Fri, 30 Mar 2012 05:16:14 -0800WeeblyThu, 06 Jan 2011 13:01:32 -0800http://www.inshapeattheoffice.com/2/post/2011/01/stay-motivated-to-be-in-shape-in-the-office.htmlStaying motivated to get yourself moving in the office can be tough. It is easy to fall into the comforts of your chair and not want to get up. Everything is at your fingers tips and how you feel like you never have to get up.

There are several ways to do it and I would like to show you how.

1. Set Goals and work towards them.

Have a goal that you want to attain and break it into small little steps that you can do on a daily basis. That way, you won't get bogged down by the bigger goal you have. For example, you want to lose a few inches off your waist. You can think of immediate and actionable steps you can do right away to attain your goal and work towards it. You can say drink more water instead of drinking caffeinated drinks. For lunch to you can decide to start eating salads. After work you may plan to start working out once a week for 15-30 minutes. Write it down if you feel that helps.

2. Have a workout buddy at the office that is achieving similar goals.

Having a person that you can work with a give you accountability. You can tell each other what you want to accomplish and have someone hold you accountable for it. If you missed a workout or started to munch on too much junk food, you can talk to your buddy and figure out what went wrong. Maybe you set your goals too high or something came up that was out of your control. It is best to have a buddy at your office, so you can do things like taking a walk during lunch or catch your buddy buying unhealthy snacks and hold him accountable for it.

You can also find online fitness and health forums online and you can sign up to chat with like minded people who want to accomplish the same goals. You can post something on a forum and people can send you their feedback. There is probably a forum for anyone, men, women, specific job types, etc.

3. Mix it up

The main reason why people don't stick with their fitness plans is because they are bored of it or it's not fun. The only thing you can do is to mix it up. You can join a sports team, drive to a different location to run, sign up for an aerobics class. There are plenty of ideas and things to do, to keep it interesting for you. Learn some different workouts that you can do at the office.

By the way, do you want to learn more about exercises you can do at the office to give you more exercise? If so, download my brand new free ebook "What it takes to be in shape at the office" here:

http://www.inshapeattheoffice.com

]]>Thu, 06 Jan 2011 12:56:52 -0800http://www.inshapeattheoffice.com/2/post/2011/01/how-to-exercise-in-front-of-the-television.htmlComing home from the work day, you probably want to relax and sit on the couch and watch television. If you just came from say an office, you are moving from one comfortable chair to another. So, you are basically sitting all day. The average adult spend 2-3 hours a day in front of the television and we sit there in inactivity. With all that time in front of the television, you can multi-task a bit and do some workouts in front of it. That way, you can get some fitness in while you watch your favorite shows.

A good thing to do in your spare time are squats.

Here is how you do it:

Stand shoulder width apart and bend your knees slightly until your knee breaks a 90 degree angle. You can stick your hands out for balance as well. After you reach that point, you can come back up and repeat. Try to do as many as you can in a minute. You can also get into a squatting position and hold it there as well for an isometric workout.

You can also throw in a jump in there as well in your squats. Every time you get up back up, you make a little jump, which makes the workout harder.

You can also twist your body back and forth to workout your mid section.

There are a few ways to do it which I find them helpful.

Here is one of them:

Have your hands out, parallel to the ground, but have your elbows by your side. What you are going to do is to twist to your right side and snap yourself back to the left side in a very swift manner. Do this really fast in a repetitive motion for one minute. You can also start on the left side as well.

You can also do a kickboxing move to tone up your body too.

Can star having your feet at shoulder width apart and lean to the left slightly. Have your hands up. What you would then do is to bring your knee and hands together by meeting them in the middle. So lift your knee and bring down your hands, and they meet mid way. Do this repetitively and your entire body especially our mid section.

What I also enjoy doing is shadow boxing

I repeatedly throw left-right punches in the air, as many as I can for a minute each. Try to keep your hands up at face level and try not to lift your elbows too high.

If anything, get up during commercial breaks and check the laundry or get up to get yourself a glass of water. A simple little walk around the kitchen will break the inactivity cycle that you are experiencing for a better health.


