Office Exercise

Who does this? I want to try to burn 100 calories (+) a day at the office doing toning exercises while I work, or in the washroom during downtime, or in the stairwells (I have 4 floors worth I can use) or at my desk when no one is looking / around. Anyone weird like me and have any ideas on how to do this?

I usually go for a little walk / stroll at lunch outside (which I'll do again today, of course) but can anyone suggest anything else? I'm *really* trying to tighten / tone.

H

Oh - and if I do stairs - is it ok to do in heels? I forgot my sneakers today :(

I would say heels would be fine from an exercise perspective. Of course, this is coming from a guy who's never worn heels in his life and who personally doesn't understand how anyone does anything in them.

And yeah, doing some exercise at work is definetly beneficial, even just fidgiting, or getting up to walk every so often, take stairs instead of the elevator, walk to someone's desk instead of calling, stuff like that really can add up.

I have put a lot of thought into burning extra calories at work and think you are on the right track!!  Now doing these exercises is another story!!  In addition to going for a little walk (I sometimes do 30 minutes around my office complex) you can try this:

• 10 squats every time you go to the ladies room.  I usually do them at the sink
• 5 pushups at the sink (I try to do these when no one is around, ha)
• I have a resisitance band attached to the wall behind my office door and when I am on long conferencec calls, I put the phone on mute and do some reps
• 3 or 5 lbs weights stashed under the desk.  Again, when on long conference calls
• General stretching
• I just bought one of those big exercise balls that you blow up and do crunches on.  I am thinking about stashing it in the corner and pulling it out to do crunches, again during long conf calls while on mute.

Of course, if you are in a cube environment I still suggest doing some of these but it is up to you and how you feel around your co workers.  Personally I think they would admire your efforts.  Good luck!

Whee, that's a good list Mykanos has there - the only thing I'd add is that if you replace your chair with the fitness ball, you're going to be using your core muscles for what they're actually supposed to do, stabilize your torso in an upright position.

 It's probably impractical to use the ball all the time, but if you use it as your chair for a while each day you'll notice improvements in core stabilization and posture - I certainly have from using mine as a chair for part of the day :)

I do dips using the arms of my office chair.  Sitting down, hold knees straight in front and push up with the chair arms and back down.  Or hold in the up position.

Tee hee - guys this is awesome!

I found a few I'm going to try and stick to from your list - but here is a good one I just thought of:

Stairs (Down) - when going down, instead of just going down (I have 3 flights (6 groupings) to do. I go down two, up one, down two, up one, down two, up one... so it's like climbing them all over again. Sounds a bit redundant, but it only takes a minute or two and is a great leg workout. (I am farrr from a  germaphobe and I took my shoes off so I could do them faster) Try side-stepping instead of up and down. :)

Stairs (Up) - when going up, go up an extra floor or two and them back down. No one can tease you in a stairwell.

Bathroom - I'm going to do 25 dips (back to the counter top) to work my arms, and then 25 plie squats facing the mirror after every 'pee'!

Office - seated calf raises - do as many as I can while clenching abs / bum. (Couple hundred until i get distracted) 

Lunch Break - get out before lunch and go for a 15 - 20 minute walk - or to a park if there is one nearby and play on the monkey bars. Dips on the lower bars or step-ups on a bench.

blaaaaaaah i wish I had stairs and I wish I had paid lunches. We use to then a few people I work with started taking two hour lunches, or leaving work getting food, eating, then coming back and taking their 30 in office. Now we clock out for lunch if we leave the building which sucks cause I'm barely making 70 hours as it is, and to lose a half each day to walk just isnt going to work. I've been trying to do my own variations of exercises. Moving around till I find something that works my muscles. We get heavy parcels of film each day, about 9 pounds. I walk down the hall throwing it up catching it and dipping into a squat then throwing it up again. When I get time, I stretch, and do jumping jacks to get my heart going. I've tried thesink push ups but they dont work well. I might do the ball thing as a chair. I type 99 percent of the day so I have no real time for resistance bands. I think I might get one of those mini exercise bikes for under the desk but I havent found any reviews or info on whether they work or not.

When in heels go up the stairs but not down. Heels are hard on your knees and ankles anyway add going down and it can be a real strain. Besides going down doesn't burn that many calories.

Your Stairs (down) exercise changes that, but I still would hesitate to do it in heels.

All these exercises sound great!  My only problem - I work in a cube farm where we are squashed in like sardines and there are no stairs.  I'm chained to my desk most of the day so it seems like the best thing to do is take a walk around the building.

I actually feel good about this today. my arms feel great from over 125 dips today (5 bathroom breaks at 25 dips apiece - SO FAR), my legs feel good from 125 plie squats (5 at 25/each), my tummy feels tight-ish and I'm proud of all of the up and down stairs. Tomorrow, I bring sneakers and do stairs for 15 - 20 mins at lunch. :)

Also, I'm going to walk home from work (2 miles), then later in the evening (7pm) I'm going to walk/jog to a friend's baseball game (4 miles) and then probably get picked up, as I'll be toast by then :)

 

The last building I worked in had a 6 flight of stairs and you'd think I would have used them more, but no.......

wow. i have no time in my day to do chair-dips, extra flights or crunches. wow. but, all in all, what i count as a desk job burns as many calories as these techniques by rushing around, going up and down stairs with a purpose and lugging boxes and files around.

i do flex my abs all day, off and on.... but thats all i have time for!

I used a fitness ball as my chair at my desk at school and it really did work wonders just sitting on it for a few hours a day.  Pretty much everyone who came to my room always commented on it and thought it was a great idea.  Its incredibly comfy after a few sore days too!!

I've never used a fitness ball before but I work from home and that would be an easy change.  Is it safe/recommended to sit in it all day if that is an option?  Is there one better than another?  Any info you can give me, I would really appreciate as I think I'll go buy one.

I used an exercise ball before and really liked it until it started leaking (which was about 6 months into using it). Get a big ball.  I just started using one again yesterday. I had to blow it up about 3 times before I got the air the way I wanted.

Now I burn extra calories just holding myself straight. I can bounce, rock back and forth and if I'm on a boring conference call ancor my feet and do some sit ups. Be careful though falling hurts!

I love my ball--great for toning the core. Cheaper than an office chair too.

I work in an office with only men. So they would probably look at me so weird if I started doing squats in my office.

So, I got a thigh master. And its awesome! I am able to sit here in my chair and excerise one of my biggest problem areas and no one can really see.

Just a thought

Hey Hettyanne, the squats in the bathroom were a great idea.  I started doing them today :)

Everytime I go to the toilet I do 10 squats, 10 lunges on each leg, 10 "push ups" against the wall, 10 arm dips using the toilet lid and a quick stretch.  I usually do this 3 -4 time during my working day.  :o)

Not sure how much benefit I am gettting, I asked the same question before on here but people said I was probably wasting my time.  :o(  I like doing it though so why not.

http://officeworkout.msn.com/?GT1=25043

Bob Harper came up with these office exercises.

I am a receptionist and sit in front of big windows and I managed to squeeze in a work out or two during the day.

Its exilerating thinking, I'm getting away with exercising instead of working! (he he)

tsthin;

Great link, thank you!  I just did seated ab crunches and I do feel like I am "getting away with exercising instead of working"  I work at a hot springs spa that sits on 11 acres so walking is something I can do at lunch, but I never thought of the great workouts you and do at your desk!

 

Thanks again!