Breathing and Flexibility Training at Your Desk
Friday, December 11, 2009
Do you have a desk job? I do, and many times sitting all day can really take a physical toll on the body, making us more tired, and less apt to working out or getting the physical activity that our body's naturally crave when you get home.
It seems counterintuitive, but sitting all day actually makes you more tired than if you had been up and about all day because you haven't gotten your blood pumping and the blood becomes oxygen deprived, which makes us feel fatigued, even though we haven't physically exerted ourselves all day.
Like I said, counterintuitive. You'd think you would be bursting with restless energy after sitting at a desk all day in front of a computer, but that is not usually the case.
How many times have you gotten home from your desk job, and felt exhausted, ready to fall into bed or on to the couch and call it a night? Well, there are some little exercises that you can do right at your desk if you don't happen to have a workout facility at your place of employment, or somewhere near to go to get some physical activity in for the day.
One of my favorite moves, with also helps to relieve neck and back pain, and is sort of like a yoga move, is one that focuses on both tightening the tummy and making us sit taller in our chairs, bringing more oxygen to the blood, and rejuvenating the mind.
First, sit up straight in your chair. Be mindful to keep your stomach pressed in, but still keep breathing as smoothly and evenly as possible. Next, imagine your head is spiraling up toward the ceiling, while your shoulders are consciously down, far away from your ears.
As you exhale, expand the belly out. Repeat this several times, breathing smoothly. This should help get your blood circulating and serve as a refresher. Another one, this one more for you lower body, is to increase circulation in the legs, as well as to enhance flexibility in this rarely used area.
It's a simple ankle roll. One foot at a time, imagine your toes are reaching out of their shoes. Rotate the entire foot in one continuous circle, first clockwise ten times, then counterclockwise ten times. At the end, flex your foot and extend it out for about five times to loosen up the arch of the foot as well.
You should notice, even doing this keeps the body warmer by enhancing your circulation. The next stretch is for your lower back. Sitting up straight, imagine again your head is extending in to the sky. Gently twist to one side with your hand on your sacrum, which is the bony part between your back and buttocks.
Be sure to do this one very slowly, and don't kink or twist too hard. Keep the breath fluid, and go slow, and you will find that your body will relax and you can go further into this position. Do this to each side, and hold each pose for about thirty seconds for optimum benefit.
This next one may look a little more obvious, but you should be able to do it with no problems discreetly when no one is looking, and it feels really good because it releases a lot of hip tension, which many of us don't even realize we have.
Sit as if your were going to cross your legs over one another, but don't do it all the way, leaving your ankle on your knee. Next, elevate your bottom leg, which will lift the top leg resting on the bottom leg as well, toward your chest. You may need to back away from your desk for this one.
You should feel an excellent stretch in your outer hip flexor. These definitely are not the only stretching for flexibility exercises you can do at your desk.
You can probably even create some of your own to target your most tense areas, but just be aware not to push to hard and to use your breath to go further into the pose. It's like therapeutic, circulation-enhancing and mind clearing yoga - at your desk!
It seems counterintuitive, but sitting all day actually makes you more tired than if you had been up and about all day because you haven't gotten your blood pumping and the blood becomes oxygen deprived, which makes us feel fatigued, even though we haven't physically exerted ourselves all day.
Like I said, counterintuitive. You'd think you would be bursting with restless energy after sitting at a desk all day in front of a computer, but that is not usually the case.
How many times have you gotten home from your desk job, and felt exhausted, ready to fall into bed or on to the couch and call it a night? Well, there are some little exercises that you can do right at your desk if you don't happen to have a workout facility at your place of employment, or somewhere near to go to get some physical activity in for the day.
One of my favorite moves, with also helps to relieve neck and back pain, and is sort of like a yoga move, is one that focuses on both tightening the tummy and making us sit taller in our chairs, bringing more oxygen to the blood, and rejuvenating the mind.
First, sit up straight in your chair. Be mindful to keep your stomach pressed in, but still keep breathing as smoothly and evenly as possible. Next, imagine your head is spiraling up toward the ceiling, while your shoulders are consciously down, far away from your ears.
As you exhale, expand the belly out. Repeat this several times, breathing smoothly. This should help get your blood circulating and serve as a refresher. Another one, this one more for you lower body, is to increase circulation in the legs, as well as to enhance flexibility in this rarely used area.
It's a simple ankle roll. One foot at a time, imagine your toes are reaching out of their shoes. Rotate the entire foot in one continuous circle, first clockwise ten times, then counterclockwise ten times. At the end, flex your foot and extend it out for about five times to loosen up the arch of the foot as well.
You should notice, even doing this keeps the body warmer by enhancing your circulation. The next stretch is for your lower back. Sitting up straight, imagine again your head is extending in to the sky. Gently twist to one side with your hand on your sacrum, which is the bony part between your back and buttocks.
Be sure to do this one very slowly, and don't kink or twist too hard. Keep the breath fluid, and go slow, and you will find that your body will relax and you can go further into this position. Do this to each side, and hold each pose for about thirty seconds for optimum benefit.
