We sat down with Jill Anenberg Lawrence, Holistic Health Coach also one of our Ener-C Ambassadors to ask her what are your top 5 exercises to do when you sit all day, or work at a desk job? And here's what she said:
Before you read one more word, get that cute tushy up and out of your chair. Stretch your hands all the way up. Bend side to side. Now bend over and touch your toes. Ok, sit back down to read all the future ways you’re going to move that hot bod again.
1. It’s been declared sitting is the new smoking. The good news first. Breaking up the love affair between your chair and derriere for even just a few minutes every hour provides huge health gains. The bad news? While sitting, our muscles shorten, weaken and tighten. The lack of physical movement is linked to depression and anxiety. Blood pools in the veins causing varicose veins, and if you’ve got bad posture, hello back pain!
If you don’t use it, you lose it. Walk, walk, walk! Walk to the kitchen for water, herbal tea or Ener-C! Replace in office emails with a stroll to your coworker’s office. That meeting with the assistant? Take it in stride...literally. Phone calls are now Gab n’ Go. Stand up and pace while making deals. Ya’ wanna really impress me? Gift yourself a standing desk!
2. When we work big muscle groups we build more mass, therefore increasing metabolism and fat burning. Where do you sign up? Right here on this list under “Squats.” Begin by standing up, hokey pokey shaking out those leggies, then stand hip width apart. Using your chair as your office personal trainer, squat down like you’re going to sit and when the tush taps, stand right back up. Key points: knees behind your toes, core pulled in, hands either on hips or straight out for balance.
3. This next one always makes me feel like a bad ass. Pushups! This workout is good enough for the Marines, it’s good enough for me! Working all the chest muscles, shoulders, triceps and tummy, pushups are the golden child of exercises. I understand the visual of, “Get down and give me 20!” won’t work in all settings. Instead, swap for wall pushups or at an incline on your desk.
4. Did you know our triceps makes up 2/3 of our arm? Yup! See the edge of the desk? It’s dying for you to bust out a set of tricep presses on it. Face away from the desk, place your hands at the edges, bend at the elbow and press back up. Tri’s contribute to a strong and powerful upper body. Whether you’re waving hello or giving your co-worker a pound, you want to do it with power.
5. Time to round out the final muscle group so it doesn’t become round itself...the tummy. Knee tucks are a simple seated ab exercise that are performed exactly as they sound. With hands on the base of the chair to stabilize, pull knees up to your chest and extend straight out. Repeat. Then repeat again like 15 times.
*Bonus: Stretch it out. Roll your neck side to side and front to back. Circle those arms in both directions. Stand up and bend a knee and stretch your quads. They’re probably a bit sore from those squats. (wink, wink.) Touch your toes, or as far as you can go, stretching out the hammies. Clasp your hands behind your back to stretch out the shoulders and chest. Ladies, if you’re wearing a button-down blouse, careful not to bust a button. Unless you’re looking for a raise! Lastly, cross your knee over to twist and stretch the abs and low back.
A full body workout with a stretch all from the comfort of your desk. And on the clock! Doesn’t get better than that.
