4 Easy Ways to Exercise While Stuck at Your Desk All Day

You know the feeling.  That sloth-like, achy-back, sore-hips sense that grips you when you're stuck at your desk, in an uncomfortable chair for eight hours a day or more.

Studies repeatedly tells us that sitting at our desks for an extended period of time will kill us.  Nice.

So how you do combat the effects of sitting in a chair all day or prevent what I like to call "wide-ass desk booty"? I envision my booty getting wider and flatter, like a pancake, the longer I sit behind a desk.

Treadmill Desk/Courtesy LifeSpan Fitness

If you don't have one of those fancy (or expensive!) treadmill desks, here are great ways to sneak in exercise:

• Take the long way to get some water or use the restroom.  
• Try to move for at least five minutes every hour.  For example: at 8:55 do 100 jumping jacks, 9:55 100 squats, 10:55 100 tricep dips, 11:55 100 desk pushups and so on.  Find a private space if you don't want co-workers to make fun of you. 
• Don't laugh at this one: contract your abs while sitting at your desk.  If you don't want to get on the floor and do traditional situps, simply contract you're stomach muscles as if your bracing for a punch.  Do it for thirty seconds at a time throughout the day.  It's effective. 
• Do a series of yoga poses and stretches.  A simple half moon stretch or cat cow pose feels amazing. 

Cat Cow Pose/Courtesy LapBandSurgery.com

Mountain Pose/Courtesy: Yogr.com

Entrepreneur Magazine has some additional suggestions like visiting the park during your lunch hour, incorporating fitness into meetings AND working out at your desk.  Sound familiar? 

The mini-break you take to get the blood moving is worth it.  It will make you feel better and likely more productive when you plop back down.