How to exercise at work

Sitting behind a desk for 8 hours a day can get pretty tiring. Your muscles will start to tighten up and your body is in desperate need of some stretching. If you sit behind a desk all day, here are some easy ways to exercise at work:

First and foremost always sit properly. If you don't have a nice office chair, ask your employer for a new one. If they won't buy you a new one, purchase a nice pad for the chair. A good chair will help you sit straight with your shoulders back. Some people start to slouch at their desk because their computer monitors are lower than their eye level. The top of your computer monitor should be level with your eyes, this will make it much easier for you to sit up straight.

Now, take a look at where your arms and wrists rest. Do you have a nice wrist rest that can help reduce carpal tunnel syndrome? If not, consider purchasing one. You can get them for about $10 at Staples and other office supply stores. Once you have your posture in check, you can start focusing on some easy stretches to do at your desk.

Ask your boss if it is okay for you to bring an exercise ball to work. The larger exercise balls are a great way to exercise at work. When you sit on it, you are naturally inclined to improve your posture, plus its fun to bounce up and down while you are working. The exercise balls are a great way to tone up your thighs while you are on the phone at your desk.

Try to stand up and stretch every 30-45 minutes. If you need to drop off some papers at another person's desk, take the long route to their desk. Try to walk around for a few minutes, even if you only pace back and forth in your cubicle.

Stretching is important to keep the muscles limber. Do some simple calf stretching under your desk. Flex your feet and point your toes away and hold it for 15 seconds. Then point your toes up and flex your calves. Do this at least 3-4 times a day. People that sit at computers all day are at an increased risk for developing blood clots in their legs. You also need to stretch your neck by moving it from side-to-side and up and down. Lean back and look up at the ceiling for 20 seconds, then look down at your feet. You may even want to close your eyes when you are doing neck stretches because it will give your eyes a much-needed break from staring at the computer screen.

Flex your buttock muscles while you are sitting. Hold this for about 30 seconds and then release. Repeat this as long as you want to tone up your buttock while sitting. You can even strengthen your abdominal muscles when you are sitting by flexing them for 20 seconds and then releasing. Repeating both of these exercises will help to strengthen your "core".

Hand grippers are a great way to strengthen your arms and wrists while you are at work. If you are on the phone and you don't need to type things, hand grippers are the way to go. Within a few days you will start to see an improvement in your forearms. Another way to burn off some calories is to stand as much as possible. Standing is great if you are on the phone a lot because you don't always need to be looking at your screen. When you stand, do some squats and lift one leg off the floor and balance on the other leg. This is an easy way to tone up your thighs while you are working.