This next one may look a little more obvious, but you should be able to do it with no problems discreetly when no one is looking, and it feels really good because it releases a lot of hip tension, which many of us don't even realize we have.
Sit as if your were going to cross your legs over one another, but don't do it all the way, leaving your ankle on your knee. Next, elevate your bottom leg, which will lift the top leg resting on the bottom leg as well, toward your chest. You may need to back away from your desk for this one.
You should feel an excellent stretch in your outer hip flexor. These definitely are not the only stretching for flexibility exercises you can do at your desk.
You can probably even create some of your own to target your most tense areas, but just be aware not to push to hard and to use your breath to go further into the pose. It's like therapeutic, circulation-enhancing and mind clearing yoga - at your desk!
Strength training guides are available for every situation, but how do you know which is right for you? Strength training is not just for bodybuilders and weight lifters. It is for everyone who desires a healthy lifestyle.
Any exercise routine should include a strength training component. It doesn't matter if you are a stay-at-home mother, an athlete or an office worker; strength training is crucial for internal and external fitness.
Strength Training Guides Brute Force
When you mention the word strength, it evokes images of Charles Atlas and muscular men and women lifting weights for hours in a fitness center. But strength means having a capacity for endurance and exertion.
That definition erases images of brute force and makes it readily apparent that strength training is something that will benefit anyone. Strength training guides are designed to meet every need:
- Athletes who compete regularly
- Weekend sports enthusiasts
- Anyone who wants a healthy lifestyle
- Senior citizens
- People recuperating from illness or injury
- Persons plagued by obesity
- Those who want to supplement their fitness center activities
Even children are candidates for strength training. The fact of the matter is that the sooner you start good exercise habits, the better your health will be over the years.
Many of us wait until there is a problem to begin a strength training program, when it is much more productive to prevent the problem in the first place.
Strength Training Guides Brawn and Brains
So exactly what is strength training? Strength training is muscle development. This does not mean trying to become a world-class weight lifter. What it means is you should be doing exercises that tone and strengthen all muscles groups, including the critical core group in the torso. Strength training is just one component of a fitness program.
A program can include floor and mat target exercises, use of gym equipment and lifting free weights. But it doesn't make sense to just jump into a program without establishing a plan that fits your lifestyle and your goals. Strength training guides fill those purposes.
- Offers complete strength training routines that address your primary goals
- Shows how to progress in a way you do not injure yourself
- Describes how to target specific problem areas such as expanding hips or thighs
- Gives suggestions for compatible nutrition programs
- Shows how to integrate strength training into a full body program
- Helps you individualize your strength training program
Strength training guides do all these things and more. Guides help you avoid the major pitfalls of normal exercise programs. When you use guides to keep you on track, brains and brawn will combine to make a fit body.
Strength Training Guides Robust Vitality
People who are strong mentally, spiritually and physically exude a robust vitality that is catching. Strength training guides put you on the same path of energy. Core strength reduces the chances of heart disease. Muscle tone improves self-esteem.
Physical conditioning helps with stress reduction for peace of mind. Strength training guides you systematically through exercises that are effective. They also assist you with avoiding common mistakes and problems.
- Over training whereby you exhaust muscles to the point they become weak
- Establishing a routine that increases at a programmed pace
- Overworking the same muscles groups
- Plateau'ing
Strength training guides come in many formats, including videos, books, online sites and software programs. There is no reason to implement a strength training program without assistance.
Any exercise routine should include a strength training component. It doesn't matter if you are a stay-at-home mother, an athlete or an office worker; strength training is crucial for internal and external fitness.
Strength Training Guides Brute Force
When you mention the word strength, it evokes images of Charles Atlas and muscular men and women lifting weights for hours in a fitness center. But strength means having a capacity for endurance and exertion.
That definition erases images of brute force and makes it readily apparent that strength training is something that will benefit anyone. Strength training guides are designed to meet every need:
- Athletes who compete regularly
- Weekend sports enthusiasts
- Anyone who wants a healthy lifestyle
- Senior citizens
- People recuperating from illness or injury
- Persons plagued by obesity
- Those who want to supplement their fitness center activities
Even children are candidates for strength training. The fact of the matter is that the sooner you start good exercise habits, the better your health will be over the years.
Many of us wait until there is a problem to begin a strength training program, when it is much more productive to prevent the problem in the first place.
Strength Training Guides Brawn and Brains
So exactly what is strength training? Strength training is muscle development. This does not mean trying to become a world-class weight lifter. What it means is you should be doing exercises that tone and strengthen all muscles groups, including the critical core group in the torso. Strength training is just one component of a fitness program.
A program can include floor and mat target exercises, use of gym equipment and lifting free weights. But it doesn't make sense to just jump into a program without establishing a plan that fits your lifestyle and your goals. Strength training guides fill those purposes.
- Offers complete strength training routines that address your primary goals
- Shows how to progress in a way you do not injure yourself
- Describes how to target specific problem areas such as expanding hips or thighs
- Gives suggestions for compatible nutrition programs
- Shows how to integrate strength training into a full body program
- Helps you individualize your strength training program
Strength training guides do all these things and more. Guides help you avoid the major pitfalls of normal exercise programs. When you use guides to keep you on track, brains and brawn will combine to make a fit body.
