Exercises to do at your desk to avoid weakened muscles

Sitting at your desk all day can leave your body feeling sore and stiff, but sometimes there is nothing you can do about it when you have deadlines looming.

“Many of us have jobs that require us to sit at our desks to work and worrying about our joints is not even a consideration until something starts to hurt,” says Odette Vass, brand manager for OsteoEze®.

“What many of us don’t realise is that prolonged sitting can have a negative effect on our bodies.”

Adverse body changes such as weakened muscles in your shoulders due to slouching, weakened muscles in your legs and glutes from excessive sitting,  lower back pain, decreased blood flow, digestive problems due to a compressed abdomen, and even a possibility of developing arthritis in your back, can all occur while sitting at your desk.

“These negative possibilities, and more, should be enough to get you up from your desk and start stretching” says Vass.

No longer should sitting at your desk be an excuse for sore muscles and joints. Vass suggests the following exercises that can be done at your desk to avoid all the aches and pains of sitting all day:

1. Work out your abs and have fun doing it. If you have a swivel chair use it to get those obliques working. Push your chair slightly away from your desk, and lightly place your fingertips on the edge of the table. Lift your feet off the ground, sit upright and using your abs, swivel from side to side.
2. To relieve tension in your back from sitting for too long, simply cross your right arm over your body and rest your hand on your left hip. Then twist your body to the right until your feel the stretch. Hold this position for a few seconds, and then swap over to the other side.
3. This is one you can do while typing. Sit up straight and lift both your legs in front of you. Very slowly start to drop your legs back to the floor, engaging your stomach muscles as you go. Once your feet are hovering above the ground, keep them there for as long as you can.
4. Similar to the exercise above, but this time give each a turn. Move to the edge of your chair, sit up straight and raise only one leg at a time. Keep each leg raised for 10 seconds before returning it to the ground and lifting the other leg.
5. Looking to relieve tension in your shoulders? Simply raise them. Lift your shoulders towards your ears and hold for 10 seconds. For a bigger stretch alternate your shoulders.
6. To get your blood flowing and your legs moving, incorporate foot drills into your sitting time. Tap your feet quickly, under your desk, for a period of 30 seconds.
7. Simply get up and walk around. Get the blood flowing to your legs and loosen up your joints. Get a cup of coffee, say hello to a co-worker or take a quick lap around the office.

Incorporating these exercises into your workday routine can help “wake up” your joints and muscles after long periods of sitting. However, if your joints are taking a beating, incorporating a joint supplement into your daily vitamin intake will have a beneficial effect.

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