Staying Active at Work

The most common excuse I get from my members is that they don’t get the time to exercise due to their erratic work timings. Also due to their desk job and continuous sitting in front of the computer gives them a lot of stiffness in the neck and back. Well here you go; there is a way to avoid the stiffness and to remain active even at work. Of course this is no alternative to the routine regular workouts but it is for sure a solution to the complaint. It just needs a little creativity and inspiration to squeeze time for some movement during the day.

Use the stairs

The first and the most important step to begin with is by taking the steps to your office instead of the elevator. We only talk about this idea but never implement it.

Keep getting up from your desk as and when you get a chance

Avoid sitting stationary for a long time. Try getting up at every excuse. If you’ve got a call, try walking while you talk, if you need to give a message to a colleague try going over to his/her desk if you have the time instead of calling or mailing.

Shoulder Shrugs

Perform shoulder shrugs on your chair. Shoulder shrugs are nothing but keeping your hands by your side and lifting your shoulder blades up and down like you’re refusing something. This will lower the tension on your upper back and neck.

Shoulder Stretches

Hold your shoulder and make small circles with your elbow clockwise and anticlockwise 10 repetitions each.

Next, interlock your fingers at the back of your head and bring your elbows together in front of you and open them. Do not unlock the hands at the back. Again bring the elbows together and open them. At least 10 repetitions. This will help release upper back tension.

Neck Rotations

Perform neck rotations every couple of hours if you’re continuously working on the computer. Drop your neck on each side from one shoulder to the other. Rotate it right and left like you are saying “no”, look up at the ceiling and down. At least 10 repetitions of each rotation. This will help prevent stiffness in the neck.

Leg Extensions

While sitting on your chair you can perform leg extensions about 10 to 15 repetitions each leg. Just lift your leg in the bent knee position, extend the knee and bend it again bringing it back to the starting position. Do not put your foot down on the floor for an entire set.

Replace your chair

Try replacing your chair with a Swiss ball/exercise ball. This is an excellent way to relieve tension in the spinal cord, also helps to strengthen the back and abdomen and helps in improving your posture without you even noticing.

Stretch the back

Stand straight. Lift your arms over the head as if reaching up to the ceiling and stretch the entire body. Slowly tilt on to either sides stretching the oblique’s. Return to the straight position. Place your hands on the arch of your back/lower back and slowly hyperextend your back chin lifted up to the ceiling and release. Inhale as u extend, exhale as you release.

Just say “No”

Lunch time at work can sometimes be a lot of pressure from the colleagues to go grab a bite at the nearby mall or to just call for a pizza. All you need to do is say “NO”. There is no harm in saying so. Carry a healthy meal from home if possible or then call for something healthy and light which will be easy on the stomach as your going to be seated all day long. This will keep you away from the unwanted calories. Avoid the unconscious snacking on unhealthy stuff at the desk. Instead carry some fruit or drink green tea during breaks. Drink enough water. Do not eat only because you have nothing to do. Eat only when hungry and at the right time. Instead take some time out to properly eat your food which will avoid any further snacking.

Try these simple tricks at work to keep yourself active, away from stiffness and also a heavy stomach.

It’s OKAY to CHEAT ***

Here comes another dedication of mine, this time not to the ones who prefer short cuts but strictly to all my “fitness obsessed” lot. Yes, it may seem strange that all this while I had things to say to the unfit to motivate them to get started but now also to people who already are hooked on to fitness but that’s the point they are so badly hooked on they have no idea where to stop. Like all other things there is a flip side to fitness too and the flip side is Fitness Addiction, Obsession, thinking about your weight 24x7, setting targets your body can possibly never achieve, treating exercise as your only priority.

Fitness is good, exercising is good, following a “healthy” diet is good, being disciplined when it comes to your health is good but when all of this becomes an obsession its Dangerous. Having a realistic goal of becoming fit is good, having being able to do the household chores without aches and pains is good, increasing your stamina and strength is good but when the size zero and the hour glass figure becomes your goal, when the crash dieting sets in, when the sight of food starts haunting you, when you start spending insane number of hours in the gym, its Dangerous.

This is what I have seen happening to not only teenagers but also to a lot of women in their 30’s even 40’s. The teens have only one mantra to chant 36, 24, 36 and all the young mothers want their bodies to look like a celebrity mother. How about getting trained from them coz only they know what they actually have done to achieve what they have. Like I have always said each one of us is different in our own way and so is our body and all we can do or rather should do is recognise our own strengths and limitations, accept them and figure out our own individual goal unless u practically plan on walking the ramp. Well, actually even then.

The point I am trying to make here is relax, rest, take it easy. Don’t get obsessed by your workouts or by the way your body looks, don’t keep criticizing your weak areas, don’t keep complaining about not loosing the half inch you always wanted to loose from your waist. Stop counting calories every time you see food and please stop carrying your healthy food box everywhere you go. It’s just going to make you sound and look like a complete psycho. Instead appreciate the very difference your workouts have made on your body, be happy for the clothes you never thought you would fit into, its okay if the weighing scale did not show a weight loss this month or the measuring tape had the same measurements to show. What matters is you kept up to your levels and know where to work on. I am not saying switch to unhealthy but yes definitely loosen up a little.

That’s why I say it’s OKAY to CHEAT***. It’s all good if done once in a while. Of course you can have what you like once in a while in one meal. It’s okay to treat yourself with a cup of ice cream or a muffin once in a while. It’s okay if you happened to miss your workout that one day of the month. You’re not going to loose any weight in that one single day or in that case even gain any. Don’t let fitness become an obsession. This can only lead to an always unhappy body, lot of physical and emotional stress and therefore no positive result. Don’t treat your body like a machine. Love it, Respect it and satisfy your palette once in a while.

*** Only for the Fit.

Take the following test; if you answer YES for any one or more of the following questions, you may be obsessed and may want to start taking it easy.

1. Do you feel guilty when you eat?
2. You think you are fat always, no matter how thin you are?
3. Do you criticize your body?
4. Does working out justify your eating?
5. Do you avoid food when you haven’t done your workout?
6. Do you exercise even when you aren’t feeling well, have an injury or are exhausted?
7. Do you constantly compare yourself with others in the gym or magazines?