the going gets tough, you don’t simply stop and say, wah wah, I had better take it easy…you simply change directions and work out to the very best of your limited abilities.

I’m feeling pretty good now, indeed. :)

Enjoy,

Barbara

ps – Treadmills are still lots of fun, of course….

Exercises to get rid of a double chin

Alas, but it’s true. There is no such thing as ‘spot-reducing’. Heck, if there was, all of my weight would have first disappeared off my tummy, leaving me a robustly Rubenesque wench of wonder!

I actually have a fondness for double-chins, much like people have a fondness for an accident that force them to take better care of themselves. My double-chin was very much part of the catalyst that got me on my get-healthy kick; I simply could not stand the physical feeling of them flapping about.

But I digress. :)

So! Over my 35+ pound weight loss, I witnessed my double chin going bye bye (and you have NO idea how utterly wonderful that is!!). It did take time….probably about 6 months or so, I reckon, for me really to see a difference. Nowadays, dare I say it, when standing up straight I actually have a rather neat jaw line (and chin bones! They emerged! I haven’t seen those since the last Ice Age!).

But what if you are like I used to be, and confident you CAN spot reduce your chin? If so, please do enjoy the following resources I’ve uncovered for you.

Enjoy,

Barbara

ps – did you know some makeup supposedly can help?

An Easy Way To Get Exercise In During Your Busy Day

Morning,

Are you like me? Tied to a computer for hours and hours a day?

If so, you know how difficult it is to actually force yourself to stop and stretch for even 5 minutes, let alone get some real exercise in. Right?

I’m happy to announce I’ve found a free alarm clock you can download straight to your computer, that allows you to set an hourly alarm, 1/2 hour alarm, etc.etc.etc. I’ve been using it now for 2 weeks and it really helps get me up and away from my work!

It’s called WorldTime6 and is downloadable from here. It runs on the PC platform.

World time 6

If you try it out, drop me a line and let me know what you think!

Enjoy,

Barbara

Backpack/briefcase arm curls

Need to pump iron, but you’re deskbound at the office?

One effective way to arm curl is to use your briefcase or your backpack as the weight you lift! I remember doing this myself when I was taking my kids to the Anime Conference – it was time for my usual bodyweight workouts and alas, the hotel at which we were staying had no fitness facilities. Wah!

However, by using the backpacks we had brought for our goodies, I was able to get quite a good workout in for my biceps. It wasn’t perfect, mind you, but did adequately well for my needs.

Barbara

ps – Looking for good briefcases for such activities? Consider:

When computers kill

Good morning,

Did you hear about the Chinese gamer who died after a three-day session on the computer? Apparently “Police have ruled out the possibility of suicide,” the newspaper said, adding that “exhaustion” was the most likely cause of death.

Wow. Talk about obssessions!

While most of us probably use our computers with more moderation, it does bring home the point – sitting motionless for hours and hours on end is as intelligent to do as is walking with your eyes closed in the traffic. Being oblivious to your body’s needs is sheer insanity.

This should be a wake-up call for you and your kids! True, I’m a fine one to speak, as I can easily spend 5 hours writing straight (and freezing my muscles into rather creative contortions as well)….but no more! Today starts a new era in the Ling Family like so:

Every hour or so, I now have my kids and husband extract themselves from their computers (crowbars are sometimes useful, mind you) and simply stretch. Then we walk thru our house 3 or 4 times (I’ve already created different routes and ‘treasure hunts’); this chews up about 10 minutes and gets their muscles much more flexible. And then they return to their computers happily ever after (need a freeware alarm clock that you can set to beep every hour? I just found the Swiss Army Knife of Alarm Clocks!).

There’s lots of desk exercises you can do while sitting as well! Consider:

Definitely check them out. Being sedentary can be the kiss of death (and the enlarger of your rearas well) – indulge in some creative exercise and get the blood flowing again.

Enjoy,

Barbara

ps – sometimes a great ergonomic chair can make all the difference! Check out what’s available now….