Fit talk how to get fit and flexible at your desk

A Division of Health Care Service Corporation, a
Mutual Legal Reserve Company, an Independent
Licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield
Association.
45298.0706 TRS
Exercise at Your Desk
The workout during work

Stretching Exercises and Well-
Being
Flexibility is a measure of the range of motion of a joint.
•Static stretching
• Slow, gradual stretching of muscles and tendons,
and holding them at a point
•Dynamic stretching
• Under a trainer’s supervision, moving parts of your body in a gradual and
controlled manner
•Ballistic stretching is repeated bouncing motions, which carry a high risk
of injury and are not recommended.

Benefits of Stretching
Stretching can help your employees:
• Relax • Reduce injury
• Increase alertness • Reduce stress and tension
• Increase flexibility • Reduce anxiety

Implementation Tips
• Encourage management commitment to dedicate breaks or some
other time to stretching—schedule about five minutes for each
stretching session
• Ask employees to track their stretching sessions on the Exercise at
Your Desk tracking log or a calendar
• Develop a buddy system so coworkers keep each other motivated
• Give incentives for employee participation
• Give incentives to managers with the highest employee participation

Tips for Employees
• Encourage employees to consult their physician before starting any
new exercise program, especially if they’ve been inactive or are
recovering from surgery
• When stretching, move just to the point of tension, stop, and hold that
position
• Stretching shouldn’t be painful—it should make you feel relaxed and
refreshed
• Keep good form for the best possible effect and to avoid potential
injuries
• Relax and continue breathing while you stretch
• Dedicate time each day in the morning and afternoon for stretching
breaks

Neck, Shoulders and Chest:
Five-minute Program

Neck Exercise:
Head Tilt
1. Sit all the way back in your chair
2. With your head aligned with your
body, slowly push your ear toward
your right shoulder—hold for five
seconds
3. Tilt your head left in the same
manner and hold
4. Repeat three times on each side

Neck Exercise:
Chin Tuck
1. Slowly tilt your head forward to
stretch the muscles in the back of
your neck—hold for 10 seconds
2. Repeat three times

Shoulder Exercise:
Shoulder Pull
1. Place your arm across your chest
with your opposite hand on your
elbow
2. Gently pull your elbow toward your
opposite shoulder—hold for 10
seconds
3. Repeat on the opposite side
4. Repeat two times

Shoulder Exercise:
Back Scratch
1. Reach your left hand between
your shoulder blades until you
feel a stretch in the back of your
upper arm—hold for 10 seconds
2. Change arms and repeat two
times

Step #2Step #2
Shoulder Exercise:
Overhead Stretch/Front Stretch
1. Interlace your fingers with your
palms turned upwards above your
head while straightening your
arms—hold for 10 seconds
2. Lower your arms to the front,
parallel with the floor, your fingers
laced with your palms facing away
from you—stretch at shoulder
level for 10 seconds
3. Repeat
Step #1Step #1

Shoulder Exercise:
Shoulder Rolls
1. Slowly roll your shoulders
backward in big circles five times
2. Repeat with rolls to the front five
times

Chest Exercise:
Hands Behind Head
1. With your fingers interlaced
behind your head, your elbows
straight out to the sides and your
upper body aligned, pull your
shoulder blades toward each other
—hold for 10 seconds

Chest Exercise:
Chest Stretch
1. Stand by your chair
2. Clasp your hands behind your back
with your elbows turned inward
3. Raise your arms toward the ceiling

Back, Hands and Legs:
Five-minute Program

Back Exercise –
Torso Twist
1. Cross your right leg over your left
(if comfortable) and rest your left
forearm on the outside of your
right thigh
2. Apply slow steady pressure with
your left forearm against your thigh,
twisting your upper body right
3. While holding the stretch, look over
your right shoulder—hold for 15
seconds
4. Repeat on the opposite side

Back Exercise –
Back Stretch
1. Sit all the way back in your chair
2. Lean forward from the waist, placing
your chest on top of your thighs
3. Rest your hands in front of your feet
and put your head between your knees
4. Place your hands on your thighs and
push your upper body to a seated,
upright position
5. Repeat several times

Hand Exercise –
Hand Press
1. Place your hands together with
wrists bent
2. Gently push down toward the floor
—hold for 10 seconds.
3. Relax and repeat

Hand Exercise –
Wrist Stretch
1. Hold an arm out in front of you
2. With the other hand, grab your
knuckles and pull your wrist
down—hold for five seconds
3. Change hands and repeat
three times

Leg Exercise –
Quad Stretch
1. Using your chair* or desk for
support, hold the top of your left
foot with your hand and gently pull
your heel toward your buttocks
2. Your left knee should remain
aligned with your right knee to
create a stretch for the front of
your thigh. Hold for 15 seconds
3. Reverse legs and repeat
*If your chair has rollers, make sure it is anchored
against the desk.

