Quick Energy And Some Fitness Time Too
- Physical Culture was the term used in the early 1900s to describe fitness activities.
Try some of these activities to add energy and healthy exercise to your regular work. They are not complete workouts, of course–just ways to keep your body perking along nicely! When you do something that takes energy you will find you actually create more of it!
1. Keep one or two small weights under your desk. Pick a weight size that is challenging but not so difficult it will make you sweat if you do two or three sets of ten precise curls, with one arm or both.
2. Do wall push-aways to mimic a push up. Stand about two feet away from a wall, hands on the wall about shoulder width apart. Lower your body until your nose touches the wall, then push back. Does that sound and feel too easy? Try doing it s…l…o…w…l….y both directions. Not so easy, is it? Do ten of those. Your goal is to energize and tone muscle, not to sweat and strain in your work clothes.
3. Go to a quiet hallway or a stairwell–places where you can have privacy–and jog in place for a minute–Just enough to get your blood circulating but not so much you are hot and uncomfortable. Do that several times a day.
4. Stretch. Stand on tip-toe and rock back down, then up again and down again. Lift your arms over your head and stretch. Do neck stretches by slowly stretching your neck to look over your shoulder, each direction. Lean over and touch your toes while sitting.
5. Consider buying stretch bands that can be used for muscle toning and stretching. I tend to avoid suggesting things you must buy–but might not use. However, these are not extremely expensive and can be used in many settings.
6. Walk as much as you can, to as many places as possible. Put some spring and energy into your stride and make it an exercise.
7. Check websites and magazines for other fitness activities you can do in your office or while traveling.
8. Set your watch or cell phone to alert you every hour to remind you to exercise. That might also be a good time to remind you to drink some water.
Work is tiring–but we can add to our energy and our effectiveness by being more fit and healthy. Fitness breaks at work are one way to help make that possible.