If you like to know more about exercise in the office, I invite you to visit:

http://www.inshapeattheoffice.com for desk exercises, office fitness tips for busy working people.
]]>Thu, 06 Jan 2011 12:21:41 -0800http://www.inshapeattheoffice.com/2/post/2011/01/easy-everyday-workouts-for-the-office.htmlWorking out in the office does not have to be crazy. It can actually be very simple and easy. Being busy in the office means that you probably do not have the time to go to the gym as much as you want to. Your concept of a gym will have to change and adapt to your office. Thus, your cubicle will be your gym.

Why is working out at the office important?

First of all, most of your day is in the office, so you might as well figure out some simple ways to help yourself getting moving. Including, commute time, you are probably almost always sitting. When you get home from work, you probably don't have the energy to do any kind of exercises, not to mention night classes.

After awhile, we started to catch on and realized that us humans were not meant to be seated for such a long period of time. All the different aches and pains that you experience is an indication you have been sitting too long and you need to get up.

Even if you workout outside of the office, the long periods of sitting slows down your metabolism and your body stops producing lipoprotien lipase, which is the enzyme that removes the fat in your blood cells. Without it, you start building fat around your body, and no one wants that.

Even if you are in good health, simply sitting for 2-4 hours a time without getting up will increase your chances of heart disease, obesity, cardiovascular disease and blood clots.

Being in shape means you can handle stress better, thus perform better.

What can I do to prevent these things from happening to me?

1. The number one thing you can do is to simply get up out of your chair every hour and stand up.

2. You can get up and give yourself a nice office stretch, by bending over and trying to touch your toes.

3. You can give yourself a side stretch sticking one hand in air and leaning over to one side. You can even lean and bend one knee as well.

4 You can do arm circles in the air, first small ones, and then big ones as well to give yourself the full range of motion.

5. Marching in place is also a good one as well, since you do not have to travel anywhere. The movement of the legs will help you stimulate blood flow in your lower body, since you've sat down for so long.


By the way, do you want to learn more about exercises you can do at the office to give you more exercise? If so, download my brand new free ebook "What it takes to be in shape at the office" here:

http://www.inshapeattheoffice.com

]]>Thu, 06 Jan 2011 12:17:06 -0800http://www.inshapeattheoffice.com/2/post/2011/01/ways-to-be-fit-and-in-shape-at-the-office.htmlFinding a good way to be fit and in shape at your workplace has it's own challenges, but not something that that is far fetched or impossible. You are already at a disadvantage in way, being in a chair for the majority of the day, but there is hope.

Your idea of a gym would have to be adaptable and flexible, but it could be anywhere you want it to be. It doesn't have to be a fixed establishment like the gym you see advertised on TV.

It does not mean you have to carry a yoga mat or changing to a new set of clothes each time you need to workout. Being fit does not mean you need to fancy equipment either.

Your overall perspective on working out and what it takes to be in shape will have to change, and your fitness goals may have to change as well. Being very muscle bound is probably not a very achievable goal for someone who spends most of their time in the office. But it is very easy to be healthy so you can limber and healthy joints, have good blood circulation, no aches and pains, and have a toned body overall.

There are many great workout ideas that will get you moving so you can greatly reduce the chance of obesity, heart and cardiovascular disease, and possibly cancer. Those are the main goals of an office workout in my mind.

Office exercises and workouts takes some creativity and some out of the box thinking to adapt workouts to the office.

Here are some ideas for you to get in shape at or around your desk:

1. Toning up your upper body through strength training with just using your desk and office chair.

2. Subtle and simple workouts, even your co-worker won't even suspect you are doing an exercise.

3. Properly fueling yourself with the proper nutrition so you feel upbeat and energetic, instead of being bogged down by junk food.

4. A simple and safe ergonomic plan so you can prevent and reduce strain on your body.

5. Daily stretches to keep the blood circulation going and to ease up on your back and neck.

For those who can make it to the gym outside of the office, that is super. But, when things get busy at the office and you are not able to make it to the gym, you can at least make a difference in your life, instead of feeling helpless and able to do nothing.

Everyone no matter how in shape you think you are, you need to get up and break their cycle of long periods of sitting. That way you can speed up your metabolism and keep the production of lipoprotein lipase-the enzyme that removes fat from your body going, to prevent long term health damage such as blood clots from happening to you.


If you like to know more about exercise in the office, I invite you to visit:

http://www.inshapeattheoffice.com for desk exercises, office fitness tips for busy working people.

