Having and knowing what type of mindset you should be in, in order to be in shape at the office is crucial for your physical success. I just want to go over some issues in details so you won't set yourself up with unrealistic expectations. There are tons of great things out there to help you out such as: office yoga, mini-workout routines, isometrics, and daily stretches. It is important to note that doing these things will benefit you for sure. There are also lots of creative thinking involved as well, since you are not able to go to the gym. You will definitely be in shape if you knew how to get a quick workout in the office, but office workouts can only be moderate since you can't make it to the gym. These moderate workouts throughout the day, week, year will make a big impact on your life, just don't expect super quick results. It will definitely help you counteract all the negative affects of being in an office all day. Office workouts are more about getting your joints limber, getting the blood flowing through your body, relieving stress and headaches, getting yourself more oxygenated, and preventing common office injuries, such as stiff neck and an achy lower back. Many of these office exercises are great for someone who is crunched on time and have no time workout outside of the workplace. It is something that you can quickly interject while you are on your break. There are great ways to get a caloric burn at the workplace, but weight loss is kind of a side affect from these workouts, not the mainly reason for doing thing. It is highly unlikely that you will have chiseled arms or a rock solid six pack. You would have to go to the gym for that one. There are workouts that you can do to tighten your stomach and tone your arms for sure. Maybe your legs are getting poor circulation, then a good office stretch routine can get you there and also rejuvenate yourself so you can finish the rest of the day. It is definitely necessary to do some kind of office fitness, no matter how in shape you are. As much as you workout outside of the gym, you are still at risk of many ailments such as heart disease and blood clots, simply because you are spending too much time in your cubicle. So that is my little article on office fitness and being in shape 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 Add Comment Having and knowing what type of mindset you should be in, in order to be in shape at the office is crucial for your physical success. I just want to go over some issues in details so you won't set yourself up with unrealistic expectations. There are tons of great things out there to help you out such as: office yoga, mini-workout routines, isometrics, and daily stretches. It is important to note that doing these things will benefit you for sure. There are also lots of creative thinking involved as well, since you are not able to go to the gym. You will definitely be in shape if you knew how to get a quick workout in the office, but office workouts can only be moderate since you can't make it to the gym. These moderate workouts throughout the day, week, year will make a big impact on your life, just don't expect super quick results. It will definitely help you counteract all the negative affects of being in an office all day. Office workouts are more about getting your joints limber, getting the blood flowing through your body, relieving stress and headaches, getting yourself more oxygenated, and preventing common office injuries, such as stiff neck and an achy lower back. Many of these office exercises are great for someone who is crunched on time and have no time workout outside of the workplace. It is something that you can quickly interject while you are on your break. There are great ways to get a caloric burn at the workplace, but weight loss is kind of a side affect from these workouts, not the mainly reason for doing thing. It is highly unlikely that you will have chiseled arms or a rock solid six pack. You would have to go to the gym for that one. There are workouts that you can do to tighten your stomach and tone your arms for sure. Maybe your legs are getting poor circulation, then a good office stretch routine can get you there and also rejuvenate yourself so you can finish the rest of the day. It is definitely necessary to do some kind of office fitness, no matter how in shape you are. As much as you workout outside of the gym, you are still at risk of many ailments such as heart disease and blood clots, simply because you are spending too much time in your cubicle. So that is my little article on office fitness and being in shape 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 Due to all this time in the office, Repetitive Strain Injury and Carpal Tunnel has been affecting people at the workplace. Because of these injuries at the workplace, it has drastically changed how people view the long term affects of the sedentary lifestyle. There are plenty of other issues to talk about as well such as a stiff neck, achy back, and poor circulation, but this article is focused on Repetitive Strain Injury and Carpal Tunnel. A brief overview of Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI) Repetitive Strain Injury is when you injure yourself from constant motions such as typing or click a mouse. It can hurt your joints and even inflame your tendons, making them swell, leading to carpal tunnel. A brief overview of Carpal Tunnel Carpal tunnel happens when your tendons start to swell up. It can vary from numbness, nerve trauma, to sharp pains. Methods of Preventing this from happening to you. First of all, you can check your posture to see if your monitor, keyboard, mouse are where they are supposed to be. Your chair height can play a big role as well, if it is too high or too low. Also, remember to breaks regularly so your hands can get a rest every once and awhile. There are also some stretches that you can do as well to help you out. I have some for you listed here: 1. Hand Shaking Have your hands in front of you in a very relaxed position, and give them a good shake like your hands are a wet noodle. This will definitely help you loosen up the tension your hands. 2. Hand Clenches Make a tight fist and squeeze your hands tightly for about 5 seconds, and then extend your fingers all the way back to give them a good stretch. 3. Wrist Exercises Make a lightly clenched fist and roll your wrists in a clockwise then counterclockwise motion to loosen them up. It is very basic to do, and you will feel great doing it. Are there anything else I can do to improve my health at the workplace? If the idea of stretching and doing exercises at the office interests your, then you are in luck because there are lots of ideas for you to choose ranging from desk exercises, isometrics, and office yoga. Many of these exercises can be done in the comfort of your own cubicle. Some of these exercises can be done without even your co-workers knowing. 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 Office Wellness Tips For Busy People 01/01/2011
