FitSugar

Always on the Go: 5 Simple Ways to Keep Active at Work

Michele Foley — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 16:39:18 PST

By now we've all read the news on how sitting at a desk all day can prove to be lethal. And while the findings are scary, the silver lining is that small movements and bouts of activity can help offset the effects of a sedentary job. Aside from this recent study, it's important to stay as active as we can in our daily lives. Ensure you're up and moving during the workday with these five simple tips!

Walk While You Work: DIY Treadmill Work Station

Jenny Sugar — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 15:47:09 PDT

Is working at a desk all day long leading you to pack on the pounds? Burn some calories while you type by turning your treadmill into a walking work station. If you have the money to spend, you can buy a desk that's specifically designed to work with a treadmill, but they can be pretty pricey. If you want to save some dough, all it takes is a little creativity to transform your treadmill into a desk. Here are some things to keep in mind.

Create a desktop by attaching a flat, nonslip surface like an ironing board (as illustrated above) to the the top of the treadmill. Use twine or rope to safely and securely attach the desktop to the top of the treadmill armrests so there's no risk of it falling off while you walk or type. Make sure this desktop is wide enough to hold your laptop or keyboard and your mouse.
Be sure no cords are dangling down creating potential tripping hazards or that could be caught on your swinging arms.
Keep objects off the desktop that could potentially fall from the vibrations the treadmill creates such as your phone, the remote control, your iPod, or pens.
Try out the treadmill at 0 mph first. Yep. Test out the desk standing before you start typing on a moving belt.
Start off slow and for short amounts of time. As you get used to walking while working, you can increase the speed and distance.

Would you use a treadmill walk station?

Source: Flickr User eliazar and Source: Flickr User cmcbrown

Don't Just Stand There! Burn Some Calories

FitSugar — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 10:03:59 PST

There are plenty of times during the day when you may find yourself standing around. Maybe you're waiting for the bus or subway, riding the elevator by yourself, or maybe sautéing veggies. Even though you are standing in place, you don't have to stand still. There are plenty of ways for you to move your body around and burn a few extra calories. Some of these you may want to hold off on and try in the privacy of your own home.

Stand with your feet together and lift both heels up and down.
Stand with your feet under your hips and sway from side to side, and do circular motions with your hips clockwise and then counterclockwise.
Bend your leg behind you, grab onto your foot and stretch the front of your right quad. Do both sides. Here's more details on this quad stretch.
Bend one knee and kick your foot back behind you, and then quickly alternate between sides.
Stand tall and alternate bending one knee up to your chest and then the other. Do slow, controlled movements to work your abs, or make the moves quicker to get your heart rate up.

Want to see what else you can do? Then

To warm up your hips and tone your abs, stand with your feet slightly wider than hip-width distance apart, and do figure eights with your hips (it's a belly dancing move).
Run or hop in place.
Do side leg raises to work your outer thighs.
Do some squats.
If you're in line at the grocery store, pick up something in your cart and do bicep curls.
Do tree pose or another balancing yoga posture.

Alright, maybe most of these you wouldn't want to try out in public, but you can always try them during a commercial break or something.

Source

Work It Girl: At Your Desk Abs

FitSugar — Mon, 12 May 2008 03:00:00 PDT

Sitting at your desk doesn't mean you can't work on toning your mid-section. You can work your belly at work without your boss ever knowing you're doing some strength training on the job. All you need to do is pull your navel to your spine, the most basic Pilates move. Here's how:

Sit up straight, keeping your back away from the back of your chair.
Exhale and pull your abs to your spine without curving your back. This will feel a little like a corset. It should feel a little like you are bracing for a punch to the abdomen.
Focus on your low abs; these you can definitely keep engaged while you breathe.
Breathe into your back ribs, wherever you have ribs you have lungs. This is a nice stretch for the intercostals, the muscles between the ribs.
Hold for 30 seconds. Do twice an hour.

Oblique Variation: To challenge your obliques (the abs on the side of the torso) a little more simply tilt your torso slightly to the right and hold that position for 30 seconds. Then, of course, reverse the action by tilting to the left so you can keep even.

Fit's Tip: You can also work your abs when you're waiting at a long traffic light, when stuck in traffic, or heaven forbid, out on a boring date! Try it right now and let me know how it feels.

Source

Work it Girl: Seated Pigeon

FitSugar — Wed, 25 Apr 2007 07:30:00 PDT

Sitting at your desk for 8 hours a day is a great way to work towards tight hips. Fight back with this desk hip opener stretch.

