Ending Soon! Save 33% on All Access

8 Office Exercises To Get Fit At Your Desk Sitting all day at desk increases the risk of dying by 40%, its time to change it

By Priyadarshini Patwa

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

You're reading Entrepreneur India, an international franchise of Entrepreneur Media.

Pixabay

Technology is making life easier and convenient for us. While it has tons of benefits, there are major drawbacks that are literally affecting our health. We spend most of our life sitting behind our desk. This might totally work in favour of your company but directly affects your health.

To put it simply, you sitting on that seat for hours lead to health ailments such as high blood pressure, diabetes, weight gain, health disease, and other serious chronic conditions. Studies even claim that just sitting the whole day and not involving you in physical activity increases the risk of dying by 40%.

Well, we are definitely not saying that your work will kill you but wouldn't it be great if you could move some of your muscles and work on improving your health. The first step is to simply move around your desk for a couple of minutes and not be tied to it.

To workout, you don't really have to drag yourself to the gym if it isn't something that excites you. However, working on some desk-friendly exercises won't hurt. Trust us, the more you get involved in it, the more it will help you in building a healthier lifestyle.

Entrepreneur India brings you a list of activities that will not keep you stuck behind your desk. These exercises will help you in building up your core strength, help with your blood pressure and let you stretch those stiff muscles.

1. Rubber Neck

Simple but very effective exercise. Start your workout with this one. Sit straight and drop your left ears down to your left shoulder, follow the same on the right side.

2. Triceps Dips

Easy to do and all you need is a stationary chair. Please note trying this on wheelchair might break your bones. How to do this? Scoot to the front of the chair and put both your hand forward. Make sure your hands are placed flat on the chair, bend your elbows straight back and lower your body straight down as close as you can to the chair. Then straighten your arms again to come back to the start position. Start with 10 dips and proceed to 20.

3. High Rise

Inter-connect all your fingers and push your hands upwards, pull your hands upwards as much as you can.

4. Chest Opener

Bring both your hand behind your back, pressing your palms together. Sit straight, feel the pressure on your back and hold that position for 10 seconds.

5. Desk Push-Ups

Well, just like you do push-ups, try doing this against your desk. Before you give this a try, make sure your desk is sturdy to take your bodyweight. Once that is sorted, take a few steps backward, place your hands flat on your desk. Lower yourself down toward your desk, keep your back tight. Push back until your arms are straight again.

6. Bobblehead And More Neck Excerises

Well, we don't need to explain to you this for sure. Drop your chin down towards your chest and roll your head from one side to another clockwise and anti-clockwise.

7. Shrugs

This will hardly take a couple of seconds of your life. Raise both your shoulders together towards your ears. Hold that position for 10 seconds and release slowly. Repeat it 10 times.

8. Arm Circles

Stand straight with feet shoulder width apart. Stretch both your hand on the side at shoulder height. Move your hands in small circles forward direction and follow the same backward. Do it 15-20 times.

Priyadarshini Patwa

Former Features Editor, Entrepreneur India

Priyadarshini Patwa is the Former Features Editors of Entrepreneur India and hosted an Instagram show every Friday named ‘Lighten Up’, about people from different walks of life and talk about their work and beyond. She handled the lifestyle, features, technology, entertainment segments and was also responsible for the Digital Covers. Previously she has worked with MensXP, a Times of India entity and Deccan Chronicle. 

Thought Leaders

Need More Confidence? These 10 Bestselling Books Will Help Improve Your Self-Esteem

Self-esteem can be hard to come by and even harder to maintain. To give yourself a boost, try these authors' words of wisdom.

Business Ideas

63 Small Business Ideas to Start in 2024

We put together a list of the best, most profitable small business ideas for entrepreneurs to pursue in 2024.

News and Trends

Navigating the Boom: How Investors Are 'AI-ing' Big in India

While the startup ecosystem tries to leave the funding winter behind, the AI startups and investors are having a pleasant time

Growth Strategies

Green Hydrogen Adoption: Where Does India Stand?

The cost disparity poses a challenge to the widespread adoption of green hydrogen, especially in sectors where cost competitiveness is crucial.

Starting a Business

I Wish I Knew These Four Things Before Starting My Own Business

Starting a business is hard work to say the least. These are four lessons I wish someone had shared with me before going solo, so I'm here to share them with you.

Side Hustle

The Side Hustle He Started at Age 15 Led to a $4 Billion Boon for Small Businesses: 'They Would Take a Chance on Me With Their Hard-Earned Money'

Nic Beique asked his local barber, gym and more if they'd like him to build a website for their businesses.