Leg Exercise –
Calf Stretch
1. Using a stable chair or desk for
support, stand with your body
weight over your left leg
2. Extend your right leg in front of your
left with your foot flexed (heel
extended, toe up)
3. Lean forward slightly from the waist
until a slight tension is felt in the
back of your upper right leg—hold
for 15 seconds
4. Repeat with the other leg

Leg Exercise –
Ankle Rolls
1. Using a stable chair or desk for
support, lift your right foot from the
floor and rotate it eight times to the
right and then the left.
2. Repeat for your left foot

Leg Exercise –
Side Bends
1. Place your arms at your sides
2. Bend to the left side while sliding
your left hand down your leg
(try not to lean forward or back);
hold for 15 seconds
3. Repeat on the right side

Cardio
The Twinkle Toe:
Tap into your inner Fred Astaire by speedily tapping those
toes on the floor under your desk. Or graduate to a
harder (and less inconspicuous) move: Stand in front of a
small trashcan and lift up those legs to tap the toes on its
edge, alternating feet, in soccer-drill fashion.

Cardio
The Stair Master:
Want to avoid elevator small talk in favor of elevating
the heart rate? Take the stairs! Accelerate on the
straight-aways and take two at a time every other
flight for a real leg burn.

Cardio
The Slog, Then Jog:
Instead of slogging away for hours nonstop, take a mini
break for a stationary jog.
Pop up from your chair (admire the butt imprint left
behind!) and jog in place.
Willing to huff and puff a little more? Pick up those
knees!
Continue for one minute, return to spreadsheets, and
repeat.

Cardio
The Celebratory Split Squat Jumps:
Win over a new client? Figure out how to un-jam the
printer? Is it finally Friday?! Celebrate with the split
squat jump.
With feet hip-width apart, step the left leg back two
feet and balance on the ball of the foot.
Next, lower into a lunge, and then accelerate upwards
in an explosion of celebration.
While in the air, switch feet so that the left foot is
planted firmly in front and the right leg is now behind.
Repeat 10-12 times on each side.

Cardio
The Cubicle Wanderer:
Walking during work is totally underrated. Take a
stroll down the hall to catch up with coworkers or
welcome a new employee. Or, instead of dialing
extensions and sending lazy emails to the manager
two doors down, put in some face time. Just
beware of tempting candy jars when making the
rounds.

Cardio
The Mover and Shaker:
There’s nothing wrong with a brief spaz sesh.
Release stress and spark some energy with a quick
bout of seated dancing when no one is looking!
Salsa anyone?

Legs and Butt
The Wall (Street) Sit:
Wall sits are great for building strength and
endurance. Standing with your back against the
wall, bend the knees and slide your back down the
wall until the thighs are parallel to the floor.
Sit and hold for 30-60 seconds (or up to 12 hours,
the world record!), while browsing the Wall Street
Journal (or Buzzfeed).
For some extra burn, try crossing the right ankle
over the left knee, hold for 15 seconds, then
switch!

Legs and Butt
The Last Man Standing:
Sure, standing around isn’t exactly
traditional exercise, but research shows it’s
got more than a leg up on sitting.
After all, long periods of sitting are linked to
increased risk for diabetes, obesity, and
cardiovascular disease, whereas standing
significantly increases your daily caloric
expenditure .
Stand whenever you can, and consider roping
in other coworkers to have standing meetings
too!

Legs and Butt
The Patient Printer:
The boss lady just requested that a 200-page
presentation be printed “perfectly.” Why
lackadaisically stand by the printing pages when
you could be sculpting your calves with calf
raises?
Standing with feet shoulder-width apart, press
up onto the tippy toes, pause at the top, then
lower back down.
Repeat for three sets of 12-15 reps, or until the
printing, faxing, or scanning is done.
Ready to level up? Try raising only one leg at a
time.

Legs and Butt
The Silent Seat Squeeze:
Believe it or not, some deskercises can be kept under
wraps, and this isometric glutes exercise is one of them.
To start toning, simply squeeze the buttocks, hold for 5-
10 seconds, and release.
Repeat until the agenda wraps up or the glutes tire.
The results will be uplifting in more ways than one.