]]>Thu, 06 Jan 2011 12:12:54 -0800http://www.inshapeattheoffice.com/2/post/2011/01/tighten-your-abdominals-right-from-your-cubicle.htmlTightening you your stomach can be tough. Being busy in the office can make that even more difficult. What I have here are ways to tighten your abdominals right from your cubicle so you can tone up. It is not all about doing sit ups and crunches on the floor to get that stomach you've always wanted.

These exercises do not have to be super crazy, just simple and effective to get what you want.

Here is a list of exercises that you can do right from your cubicle to help tone up your stomach.

1. The Chair Twist

This is a simple workout to tighten up that mid section. The idea behind it is simple. you turn your head back over your left shoulder and turn your body right, stretching your abdomen out. The stretch is also good for your lower back as well.

2. Standing twist

Stand up out of your chair and place your feet shoulder width apart. Have your hand loose, your elbows by your waist, hands lifted up and perpendicular to the ground. Twist your body to the left as far as you can and snap yourself back to the right really fast. Do this as many time as you can for a minute to tighten up your mid section. The rapid succession of motion from right to left will give your stomach it's burn. Also, if you have a chance to buy a medicine ball that would up the level of difficulty. If not, try to find a heavy object around the office to make the work out harder.

3. Isometric Squeeze

Take a good deep breath and tighten up your core muscles. Hold it for 30 seconds or so and then release. You can type while you are doing this, read a memo, or an e-mail, even during an office meeting. Basically people won't know you are doing this exercise.

4. The Ab Challenge

This is a tough one and if you are up for the challenge then great. Make sure your arms are good enough to help support yourself. If not, work on some tricep dips and some push ups.

For the exercise, you simply push yourself up with your arms, tucking your knees into your chest a tightly as possible, holding yourself up. Hold this for about thirty seconds or so and repeat.

Also, make sure to include enough cardiovascular exercise when you have free time. Your overall weight loss because of it will surely help you shrink your stomach.


By the way, do you want to learn more about exercises you can do at the office to give you more exercise? If so, download my brand new free ebook "What it takes to be in shape at the office" here:

http://www.inshapeattheoffice.com

]]>Thu, 06 Jan 2011 11:45:43 -0800http://www.inshapeattheoffice.com/2/post/2011/01/abdominal-workouts-for-office-people.htmlBeing in the office, you may develop some unwanted weight around the mid-section. That area of your body is pretty tough to tone up and it may possibly be the toughest area to tone up of all. Working in that office environment just makes things worse for you.

It is easy to forget to take care of yourself and sacrifice your health just a little bit here and there to complete your work, but then you start getting that unwanted weight around your tummy and you want to do something about it.

Here are some ideas for you to get started when it comes to toning up your tummy.

1. Isometric stomach workout

Tone up your tummy by first taking a deep breath and then squeezing your stomach tightly and holding that position for 30 seconds. You can read an e-mail or type on the computer while you do this exercises. You work out your stomach isometrically, which means you are working yourself out in a fixed or static position.

2. The tummy twist

In your office chair, look over your left shoulder and turn the rest of your body right to stretch your stomach out. This also helps your to release tension in your back. The stretching motion you do will help your tighten up your stomach. Make sure you get a full range of motion while you do this so you can have the full affect. Also, listen to your body and try to give yourself a good stretch, but you also don't want to overdo it either.

3. The Stand Up Twist

Stand up out of your chair with your feet shoulder width apart. Have your hands flat out in front of you and turn to the left until you can not turn anymore, and then snap all the way to your right immediately. Repeat this motion at a rapid pace to tighten up your stomach. You can this start with the right side first and then to the left. The rapid succession of motions will help you tighten up your stomach

4. The Challenge move

This is a tough move and you want to have good strong arms as well before trying this move. Find a sturdy chair before trying this move as well. What you want to do is lift yourself up with your arms and tuck your knees as close as you can into your chest. Try not to rock back and forth too much and hold this position for thirty seconds or so.

Hope you can benefit from these moves, and apply them into your daily life.


By the way, do you want to learn more about exercises you can do at the office to give you more exercise? If so, download my brand new free ebook "What it takes to be in shape at the office" here:

http://www.inshapeattheoffice.com

]]>Sat, 01 Jan 2011 14:51:38 -0800http://www.inshapeattheoffice.com/2/post/2011/01/strength-training-at-the-office.htmlWith all the technological advances now a days, many of our jobs are more and more automated. For someone working in a desk, virtually everything is at their fingertips. You don't even need to get out of your seat to talk to a co-worker. Many times that same person is just right down the hall or maybe even 5 feet away, yet we use our phones and e-mails to communicate to them.