Life can get the best of you at the office. You may lots of things going on in your life and going to the gym may not be the best use of your time for someone who is short on time. After coming home from work, you may be too tired to do much. Right after work you may have to go straight to night school or watch over your kids. You know you need to do something about your health despite of all the things going on in your life. At the same time, you are also looking for workouts that simple to do and effective as well. Well, there are plenty of low impact exercise routines that turns out to be surprisingly very effective and beneficial. At first they may not seem as much, but it can definitely make a very big positive impact on your life. I have compiled a list of some simple ideas for you to get started. Walking The Stairs: If you have stairs to use, them use them. Start slow say, once a week walk up a flight of stairs on your way to work. Each week, start doing it 2 days a week. Each week you add another set of stairs until you are using the stairs to work 5 days a week. If your office is way up on the top floor, can you get off a few floors earlier and start there Leg Kicks: Stand behind your chair and use it to support yourself while you stand on your left foot. From there, you can use your right leg to kick out and bring it back. After doing that a few times, you can do the same thing but your for your other leg. This is a great way for you to get the blood flowing again in your legs since you spend some much time sitting down. The Desk Push Up You can use your desk as a push up bench simply by leaning over it and doing some push ups. Make sure your body does not sag and you push yourself all the way down, your elbows breaking 90 degrees before pushing yourself up. A more advanced move would be the push yourself straight up into a standing position. This is great to develop your explosive strength in your chest and arms. There are plenty of other exercises as well that you can benefit from for office wellness such as office yoga, isometrics, and many techniques as well. 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 For the majority of us, if workouts are not easy to follow, the chances of us doing it are not very high. If those same workouts cannot comfortably fit into your daily lives, then sticking with it is not very probable. Workouts will have to evolve to adapt to today's busy technological society. We have to come up with workouts that are simple to do, yet can be done within your busy workday. Spending time in the gym may not always be your first choice, since going to the gym means driving, changing into workout attire, and then driving back to your house. We need to have a set of stretches and exercises that can be done anywhere: at home, in the office, or even in your bedroom. What I have here is a list of just some of the possible workouts for the office. 1. Hand Workouts You use the computer constantly at the office, typing away at that keyboard pad. This can cause repetitive strain injury from the constant repetitious motion. The best thing to do is to take a break from all that usage and do some hand workouts to relieve your hands of the stress. Here is what to do: Roll your wrists softly in a circular fashion clockwise and then counterclockwise to unwind your sore wrists. You can also clench your hands into a very tight fist for about five seconds and release. While you release, open up your hands as wide as possible, stretching your fingers. You can put your hands together as well, using your fingers to push against each other one way and then the other. You can also give yourself simple hand massages, massaging your fingers and your palms as well. 2. Neck Exercises Getting a stiff neck from working in a cubicle all day is pretty common. Stretching your neck out helps the blood flow to your brain better and makes you more alert. Here is how to fix it: Do nice and gently neck rolls slowly clockwise and counterclockwise. Look up towards the ceiling, down to your stomach, all the way to the left and the right. This will loosen up the tension in your neck. Put your hands on the back of your head, and pull your head down. This will give your thyroid glands a good stretch. Your synapses will respond better. 3. Core Strengthening Here are a few ways to tighten up your stomach at the workplace: Take a big breath and then squeeze your stomach muscles tightly. Hold that position for 30 seconds and release. You can do this easily while you type on the computer, no one will even know you are exercising! 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 Using strength training by isometrics can be a great workout and a great addition to the many techniques you can use to be in shape at the office. Strength training does not mean getting yolked and turning a meat head, it means being toned and with lean muscles. Isometric strength training concentrates on tightening up your muscles by pushing against something immovable or holding yourself up with your own body weight in a fixed position. This is excellent for someone who hardly as the space to workout in, since you spend most of your time in a cubicle. Many of these isometric exercises can be done without others even knowing you are even doing an exercise. You can even tone up your entire body by isolating each body part for a isometric exercise. The greatest advantage you have to doing isometrics is that you burn calories at a fast rate and it is a great way to build body strength. The problem is that doing isometrics only develops strength for that one position that you are doing. If you have high blood pressure you should not do this type of exercise since your blood pressure rises temporarily. I have listed 3 isometric exercises that you can do in or out of the office to get you started: 1. Using the wall as your chair. By having your back against the wall, and sliding down into a comfortable seated position, you are constantly using your legs to push an immovable object in a fixed position. You can also carry a set of dumbells in your hands or something heavy to make the exercise harder. 