Legs and Butt
The Seated Leg Raiser:
When pay raises are nowhere to be seen, consider the
leg raise. (Bonus: they’re hardly noticeable
underneath the desk!)
While seated, straighten one or both legs and hold in
place for five or more seconds. Then lower the leg(s)
back to the ground without letting the feet touch the
floor.
Repeat (alternating legs if raising them separately) for
15 reps.
Underwhelmed? Loop a purse or briefcase strap over
the ankle for added weight, or for more of an abs
workout, add a crunch.

Legs and Butt
The Desk Squat:
Mastered the art of standing around? Add a squat!
Start standing with feet together (and the desk
chair pushed out of the way).
Bend the knees slightly so the thighs are almost
parallel to the ground, as if sitting in a chair.
As you bend, raise the arms straight up or towards
the computer screen. Keep the knees together and
aligned. Hold 15 seconds and release.
Repeat 4-6 reps.

Legs and Butt
The Lunch Break Hammy:
Strengthen the hamstrings with this standing leg curl.
Stand behind your chair and hold onto it for support.
Gently kick one foot back, aiming the heel for the top of
your thigh.
Lower the foot back down and repeat exercise with the
other leg.
Do 10 reps, take a bite of your lunchtime sandwich, and
then do 10 more.

Legs and Butt
The Grim Reamer:
Scope out the office for a ream of paper, or a sealed
package of printing paper.
While seated, place the stack in between the knees and
press legs inward, engaging the inner thighs.
Continue squeezing the paper ream in place for 30-60
seconds while sorting through the morning’s flood of
emails. (Now that’s multitasking!)

Shoulders and Arms
The Cubicle Dip:
Triceps dips can be done almost anywhere, including
a cubicle. Using a sturdy desk or a non-rolling chair,
sit at the very edge and place hands on either side
of the body while gripping the chair’s edge.
With the feet planted on the floor a step or two
away from the desk or chair, straighten up the arms
to lift up the body. Next, bend the arms to reach a
90-degree angle so that your body dips down, hold,
and re-straighten while keeping the body raised
above the chair.
Complete 8-10 reps.

Shoulders and Arms
The Stapler Curl:
Trusty staplers are always guarded closely, especially the
red ones. Seated or standing, take the stapler in one
hand with the palm facing upwards.
Starting at the thighs, bend the elbow and curl the arm
up towards the chest, just like a regular dumbbell biceps
curl.
Pause momentarily and then lower the stapler back
down. Continue for 12-15 reps, then switch.
Don’t have a weighty stapler? Try using a filled water
bottle or a heavy change purse (the vending machine can
wait!).

Shoulders and Arms
The Namaste:
Whether you’re praying for a project extension or
for more defined arms, this move has you covered.
Seated upright with feet flat on the floor, bring
the palms together in front of the chest and push
both hands together powerfully until you feel the
arm muscles contract.
Hold the prayer hands pushed together for 20
seconds.
Release and repeat the sequence until you feel a
little more zen.

Shoulders and Arms
The Secret Handshake:
Let’s make a deal.
Sitting up and with feet flat on the floor, clasp hands
together as if giving yourself a handshake (with one
hand’s thumb pointing to the floor and the other pointing
to the ceiling). Then pull!
Resist the motion of both arms (you should definitely feel
this in those biceps).
Hold for 10 seconds or more, release, and repeat.

Shoulders and Arms
The Fist Pump:
Received approval from the head honcho for extra vacation
days?
Time to rock out to that Bruce Springsteen playlist while
simultaneously toning the arms.
Fist punch into the air like a champ (alternating arms, of
course), and continue for 60 seconds or more—or until you
realize the boss is right behind you.

Shoulders and Arms
The Knuckle Sandwich:
So the big cheese said no to the promotion and returned
your project covered in red ink. To relieve frustration and
get a fab arm fix, try shadow boxing to the perfect boxing
playlist.
Stand (if you can) and throw out a few jabs, hooks, and
uppercuts in rapid succession (just watch out for
computers and coworkers!).
Continue for a minute or longer to blow off steam and tone
the arms, chest, and core.

Shoulders and Arms
The Flapper:
Whether you’ve got a thing for the 1920s or enjoy
mimicking penguins, this move is for you.
Standing with arms by your sides and palms facing behind,
pulse the arms backward for 5 seconds.
Release and repeat for 12-15 reps.
For best results, make sure to keep the arms long and
straight!

