Nowadays, we are all aware of the dangers of sitting and its impact on our health. Several studies indicate that people who sit for 8-10 hours a day are at an increased risk of cancer, heart disease, and early death.
Despite the statistics, most office workers have no choice but to sit for most of their day, taking short breaks whenever possible. If you’re one of them, investing in a good quality standing desk could prove beneficial for the health and wellbeing of you and your entire workplace.
Moving while you work is good for you and at Progressive Desk we believe in the cause to move in order to stay productive, energized, and healthy. In this blog, we will take a look at a few exercises you can do while using a standing desk.
What Are Standing Desks?
These desks are a recent invention that combats the traditional sedentary nature of office work. As we become more aware of the aches and pains that come with our jobs, it’s no wonder that they are showing up in workplaces more and more. It’s called a standing desk as it allows you to stand up and work comfortably at your workstation.
Today, we have many adjustable versions of a standing desk! From manually adjusting them from sitting to standing, to electric desks made using linear actuators that allow you to change the height of the desk with the push of a button.
Standing desks offer a variety of impressive health benefits:
- Lowered risk of obesity.
- Potentially lower blood sugar levels.
- Decreased risk of heart disease.
- Reduced back pain.
- Improved energy levels.
- A productivity boost.
You probably know that prolonged sitting can potentially shorten your lifespan. That’s why modern office workers prefer using standing desks that help create movement throughout the day and introduce some form of activity while they work!
Simple Exercises You Can Do at Work While Standing
Many office workers want to take measures to stay healthier, however more often than not they have to wait until after office hours to leave their desk and move. This doesn’t necessarily have to be the case! Let’s go over some of the most effective stand-up desk exercises that can improve both workflow and your state of health. They’re fairly simple desk exercises for work and won’t take much time because you’ll do these exercises while working.
Stretching
This is a superb way to begin your daily workout. Even though it’s not done while standing, it’s important to start with an easy stretch to warm up the muscles. Follow these directions:
- Sit upright and put your feet on the floor. Your knees should be at a right angle.
- Now, you need to extend one leg (make sure your quads are contracted) and hold for three seconds.
- Repeat three sets.
Now that you’ve stretched and loosened up those muscles, you can move on to the more intense exercises.
Core Workout
Did you know that you can do abdominal exercises while at work? Your office chair is a perfect tool that will help you do this.
- Hold onto the edge of your desk (put your feet on the floor)
- Swivel from side to side
- Repeat this exercise up to 20 times
You can also do this exercise while standing at your desk.
Get On Your Toes
Had a heavy lunch and now you have to get back to the grind? Try out this standing exercise at work to help improve your blood circulation, digestion, and energy levels:
- Stand up and lift your heels off the floor. Now, try to stay in this position for at least three seconds. While you are staying in this position, try to contract the calf muscles.
- Lower your heels slowly.
- Repeat this standing desk exercise 15 times.
If it seems easy for you, spice it up a little bit! Try doing the same exercise standing on one leg.
Chair Dips
You can take advantage of any nearby equipment when doing your standing desk workout. For this one, you’ll need a chair. Follow these steps to get the most out of this exercise:
- Sit on the edge of the chair (put your legs in front of you).
- Put your hands behind the hips and hold to the edge of the seat.
- Start doing the dips; lower yourself and go back again.
Remember to keep your muscles firm and your neck and back straight.
Calf Raises
If you want to have well-defined calves, you need to vary your standing desk workouts. One of the best ways to do this is to do calf raises:
- Raise your heels off the ground.
- Now, hold this position for a few seconds and then lower the heels back down.
- Repeat this work out 10 times.
Along with adding some movement to your day, it also strengthens your legs to be able to handle longer periods of standing or sitting at your desk.
Hamstring Curls
This is one of the best desk exercises at work to lubricate your knees and loosen up your hamstrings.
- Stand up and bring one foot up to your backside.
- Hold it for at least 5 seconds and then set it back down.
- Repeat this doing 10-15 reps for each leg.
Thanks to this simple workout, you’ll be able to strengthen your hamstrings. They are more susceptible to different injuries, so you need to be more attentive to them.
Side Lunges
You might need some extra space to do this one. If you can convince your colleagues to join you, find an open spot and get healthy as a team! Take a short 10-minute break while working:
- Stand up and keep your feet parallel but hip-width apart.
- Now, step to the side, straighten your left leg and bend the right leg.
- Hold this position for at least five seconds.
- Return to a standing position.
- Repeat this doing 15-20 reps for each leg.
Of all the standing desk leg exercises to do at work, this is the most intense. That said, stretching beforehand is crucial as you could pull a muscle if you stretch too deep. This one will definitely help strengthen your muscles and boost your productivity!
Shoulder Stretch
You will hardly find an office worker who has never experienced back pain. This easy move will help release tension from your back and loosen up stiff shoulders. Stand up and stretch one arm across your chest. The other arm should be brought under and in front of it. Pull the arms close to your chest and hold for a few seconds. Repeat the instructions with the other arm.
Put Your Hands in The Air
This is one of the easiest exercises to do at a standing desk! So put away those business reports and stand up:
- Place your hands at shoulder height.
- Now, lift them above the head.
- If you want to add more resistance, you can use a small water bottle.
- Do at least 10-15 reps and 2-4 sets.
FAQs
- How to exercise while at your desk?
You can do plenty of exercises at your desk to regain energy and shake away stiffness during your day. Such exercises are stretching, hamstring curls, push-ups, side lunges, calf raises, and chair dips.
- What size exercise ball is for work desk?
If your height is between 5'3" and 6' (160 and 182.9 cm), choose a 65 cm (25.6 inch) diameter exercise ball. But if you are taller than 6 feet (182.9 cm), a 75 cm (29.5 inch) diameter exercise ball may be a better fit for you.
- How to exercise while standing at work?
Depending on the space you have at your workspace, you can choose among a range of exercises, from simple stretching to push-ups and squats.
A Final Word
Standing desks are a superb solution for those who care about their state of health and don’t want to work in a sitting position for 8-10 hours per day. Read our other blog to learn more about how to get the most out of your standing desk.
