It’s easy to pack on extra weight during winter, especially if you have a desk job. We can’t all afford a personal trainer or cosy home gym. After sitting in the office all day, fatigue and cold weather might dissuade you from exercising. Thankfully, there are some ways you can stay active while at your desk.
Here are some ways to fight seasonal flub from your desk:
- Sit on an exercise ball
- Desk push-ups
- Calf raises
- Bicep curls
- Chair dips
- Light-intensity aerobics
- Seated crunches
- Set reminder alarms
- Stay hydrated
1. Sit on An Exercise Ball
Your fight against winter weight should start with the exercise ball.
Research has shown that you passively burn calories faster by sitting on one than you would on an office chair. However, exercise balls are still surprisingly comfortable to use for long periods.
Their lack of a backrest also encourages you to stay active and alert. Since you can’t sink back and get too cosy, you’re more likely to stick to your deskercise routine.
You can burn even more weight if you incorporate some motion, such as lightly bouncing on the ball.
2. Desk Push-Ups
Since you’re stuck at your desk, why not use it for your workout?
To do desk push-ups, stand directly in front of your work area. Then take a few steps back, and place your hands on the surface at a little wider than shoulder-width.
Once you get your balance, you can try doing the push-up by lowering your chest to your desk. On the way back up, straighten your arms without locking them.
Remember to keep your back straight, and core tightened to help with balance.
Before you try it, though, make sure your desk can support the extra weight!
3. Calf Raises
Calf raises are an excellent way to stay active without getting out of breath. And even better, you can do them sitting or standing.
To do calf raises, lift your heels off the ground while balancing on the balls of your feet. Then slowly lower your heels back down and repeat.
Standing calf raises will burn more calories than sitting ones. Especially if you hold something heavy to add extra weight.
If done right, you should feel a tightness in your calf during the exercise.
In addition to helping keep winter flub off, calf raises can make your legs look fantastic.
4. Bicep Curls
You probably knew you could do bicep curls at the gym. However, it’s just as easy to do them at your desk.
And you don’t need a dumbbell either!
If you have anything heavy near your desk, such as a stapler or hole puncher, you can use that to lift.
Stand up with the item in one hand at your side. Next, raise the item towards your shoulder by bending your elbow. Then, slowly bring your hand with the object down again.
Bicep curls burn calories and build muscle. By doing them, you can make your arms appear leaner and less flabby.
5. Chair Dips
Chair dips are one of the more challenging (and rewarding) deskercises you can try. They work out almost all the muscles in your upper body.
To do them:
- Scoot forward and place your palms on the chair with your fingers facing forward.
- Plant your feet and your legs in front of you.
- Dip your body down until your upper arms are parallel to the ground. Then, rise back up slowly to the starting position and repeat.
Check before you do the exercise that your chair doesn’t have wheels. Otherwise, you might send your seat rolling across the room and cause a bit of a commotion!
6. Light-Intensity Aerobics
Staying active doesn’t always mean lifting weights.
An excellent deskercise method is to take one minute of every hour to do some light aerobics. That way, you can stay active without working so hard that you sweat at the office all day.
What aerobics you do will vary depending on your workspace, of course.
If things are cramped, stick to jogging in place or stationary knee raises. However, if you have extra room (and your office mates don’t mind the noise), try some jumping jacks.
Since winter months bring colder weather, you may feel less inclined to go for a run outside. By doing regular cardio at your desk instead, you can fight seasonal flub without braving the elements.
7. Seated Crunches
Seated crunches help you keep your stomach flat by fighting fat around your abdomen. By doing them, you’ll feel much more confident in your swimsuit or bikini once summer rolls around.
To try seated crunches:
- Scoot forward on your seat and grip your armrests firmly.
- Stick your legs straight in front of you off the ground.
- Bring your knees to your chest and contract your abs. Afterwards, return to the starting position and repeat as desired.
Crunches, even seated ones, are pretty challenging. So don’t feel discouraged if it takes some practice to get your balance down and perform them consistently.
8. Set Reminder Alarms
Virtual meetings, emails, phone calls – the list of distractions at your desk goes on.
As a result, you might struggle to remember what exercises to do and when. Particularly on those busy days where everyone seems to need something from you.
Consistency is critical in fighting winter fluff. So, to remedy the issue, start putting some alarms on your phone or another device to remind you to deskercise. You can set these up to go off at the end of every hour, for example. From a productivity perspective, this is a great habit to make, too, as working too long without a break is not advisable.
Alternatively, you can make a habit of doing a quick workout or set after specific tasks. Such as sending an email.
9. Stay Hydrated
Hydration is as vital for deskercise as it is for regular exercise.
Increasing your activity at your desk means your body will need more water. So, make sure you keep a hydro flask or bottle nearby throughout the day.
Additionally, research has shown that adequate hydration boosts the efficiency of physical activity. Meaning you can do more exercises throughout the day while feeling more energised.
And if all that wasn’t enough, water is also a healthy way to flush out toxins and boost your metabolism. A faster metabolism causes your body to burn more calories and store less fat.
So, when it comes to fighting seasonal weight gain, water is your best friend.