A good way to stay in shape at the office is strength training. If you add strength training to your regimen, you have a much better chance of protecting yourself from injuries in case you have to move or lift an item. You basically become less fragile. Also people who have a higher percentage of lean muscle tend to have a higher metabolic rate, which means they burn more calories while being inactive than someone who is not. Because of that, strength training is great to do for anyone who wants to lose weight as well. You want to maintain that muscle mass while you burn off the fat.

Lastly, strength training can help you with your self-image and confidence as well.

I have here a list of exercises you can right from your office to strengthen yourself up for the workplace.

1. Strengthen Your Shoulders Desk Push Ups

Stand a few feet away from your desk and lean over so you can do some push ups.

Plant your hands firmly at the edge of the desk and bend your elbows to the point where they break the 90 degree angle.

Then push yourself back up. Then repeat 8-12 times for a set. Try to do as many as you can in a minute.

2. Strengthen Your Knees With Office Squats

Stand shoulder width apart and bend your knees slowly.

Make sure you keep your back straight, no slouching.

Squat down until you a 90 degree angle and then come back up

You can use a filing cabinet, copy machine, or even a wall to support your yourself. Do not put very much weight onto your other things, just use it to support yourself while balancing.

3. Strengthen Your Ankles With Calf Raises

You use your ankles a lot and a small twist can put you of commission for some time. Good strong ankles will help you in your everyday walking.

Simply stand up until you are on your toes and hold it there. Then slowly come back down for full muscle development.

Remember, whenever you are doing strength training, make sure you come down slowly in the "negatives" and not just focus on the "positive" muscle development. Push yourself up hard, and down slowly whether they are push up, squats, calf raises; whatever you are doing. Focus more on quality reps or quantity to get the most out of your time when you do have a chance to workout.


By the way, do you want to learn more about exercises you can do at the office to give you more exercise? If so, download my brand new free ebook "What it takes to be in shape at the office" here:

http://www.inshapeattheoffice.com

]]>Sat, 01 Jan 2011 14:50:59 -0800http://www.inshapeattheoffice.com/2/post/2011/01/office-exercise-ideas-that-anyone-can-use.htmlWhen it comes to being healthy and fit, you are already at a disadvantage since you work at an office. How we live as human beings has changed dramatically in the past few decades because of all the advances in technology. The same technology that has helped us make our lives more comfortable are the same ones that are giving us health problems and a lack of exercise. But there is hope, despite all the different things that are working against us as office people. There are simple yet effective workouts that you can do to benefit you. Some of these exercises can be done right from your cubicle and other people around you will not even realize you are doing a workout.

The exercises I am going to talk about are based on isometrics, which literally means "same length". You are either holding yourself in a fixed position or pushing against an immovable object.

1. Bun and Thigh Tightening

Put your feet tightly into the floor and squeeze your thighs and buttocks tightly, you must hold that position there. Not only will it help you tone up that part of the body, no one else around you will notice you are doing a workout either. That should be a huge perk for you.

2. Abdominal Tightening

Take a deep breath and then give your abs a tight squeeze and hold that position. Doing an exercise like this will give yourself a burn that you normally would not get if you just sat in a chair all normally. This is also something that you can do without others noticing.

3. Pressing hard Against Your Desk

Simply lean over the desk and press on the table very firmly. Hold that position and feel your arms tense up and going to work. This works out your chest and arms. This was what I was talking about earlier about pushing in immovable object. It is sort of like a push that is not moving anything, but your muscles are working hard and you are getting a caloric burn from it.

4. Pressing Hard Against Your Arm Chair

Firmly press on your arm chair. Your triceps will be burning while you hold that position. The purpose of this exercise is holding yourself in that position, so refrain from just getting out of your seat, which will defeat the whole purpose of this exercise.

5. Ab Challenge

If you are up for this advanced exercise, then it give it a try.

First you must have a sturdy chair to do this exercise. Then, push yourself up, all you will be holding yourself in the middle of the air. Have your knees touch your chest as closely as you can and curl yourself up in a ball. Your entire body should be working out because of this position.


If you like to know more about exercise in the office, I invite you to visit:

http://www.inshapeattheoffice.com for desk exercises, office fitness tips for busy working people.

