Sitting at a desk all day can make it hard to keep up your fitness levels. Here are four desk exercises from expert Nutritionist and The Library Gym owner Zana Morris that you can slot into your 9 to 5 routine
It’s hard to exercise at work. Many people struggle to take their full lunch hour, let alone sneaking in a moment to maintain fitness. So, we asked Zana Morris, expert nutritionist and owner of The Library Gym, for four exercises that you can sneak into your working hours.
"First of all I would recommend that you take a few minutes out of your day to stand up," Zana says.
“Sitting down all day at your desk will cut off your circulation. Regular movements, standing up or walking to the bathroom will help with circulation.”
Exercise 1: Gluteal exercise
Squeeze your gluteal (bottom) and hold for 20 seconds, then relax. You will start to notice a difference if you do this regularly by tensing the muscles in your gluteal and then releasing.
Exercise 2: Retraction yoga variation while seated
This is a very good for your digestion and great for circulation. Simply exhale fully out of the lungs and hold your breath whilst sucking your tummy in. Hold for as long as you can and then relax and breathe in fully. You will feel pressure from this exercise. It's a gentle stimulation that gets the digestive system working. This exercise is great for pulling in the waist and you will start to notice a difference if done regularly.
Exercise 3: Stretching exercise
Sitting at your desk all day can result in a bad posture. This simple exercise is easy and will help your posture whilst lifting the chest. Place your fingers behind the back of your chair and pull your shoulders down. Then lift the hands away from the body as high as you can and stretch.
Exercise 4: Work out your abs
Place your hands on the sides of your chair and sit back. Place your knees together and then lift your legs off the floor as high as you can and hold. This will get the abs contracting nicely and again you will notice a difference if done regularly.