Working from home may mean more freedom in general, but somehow it still means being stuck at some type of desk for most of your day. How can you stay fit at your desk with that kind of lifestyle? Stay tuned for some tips for every budget.

Big Surprise: Sitting Around is Bad for You

It’s not just honoring those new year’s resolutions to get fit, it’s also important to your overall health to stay at least a little active, even if you’re stuck sitting for most of your day (at a desk, in a car, or on public transit, watching TV, etc.). Studies show that the average adult spends 8-10 hours a day sitting. Staying sedentary for long periods of time slows your metabolism, which can lead to weight gain, and has been linked to an increase in heart disease, obesity, and diabetes.

Some exercise every day would help prevent many of these problems. Plus, we’re now seeing a link between movement and improved focus. This means that little movements can help bring your brain back on track, and big movements can increase blood flow and oxygen to the brain allowing it (and you) to work harder. This is clearly a win-win situation for all of us.

Options for purchase:

• Treadmill desks
• Desks that convert from sitting to standing with remembered preferences (remember to start slow and build up those muscles, and to maintain a good balance of sitting and standing)
• Under-desk fitness machines like a portable pedal bike
• Exercise ball “chair” for ab workouts and better posture

These are just some of the things you can buy to help you stay fit at your desk. But maybe you don’t want to spend any money on this, especially if you already have a gym membership or other physical activities lined up. No worries, we have some simple (and free) exercises you can do right at your desk to help you stay moving throughout the day without working up a sweat.

Desk exercises that don’t require extra purchases:

• Free motion exercises (arm circles or shrugging your shoulders repeatedly for 30 seconds) can help with chronic neck and back pain.
• Desk yoga (seated backbend, arms straight up and lean back; seated twist, knees together, twist your torso to one side and look over your shoulder, repeat on other side; seated shoulder opener, arms straight up, bend forward until your arms are on your desk and then keep applying pressure until you feel a stretch).
• Take breaks every hour to simply stand or walk around.
• Chair exercises repeated 10-15 times (ab lift, with both hands on the seat of your chair and your knees bent, lift yourself off the seat while trying to lift your knees as high as you can; dips, as long as it’s not a rolling chair; chair squats, stand in front of your chair, squat until your butt just touches the seat and then return to standing, desk incline pushups).
• Hand and wrist stretches to strengthen muscles and flexibility and avoid repetitive strain injuries (RSI).
• Arm exercises (bend your arms in front of you and press your palms together for 10-20 seconds, repeat 5 times; you can try holding your hands tightly together and try pulling them apart too).
• Toe taps and calf raises to stretch your calf and shin muscles.
• Hip flexors (sit straight and keep your knees bent at 90 degrees, raise one foot off the ground and keep it there for as long as you comfortably can, repeat with other foot).
• Maintain good posture; no slouching (stretch your neck by looking down, up, left, right, and tilt left and right).
• Contracting and releasing any single or group of muscles in repeated sets to strengthen them and improve blood flow.
• Drink lots of water to stay well hydrated and to keep you on the move with regular bathroom breaks.

Clearly there are a lot of options to stay fit at your desk that will keep you limber and at least somewhat active. Just remember to try to at least get a long walk or some other cardio exercise in there too. And if you feel any pain from these, stop and see if you should consult your doctor. This is about getting healthy, after all, not hurting yourself.

Here’s to breaking the increasing rates of health issues due to sedentary lifestyles. No more simply sitting around for you!