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Easy Tips to Exercise While at Work or School

December 24, 2010 | Tiffany Quach

Many people use excuses that there's never enough time in a day to work out with the busy work schedules we all have. But what about working out while you're at work? There are a variety of simple techniques that anyone can do without the hassle of running to the gym. Just follow some of these seven exercises and you'll start feeling better and looking better too!

Tip 1 - Do you work or have class in a multi-story building? If you do, do not take the elevator up to your office or classroom, instead take the stairs, even if it's on the fifth floor. This will help you work out your leg muscles as well as build endurance.

Tip 2 - Stretch! You don't even have to stand to do any stretches, you can simply do it in your chair if you need to. Here's a couple stretching exercises for your body:

Neck - flex your head forward and backward, side to side, and look left and right. This helps relieve any tension and strain in your neck. Do not roll your head around your neck, this can damage neck joints.
Shoulders - roll your shoulders forward and backwards 10 times each. This also helps relieve tension in your shoulders.
Wrists - roll your wrists 10 times clockwise and 10 times counterclockwise every hour. This helps prevent Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.
Arms - clasp your hands together and raise your arms above your head and stretch. Move your arms left, stretch, and then move to the right and stretch. Repeat these at least 10 times on each side.
Legs - sit up straight with your abs in and extend your left leg until it's level with your hip, all the while, squeezing your quads. Hold this position for two seconds, lower, and repeat 16 times. Do the same for your right leg.
Ankles - just like your wrists, roll your ankles 10 times clockwise and 10 times counterclockwise. Doing this exercise helps improve your blood circulation and prevents the tingling feeling you get in your feet when blood circulation is cut off.
Abdomen - contract your abs and gluteal muscles and hold them fore a few seconds, then release. Do this repeatedly every few minutes a day.

Tip 3 - Try doing some chair squats and dips. This really helps build your leg muscles.

Chair squats - As you're sitting, keep your arms straight in front of you (perpendicular to your body) and lift your body up until your hips are just hovering over the chair. Hold for 2-3 seconds, then stand up completely. Repeat this 16 times.
Chair dips - while using a stable chair (preferably one without wheels), place your hands next to your hips, gripping onto the chair's handle. Move your hips in front of the chair, and bend your elbows and lower your body until the elbows are at a 90 degree angle. Push yourself back up and repeat this 16 times.

Tip 4 - Invest in some lightweight exercise materials such as dumbbells and hand grippers. Bring your dumbbells with you to the office and whenever one of your hands aren't being used, do some simple curls and lifts with your dumbbell. The same goes for hand grippers. These are great tools to have that will help build arm and forearm muscles.

Tip 5 - Do deep breathing techniques. To work your ab muscles, sit/stand up straight and hold your stomach for a few seconds when you're breathing in, then release when you're breathing out. This will be more effective if you do this outside where fresh air can enter your lungs.

Tip 6 - Always take a break. Take a few minutes off to walk around the room, get a drink, or use the bathroom. Just be active and allow your body to move and allow your eyes to relax.

Tip 7 - Always have a bottle of water with you. Drinking water keeps you alert and the water helps your body excrete anything bad from your body.

These are just so simple exercises that you can do even on your busy schedule and it doesn't take up any of your time. Just work on making it a routine, and you'll start seeing improvement. And do not feel embarrassed to do this at work or at school, you are bettering your health so no one should stop you.

Sources: Exercise at Work, Office Workout & Exercise at the computer