We're all familiar with the problem — you know you should get exercise, but you also know you need to have those numbers to your boss by 3 p.m., or that you can't skip that client meeting in the morning.
If you're finding it hard to make the time to balance both a workout and a workday, you're certainly not alone. But one personal trainer who just happens to be a former body building title holder has some ideas on how to combine the two.
Theresa Roemer, former owner of several gyms and personal training companies, and 1999 U.S. Open title holder for body building, says exercising while at the office can be the key to getting more done, and feeling better about it.
"Getting the blood pumping and pushing all those positive endorphins to the brain, you will literally turn your body engine over as if you had another eight hours sleep," Roemer says. "And it needs to happen in the middle of the day, when you need it most."
Below are Roemer's nine moves you can easily do at your office (or for that matter, anywhere at all):
"Do any of these, or a combination of them each day and you will notice a difference in your attitude, performance, and overall strength," says Roemer.
Office Exercises
1. Sit up straight at your desk engaging your core muscles. If your upper and lower abs are working, its like doing light crunches as opposed to sitting hunched over, which means no muscles are engaged and they are literally like Jello.
2. While sitting up and straight, squeeze your glute muscles, pulsing up and down in your seat. These are mini-squats in your chair. Do three reps of ten each, you should feel the burn. Alternate your glute squeeze, one side and then the next, rapid-fire for two minutes straight.
3. Work your calf muscles by toggling back and forth (up on your toes and then in a flex), in sync. Put emphasis on the stretch forward and back, feel the muscles on the backs of your legs push and pull. Do three reps of ten.
4. If you have a chair with arms, lift your body up doing arm push-ups and hold your body weight up just two inches from the chair for 10-20 seconds before releasing. You can also pulse in place doing three reps of ten. This is great for the lateral muscles in your arms.
5. Leave your desk and go for a brisk 10-minute walk anywhere you feel comfortable. This could be up and down a set of stairs in your building, or around the block. As long as the walk is brisk and your heart rate goes up, you’ve achieved the goal.
6. If you have an office or can hop into a private conference room, just 60 seconds of jumping jacks will do wonders for your heart and brain.
7.If you have a private space, do 5-10 push-ups, or hold a plank for 10-20 seconds. This will strengthen your core and improve your overall strength, while also speeding up your heart rate.
8. Stand about three feet from a wall, facing it, and place your hands on the wall, shoulder-width apart and chest high. Lean forward and do push-ups off the wall, for three reps of ten.