This is just like doing Pigeon pose but instead of lying down, you're sitting up.

Bend your left knee and place your lower leg flat on the desk (make sure to clear a spot).

Lean your upper body forward a little and try to keep your spine long. You'll really feel this stretch in your left hip and butt. I love it!

Hang here for a few breaths or more if you love it, and then carefully switch sides.

If you really love this stretch, you can work while you do it!

CAUTION: Again, make sure your chair doesn't have wheels!

Work it Girl: Chair Squat

FitSugar — Wed, 18 Apr 2007 02:30:00 PDT

Sitting at your desk for countless hours in one position can really tighten up your lower body. So why not do something to open up those hips, quads, and calves?

You could always do a Wide Squat on the floor, but if you squat down on top of your chair, you can still get a little work done (I'm all about the multi-tasking).

Stay like this for a minute or two, or as long as you'd like. I wouldn't stay like this for too long though, because your feet will start to fall asleep from loss of circulation.

Just like the Chair Spinal Twist, I love the way this stretch releases my lower back. Give it a try and tell me what you think.

CAUTION: Do NOT try this squat on a chair with wheels. If you do have a rolling chair, find a place in your office where you can do this move with your feet planted firmly on the floor.

Work it Girl: Chair Spinal Twist

FitSugar — Fri, 13 Apr 2007 12:30:00 PDT

Take a break from working already! I love doing a spinal twist at my desk because it really loosens up my lower back and gives my eyes a rest. I try to do this every half hour or so.

Push your chair slightly away from your desk and then sit down gazing forward. Bend your left knee and plant your foot on your chair - slip your shoes off if you're wearing heels. Reach your right arm up and cross your elbow over the outside of your left knee. You can increase the intensity of the twist by pulling with your hands and putting weight into your left foot.

Stay here for a few breaths or as long as you want. Then slowly release your torso back to center and place your left foot on the ground. Don't forget to do the other side! Twisting is so important for the health of our spines. This feels good and is so good for you. Try it right now and let me know what you think.

Work it Girl: At Your Desk Squat

FitSugar — Wed, 08 Nov 2006 07:30:00 PST

When you're at your desk doing squat, why not squat? It works your legs and your behind.

Scoot away from your desk a bit, move to the edge of your chair and sit with you knees at a 90° angle. Push your heels into the floor to lift your fanny off the chair 3 to 5 inches. You will be leaning forward over your desk with you upper body. Now, simply hold the position to reap the benefits. Hold it for as long as you can and repeat throughout the day.

A few things to consider:

Make sure your knees are right over your toes, so you don't hurt your knees.
Once you are up and actively squatting, lift your pelvis up a bit and back a bit to make your glutes work more.
If you want a little more work, add a few small pulses to the position by slightly straightening and bending your knees.

Fit's tip: This is a great exercise to prepare your legs for ski season, which is right around the corner. Yippee!

Work it Girl: At Your Desk Hamstrings

FitSugar — Tue, 07 Nov 2006 02:20:00 PST

You can't see the back of your thighs but you know they need some work. Try these simple hamstring curls at your desk.

Stand with your hands resting on the back of your chair for balance. Pull your deep abs up and in--this will help with balance too.

Move 1) Lift your left foot a little bit off the floor.

Move 2) Bend your left knee and slowly lift your foot towards your booty, until your shin is parallel to the floor. Lower the leg slowly and repeat 10 - 15 times, then switch legs.

10 Sneaky Toning Moves You Can Do at Work

Self — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 04:30:38 PDT

We are pumped to share one of our fave stories from Self here on FitSugar!

Your office nemesis isn't that know-it-all in the cubicle over, it's lurking right beneath you: your chair!

The more you're sitting, the less calories you're burning... not the ideal bikini body plan.

Picture this: when sitting, your activity in your muscles drops and the calorie-burning rate decreases to just about one per minute. And, women who spent more than six hours per day of sitting (less than a full day of work!) had a 37 percent higher death rate, according to a study from the American Cancer Society. It's scary stuff.

Since I haven't quite mastered the art of jogging while responding to emails, I asked creator of the MELT Method Sue Hitzmann and creator of FitKit Office Amie Hoff to share tips for combating the effects of being chair-bound. And since turning your office into a pseudo-gym can garner a few strange looks, they've kept their exercises as sneaky as possible. Just tell your bosses what's good for your health is good for their bottom line, and try to convince them to bring these healthy vending machines to the break room!

Check out these easy moves after the break!