]]>Sat, 01 Jan 2011 14:50:07 -0800http://www.inshapeattheoffice.com/2/post/2011/01/stretches-that-you-can-use-at-the-office.htmlYour body tenses up simply by being in the office all day. This can lead to all kinds of problems. You are going to have to stretch yourself out, to loosen up all the tension built up in your body. Stiff neck, sore back, poor blood circulation in your lower body are some of the most common problems at the office. Your body is meant to be dynamic, constantly moving. Sitting in a chair obviously will not do that for you. Looking at the screen for long periods of time will put strain on your eyes as well. The sedentary lifestyle surprisingly can create all kinds of problems for you.

I have here a list of stretches that you can easily incorporate to your daily life to help alleviate your workplace stress.

1. Stretching your Back

Your spine compresses because you are hunched over for most of the day. You can create an arc with your back by placing your hands on your lower back and leaning back to alleviate this issue.

This will stretch out your spine into its original length.

The reason why you feel so much pain to begin with is because sitting in a chair will pinch the sciatic nerves in your lower back, and doing this will definitely alleviate it.

2. Stretching your Eyes

To fix the eye strain you get from looking at the screen all day, the best thing can is to close your eyes for a second. Pretend you are looking a clock, then focus on each number on the clockwise motion, 1 though 12. This will stretch out out your eye muscles.

Afterwards, focus on looking at something far away so your eyes can get a change of distance.

3. Stretching your Hands

Your joints may lock up from all the typing of the keyboard. To alleviate this pain, every hour or so, remember to give yourself a nice stretch.

Simply getting your hands off the keyboard for awhile and just shaking it out will help you relieve yourself of this stress. To further help your hands out, have your hands loose for second and roll your wrists forwards and backwards in a circular motion.

A great tip is to make sure your wrists are not resting on the keyboard, to take off the unnecessary stress on your wrists.

To help alleviate stress in your fingers, simply clench your fists tightly and then release, pulling your fingers all the way back. Repeat as many times as necessary.


By the way, do you want to learn more about exercises you can do at the office to give you more exercise? If so, download my brand new free ebook "What it takes to be in shape at the office" here:

http://www.inshapeattheoffice.com

]]>Sat, 01 Jan 2011 14:49:31 -0800http://www.inshapeattheoffice.com/2/post/2011/01/5-easy-office-exercises-that-you-can-do-daily-at-the-office.htmlIt is very easy to forget about your health and wellbeing while all the projects and deadlines at work start piling up. You might say to yourself: "What are the benefits of worrying about my health and fitness level at work, when all I do is sit in a chair all day?" The main thing is that you will be able to cope with workplace stress much better than your counterparts. You will be more energetic in the workplace and will not resort to coffee to stay awake. Also, the more lean muscle you build, the more calories you burn while being in a seated position. Being in shape also raises your metabolism, which also burns more calories. It is not much, but it adds up over a period over of time. You are going to have to get creative when it comes to working out and there are actually plenty of the little exercises that you can do.

Here is a list of 7 office exercises that you can do right from your cubicle:

1. Arm Circles

Put your arms out to your sides and spin them in tiny little circles. You can spin the spin them forwards and backwards so you can get that burn. Doing this really helps tone up your arms.

2. Butt and Thigh Squeezes

You can easily tone up your lower body by doing these little squeezes. While working on the computer, squeeze your thigh muscles really tight, then your butt. The constant contraction of muscles will definitely give you a workout. Best of all, you don't even have to get up out of your chair. Do this about 30 seconds each time.

3. Shoulder Shrugging

You may have small stiff and achy shoulders from being on the computer all day. You can cinch up your shoulders tightly like a turtle and hold it there for about 5 seconds at a time.

4. Skipping Elevators and Escalators if you can

Whenever you have a chance, enjoy a good walk on the stairs instead. Start small and work your way up to using the stairs more and more often. Start say, using the stairs once a week, and each week add one more day, until you use the stairs everyday.

5. Hand Clenching

Take your hands off of the keyboard for minute and clench your hands super tight for about 5 seconds and release, with your fingers fully extended back. Doing this will definitely help your hands out from all the constant typing and clicking that you do all day long.


If you like to know more about exercise in the office, I invite you to visit:

http://www.inshapeattheoffice.com for desk exercises, office fitness tips for busy working people.

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