Working from home? Exercises and stretches to keep you moving!
Kitting your home office out with an electric standing desk can be one of the best decisions you make for yourself.
Alternating often between sitting and standing is one of the easiest things you can add to your routine in the fight against a sedentary lifestyle.
Of course, you can take it even further by actively working more physical activity into your daily routine.
It doesn’t even have to mean gearing up for a jog – staying active while working from home can be as simple as working the following exercises into your daily routine…
Walk, walk and walk some more
Who said you need to go out to your local footy oval to get a good walk in?
Whether it’s a few laps of the house or jogging up and down the stairs a couple of times, fitting more walking into your day can help you fight off the negative consequences of sedentary behaviour.
It doesn’t have to be for a long time, either – a little lap or a bit of pacing for just a few minutes, a couple of times a day, are simple activities that help fit just that little bit of extra cardiovascular exercise into your routine.
Even fidgeting while you’re using your electric standing desk can contribute.
Long story short: every little bit counts!
Make the most of your break times
What do you usually do during your break time?
If you’re like most of us, you find a seat and eat your lunch, maybe putting on a YouTube video, checking your socials or scrolling through the headlines while you’re at it.
However, you can do more with your break.
For example, you could put on a hat and pull on your runners and take a quick walk around the block to get the blood flowing. This could be as simple as 10 minutes before you return home to enjoy your lunch – and the rest of your break.
Getting outdoors is important, and even more during the current climate. Ensure you get even just a few minutes of fast-paced walking in every day – and it’s a great way to get that Vitamin D that a lot of us are lacking at the moment!
Do simple exercise routines
Do you work in a large office? Were you part of a group that participated in mandated stretch breaks?
It wasn’t just to help you feel better – even simple exercise routines can improve your wellbeing and protect you from many of the risks posed by being sedentary.
Be intentional about staying active – start by setting a timer and going through an exercise routine that will activate and stretch your muscles.
Adapted from Hanna Tómasdóttir, Osteopath and Physiotherapist (download the poster here), these simple exercises keep you on the move and help improve your health, with minimal effort on your part!
Exercise #1: Neck, shoulders and upper back stretching
Sitting for prolonged hours can cause pain in your neck, shoulders and upper back – that’s why you need to incorporate stretches that target those muscles.
We suggest starting by by:
- Holding your hands behind your head
- Lifting your head up and push your chest forward and your elbows backward
- Place your left or right hand on the side of your head and pull your head gently down
- Bend your neck gently towards your chest
Each of these put your neck, shoulders and upper back through their paces, reducing muscle problems in these vulnerable muscles.
Exercise #2: Spine exercises
Put your back into it!
When sitting in your ergonomic chair, straighten your back and try to cross your arms in front of your chest. Turn your upper body to the left or to the ride side up until what you can hold for a moment, and hold for 30 seconds.
When standing, straighten your back and put your feet and hip apart, and place your hands on the back touching your pelvis. Stretch backwards while looking up and try to keep your pelvis in the same position. Hold this position for 2 to 5 seconds, before letting go.
Another exercise is rotations, where you twist left and right while keeping your hips and pelvis as stable as possible. Hold this position for 2 to 5 seconds and repeat on the opposite side.
Exercise #3: Shoulders, back, and neck exercises
Stretches won’t always do the trick – sometimes, you need to take it a bit further.
This is especially important when it comes to your shoulders, back and neck – the muscles that are among the most vulnerable to issues like these.
If stretches on their own aren’t doing it, you can always try this:
- Stand with your back against the wall
- Raise your arms and bend your elbows, making sure that your shoulders are in contact with the wall
- Slowly slide both of your arms up and down along the wall, repeating the exercise for 4 times
Exercise #4: Elastic exercises
If you want, you can even squeeze some strength training into your work routine while standing!
You can hold an elastic band between both of your hands, slowly moving your arms and pressing your shoulder blades together.
You can also strengthen your back, shoulders, and arm muscles by placing the band underneath your feet and looping it around your hands, bending your hips and knees.
Keep the elastic band as tight as you should to feel the tension in the elastic band.
There are a wide range of different elastic exercises you can sprinkle in throughout the day – take just a few minutes between tasks to get your body moving and stretch those typical problem areas.
Use an electric standing desk
Each of these exercises can be a great way of protecting you from the negative health problems that can arise when you spend too much time sedentary.
The number way to fight that isn’t by exercising or going out of your way to be more active (though that’s a big help) – rather, the most effective way of countering it is by working more incidental exercise into your routine.
And that can be as simple as spending more time on your feet!
Standing desks allows you to stay away from the sedentary lifestyle that’s all too easy to fall into if you sit all day.
Not only that, but standing desks also:
- Improve your focus and alertness
- Reduce your risk of heart diseases and obesity
- Make you physically active and creates a healthier workplace for you
An electric standing desk is exactly what you need to help protect your health and wellbeing while working from home – and we’ve got just the thing for you.
Introducing our Edesk height adjustable desk
Designed for the needs of those who have made the transition to working from home, our Edesk range comes packed with all the features remote workers need, with a lower price and faster turnaround than our made-to-order offerings.
This range of height-adjustable desks:
- Comes with multiple save slots for height settings
- Has anti-collision technology to protect your fingers and property
- Features optional smartphone control
There are also a ton of handy ergonomic features that can be added to your desk to optimise your home office, including:
- Monitor arms
- CPU holders
- Cable trays
- Inbuilt electrical outlets
Stand up for your health – contact Ergomotion today on (03) 9579 1454 or fill in the form to get in touch with us today.