2. Pushing against your desk. Push on top of your desk as hard as you can. Using all your upper body to push on top of the desk. You may feel a struggle, but do not let up on the pressure so you can really get a good burn from it. You can also push hard on the bottom part of the desk with your palms pressing hard against it. This way, you can actually tighten up your entire body. Start with your legs and start pushing them hard against the ground. Then tense up your thighs and buns while you are at it. Then, tighten up your stomach muscles too for a full body workout. 3. Pushing against your arm rest. Place your hands on your arm rest as if you are going to get out of your chair and push hard against it, tightening up your deltoids and triceps. Stay in your chair and do not get up or it will defeat the whole point of this exercise. Kick out your feet if you have a tendency of trying to get up out of your chair. 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. Strength training can do you a world of good you at the office. You might wonder why someone who is working at the office all day can benefit from something such as strength training. But first, I want to go over the 3 types of muscle actions from strength training and then how you can benefit from each one. 1. Concentric muscle action is when you are using your muscles to overcome a resistance of any kind. The is normally called the positive phase of the repetition when lifting say a dumbbell. This contracts the muscles. 2. When you are setting the dumbbell down, you are using the negative phase of the repetition. This is called the eccentric muscle action, where the muscle strength you are using are not overcoming the resistance you are using. This lengthens the muscles. Almost everything you do requires concentric and eccentric muscle action like walking up and down the stairs. 3. Then there is isometric muscle action. This where you are putting resistance on an immovable object or you are in a fixed position. Your muscles staying at he same length and you are using your muscles constantly to hold that certain position. So what are the benefits? Using concentric and eccentric muscle action correctly can develop good healthy conditioned muscles. The more conditioned you are physically through strength training, the better you are at handling stressful conditions and fatigue at the workplace. You can also build a better immune system and get sick less often. Isometric workouts in particular are great for someone who spends all their time at the office because all the moves are in a fixed position and you can do many of these moves right in your chair without people even knowing. One of the greatest benefits from strength training is that you tend to burn more calories sitting down than others. The more muscles built, energy it takes to sustain them. So if you do strength training, your co-worker in the next door cubicle doesn't, you are actually burning more calories than him during the 8 hour workday. Simple exercises done can give the strength training you need. You can: Lean over your desk and use it to do push ups. Place your hands on the copy machine to do some squats. Go for a walk on a steep part of the hill. Walk up and down the stairs. You can carry a heavy stack of papers for someone else. For isometrics: Hold a squatting position for 30-60 seconds. You can tighten up your abdominals really hard while sitting in your chair and hold it for an ab workout. You can push tense up and press firmly on the ground while in your chair, not moving at all to workout your thighs and buns. There are lots of ideas for you, lots of different ways to squeeze it in your day. By simply adding strength training into your day, you can achieve a better overall health in the workplace. 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 Isometric Workouts For the Office 01/01/2011
Isometrics can be a great addition to your arsenal of tools and techniques that you can use to be in shape at the office. What are isometrics? Isometric workouts focuses on contracting your muscles by pushing against an immovable object your holding yourself in a fixed position. Why do isometrics at the office? This is great for someone who does not have a lot of room to workout in, especially if you are sitting in a cubicle all day. A lot of times, you can do these moves without people even knowing you are doing an exercise. it is great for toning up your entire body, your arms, chest, legs and thighs. The biggest benefit to doing isometrics is that burns calories fast and it definitely helps you build strength. The biggest disadvantage to it is that it only develops muscles to be strong in that one position. You are also not developing your muscle's full range of motion. It is also not wise for someone who has high blood pressure to do these moves since it does increase your blood pressure temporarily. So let us get into some of the moves: 1. The Plank When you are on the floor, use your forearms to hold yourself up. You are basically in a push up position, but on your forearms instead. Be as straight as possible and do not let yourself sag. That way, you can tone up your abdominals using your core strength. 2. The Wall Sit Instead of sitting comfortably in a chair, you sit comfortably against the wall. You with your back against the wall and slide down until your knees make a 90 degree angle and then hold it there for 10-30 seconds. If you can sit there longer, then go for it. You can also carry something of weight to make the workout harder. 