Shoulders and Arms
The Casual Lean:
Waiting in the hall for a meeting to start?
Perfect time to nonchalantly work out the upper arms!
Casually lean against the nearest wall, supporting your
body with the forearm only.
Now lean into the wall until the upper arm almost touches
it, and then push back out.
Repeat for 15 reps or until the meeting gets underway.

Shoulders and Arms
The Lumberjack:
While this lumberjack may be wearing slacks instead of
plaid, he can still get a good midday workout.
Stand and clasp the hands together, resting them on the
right shoulder as if holding an axe.
Gently swing the imaginary “axe” by straightening the
elbows and moving the hands toward the left thigh.
Next, bring the clasped hands to the left shoulder
followed by a swing to right thigh.
Repeat 15 times on each side, or until all office plants
have been hacked down.

Shoulders and Arms
The Office Genie:
Want to add a little magic to the workday?
Raise the legs into a criss-cross applesauce position
while seated in a chair.
With your hands on the armrests, push upwards to
raise the body off the seat and remain floating for 10-
20 seconds.
After granting a few wishes, release back down to the
chair, rest for a minute, and repeat.
Craving more magic? Try this balancing act while in a
chair that spins.

Chest, Back and Neck
The Pencil Pinch:
Lose the pencil behind the ear. The really suave workers
hold it in between their shoulder blades!
Show off your traps by rolling back the shoulders until
the shoulder blades are pinched together.
Pretend you’re holding a pencil between the scapulas (or
try it for real!).
Hold for 5-10 seconds, release, and repeat for 12-15
reps.

The Shoulder Shrug:
Not recommended for board meetings (unless you’re really
on the fence).
Simply raise both shoulders up toward the ears, hold for 5
seconds, then relax.
Repeat for 15 reps.
Feeling unstoppable? Try advanced shrugs while standing &
holding a paper ream in each hand.

The Pinstripe Push-Up:
This slightly modified wall push-up is more suitable
for suits.
Standing one to two feet from a sturdy wall (not a
cubicle divider!), lean forward until palms are flush
against the wall, with arms straight and parallel to
the ground.
Next, bend the elbows to bring the body towards the
wall, hold for two seconds, then push back to the
starting position.
Complete 12-15 reps.

The Nape Shaper:
Turtleneck season is over—it’s time to tone that neck!
For the first isometric neck strengthening trick, put
your head in your hands as if exasperated by the
workday (you may already be in this position), and
press your palms into your forehead as if trying to push
the head backward.
Resist the motion by engaging the neck muscles. Next,
clasp the hands behind the back of the head and try to
push the head backward, resisting the motion with your
hands. Hold each deskercise for 5 seconds, or until The
Evolution of Ryan Gosling has finally loaded.
Slowly release, rest, and repeat 5 times each.

The Desk Chair Swivel:
Lucky enough to have a fun swivel chair?
Use its twirl to your advantage with this
oblique abs fix.
Sitting upright and with the feet hovering
over the floor, hold the edge of your desk
with your fingers and thumb.
Next, use the core to swivel the chair from
side to side.
Swish back and forth for 15 rounds.
Core

The “Weeee” Desk Chair Wheel:
Go ahead, play with your wheelie chair
(everyone wants to!).
While seated in a chair with wheels, position
yourself at arm’s length from a desk or table
and grasp its edge with your hands.
Next, engage the core, raise the feet slightly
off the ground, and pull with your arms until
the chair slowly rolls forward and your chest
touches the desk’s edge. Then roll back by
pushing away, with the feet still raised.
Repeat 20 times, or until you burn holes into
the carpet.
Core

The Posture Perfecter:
Perfect posture is a must for long days at the
desk.
Practice safe desk ergonomics by adjusting
the chair height to make sure the feet, hips,
and arms are at 90-degree angles to the
floor.
Engage the core to keep the back straight
throughout the day. No slouching allowed!
Core

The Fab Abs Squeeze:
Another silent deskercise, this one can be
covertly executed when walking down the
hall or seated during a call.
Simply take a deep breath and tighten the
abdominal muscles, bringing them in towards
the spine as you exhale.
Stay squeezed for 5-10 seconds and release.
Repeat for 12-15 reps.
Core

The “Crunch Time” Crunch:
The deadlines are looming, as are hopes for a
six-pack by summer. (And maybe a six-pack
of Corona, too.)
While most jobs don’t condone in-office
boozing, you can get the other six-pack with
some seated isometric crunches.
With both elbows on the thighs, try to curl
the chest in towards the legs while resisting
the movement with the arms.
Hold for 10 seconds, release, and repeat
times 10.
Core

Fit talk how to get fit and flexible at your desk

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