Strength Training Guides Robust Vitality
People who are strong mentally, spiritually and physically exude a robust vitality that is catching. Strength training guides put you on the same path of energy. Core strength reduces the chances of heart disease. Muscle tone improves self-esteem.
Physical conditioning helps with stress reduction for peace of mind. Strength training guides you systematically through exercises that are effective. They also assist you with avoiding common mistakes and problems.
- Over training whereby you exhaust muscles to the point they become weak
- Establishing a routine that increases at a programmed pace
- Overworking the same muscles groups
- Plateau'ing
Strength training guides come in many formats, including videos, books, online sites and software programs. There is no reason to implement a strength training program without assistance.
Your choice of ab workouts can mean the difference between great progress and definite results in your abdominal area or not getting any results at all and possibly being injured.
There are hundreds of muscles in the torso - the abdominals (all layers), lower and mid back, pelvic region, obliques and the popular 'love handle' areas are loaded with muscles of all different sizes, shapes, lengths and angles - which require specific ab exercises to produce the desired effect for optimal fitness.
The following exercises can serve as an abdominal training primer for beginners or they can be added or substituted into your current abs workout routine.
1 Lying face up, hand down at your side. Bring your legs up, knees slightly bent with the bottom of your feet toward the ceiling. This is your start position. While keeping the abdominals pulled in (contracted), slowly lower your right leg, until the heel touches the ground, and then raise it back up. Do this fifteen times. Then switch legs.
2 Lying face up with knees bent, feet off the floor. Arms are extended as if reaching toward the sky if you were standing. As you breathe out, slowly bring your knees toward you by contracting your abdominals (pulling inward). Then breathe in as you return to the start position.
3 - Lying face up with knees bent, heels on the ground and toes pointing up. Lift your butt off the ground, and pull your stomach in (contract the abs) to engage the core muscles. Now, here is where the fun starts. Lift one foot off the floor, extending that leg until it is straight, bring it back to the start position (heel on ground) and then do the same with the other leg. Keep alternating until you do a total of twenty reps, ten on each side.
If this exercise sequence is too easy, go through it again and see how you do. If it was too challenging, decrease the number of repetitions to about five and do this every other day. Gradually increase the repetitions as your core gets stronger.
A big mistake many people, even trainers, make is to mimic the abdominal routines of bodybuilders or power-lifters.
The problem with that is most people are not bodybuilders or power-lifters - and these people tend to over-train anyway (I know this because I used to do it myself!). The problems here range from a lot of wasted time to serious, long term injuries.
This happens every day to people who try to exercise without proper guidance and its one the reasons why physical therapists are so busy!
Proper ab workouts must be designed to provide the most effective exercise training stimulus to the entire midsection, in the shortest amount of time, with minimal risk of injury. The problem is it is extremely rare to find an abdominal and core exercise program that meets all of these criteria.
Structure your own workouts according to the principles outlined above, with the proper selection of ab exercises for effective and safe results.
There are hundreds of muscles in the torso - the abdominals (all layers), lower and mid back, pelvic region, obliques and the popular 'love handle' areas are loaded with muscles of all different sizes, shapes, lengths and angles - which require specific ab exercises to produce the desired effect for optimal fitness.
The following exercises can serve as an abdominal training primer for beginners or they can be added or substituted into your current abs workout routine.
1 Lying face up, hand down at your side. Bring your legs up, knees slightly bent with the bottom of your feet toward the ceiling. This is your start position. While keeping the abdominals pulled in (contracted), slowly lower your right leg, until the heel touches the ground, and then raise it back up. Do this fifteen times. Then switch legs.
2 Lying face up with knees bent, feet off the floor. Arms are extended as if reaching toward the sky if you were standing. As you breathe out, slowly bring your knees toward you by contracting your abdominals (pulling inward). Then breathe in as you return to the start position.
3 - Lying face up with knees bent, heels on the ground and toes pointing up. Lift your butt off the ground, and pull your stomach in (contract the abs) to engage the core muscles. Now, here is where the fun starts. Lift one foot off the floor, extending that leg until it is straight, bring it back to the start position (heel on ground) and then do the same with the other leg. Keep alternating until you do a total of twenty reps, ten on each side.
If this exercise sequence is too easy, go through it again and see how you do. If it was too challenging, decrease the number of repetitions to about five and do this every other day. Gradually increase the repetitions as your core gets stronger.
A big mistake many people, even trainers, make is to mimic the abdominal routines of bodybuilders or power-lifters.
The problem with that is most people are not bodybuilders or power-lifters - and these people tend to over-train anyway (I know this because I used to do it myself!). The problems here range from a lot of wasted time to serious, long term injuries.
This happens every day to people who try to exercise without proper guidance and its one the reasons why physical therapists are so busy!
Proper ab workouts must be designed to provide the most effective exercise training stimulus to the entire midsection, in the shortest amount of time, with minimal risk of injury. The problem is it is extremely rare to find an abdominal and core exercise program that meets all of these criteria.
Structure your own workouts according to the principles outlined above, with the proper selection of ab exercises for effective and safe results.
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