3. The Isometric Push Sitting in your chair, lean over your desk and push on your desk and hold it there, tightening up your muscles. This will definitely workout your upper body strength. Remember, do not push yourself up, just hold it there and let your muscle contract tightly, using this as resistance training. You can also flip your palms the opposite way and firmly press hard on the bottom part of the desk. While you are doing that, press firmly with your feet and use your buttocks and thighs as well as part of this workout. You can also squeeze your abdominal muscles too, working out pretty much your entire body. 4. The Arm Rest Push Push your on your chair's arm rest as hard as you can and hold that position, not easing up. Do not push yourself up out of the chair, which defeats the whole purpose of this exercise. This will workout your triceps and deltoids in particular. 5. The Calf Raise Stand on your tippy toes and hold it there. This will workout your calf muscles for your legs. Try to maintain good balance for this one. Place your hand on a wall for balance, but do not put too much weight on your hand because you want to work out your calves. 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 How To Prevent Carpal Tunnel and Repetitive Strain Injury From Happening To You At The Office 01/01/2011
Repetitive Strain Injury and Carpal Tunnel have been only a recent phenomenon due to the office lifestyle. Before that, there was never anyone constantly sitting down and typing on the computer. Because of these issues that arose from the workplace, it has drastically changed how people viewed the office and the long term affects it can have on the person. There plenty of other health issues as well such as an achy back, stiff neck, and poor circulation, but this article in particular is going to focus on Repetitive Strain Injury and Carpal Tunnel. What is Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI)? Repetitive Strain Injury is when you injury yourself from a repetitive motion such as typing or clicking a mouse. Doing the same motions again and again can hurt your joints and develop carpal tunnel. What is Carpal Tunnel? When you have carpal tunnel your tendons usually starts to swell up in your joints and wrist. It can cause numbness, sharp pains, and nerve trauma from it. How Do I Prevent This From Happening To Me? Check your posture to see if your keyboard and mouse are a comfortable distance for you to use. Also check your chair height as well to see if you are too high or too low. You should also get a nice pad for your wrists to lean. Make sure your hands are lifted up and not resting on your desk. Also, make sure you are not hitting the keyboard or clicking the mouse too hard. Lastly, take breaks and give your hands a rest. While you are on your break, there are plenty of different kinds of stretches for your hands to help you out: 1. Hand Shakes Have your hands out, keep them relaxed, and shake them out like a wet noodle to loosen up your hands. 2. Hand Squeezes Clench your hands tightly for 5 seconds and then release, extending your fingers all the way back. 3. Wrist Rolls Make a fist and roll your wrist in circles clockwise and counterclockwise to loosen up your wrists. What Other Things Can I Do To Improve My Overall Health at the Workplace? If you like the idea of exercising at the office, there are plenty of ideas for office workout, desk exercises and stretches that you can use on a daily basis to help you out. A great thing to use are isometrics, since the workouts are static or in a fixed position, it is perfect for someone who works at an office all day. 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 Working all day in chair, sitting in your cubicle, quite a few problems can arise because of it. Being immobile and typing all day can create a lot of problems to your body. Sitting in a chair can actually lead to a lot of problems for your overall health and it is an issue that has only surfaced in the past few decades. Before that, there was virtually never anyone NOT moving. But due to new technologies, it has made are lives comfortable, too comfortable. Now, we hardly have to get up out of your chairs. Here is a list of the common problems that you may encounter and the reasons why. Also, for each of them, I will give a solution as to how to prevent or reduce your problems. 1. Headaches Cause: Working continuously without any breaks. Also it can cause eye strain from staring at the screen continuously. Solution: Take breaks for a few minutes every hour. Get up take a walk, get a some fresh air. For your eyes, have a chance to look elsewhere else far away instead of a screen. You can also close your eyes for a minute and relax. You should check your monitor angle and also check your lighting as well. 2. Neck and Shoulder Pain Cause: Sitting continuously in a chair will automatically create neck and shoulder pain. This can be caused by chair height, poor posture, monitor placement. There can quite a few reasons why. Solution: Check your keyboard, monitor, and mouse distance. If you are reaching too far, or you feel you are too crowded, then you probably need some adjusting to do. You should also shift postures every once and awhile. Staying in one posture too long can cause you pain. You can also stretch out your neck by doing simple office exercises such as neck rolls-rolling your neck in a clockwise motion to loosen up your neck. For your shoulders, do shoulder rolls-cinch up your shoulders and roll them forwards and backwards. Try to get a full range of motion to give your shoulders a good stretch. 3. Wrist and Finger Pain Cause: Poor posture, no keyboard rest, incorrect height can all lead to a painful wrist. Solution: Make sure your wrists are not leaning against the table when you are typing. Also check your posture, see if you are in a comfortable position as well when you are typing. You can also stretch your wrists out as well, by rolling you wrists back and forth. You can also shake it out, by having your hands loose. For you fingers. clench your fists tight and then release. You can also pull your fingers back with your other hand to stretch your fingers out too. 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 | Stay fit at work with
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