You'd Better Sit Down For This.

Raise your hand if you sit at a desk all day. If extending the palm of your hand above your head is the most you move in an 8-10 hour period, I hereby pronounce you a Desk Jockey. Have no fear, here at The Steady Climb, we have a few things you can do to sneak in a little more exercise than raising your hand. Don't worry, your nosy co-workers will not be on to you:

1. Breathing: Take 10 deep, uninterrupted breaths. You'll be amazed as to what simply breathing will do for you. You remember how to do it, right? Inhallllleee....exhalllllee.
2. Shoulder Roller:Sit straight up, roll your shoulders back and down 4 times, then up and forward 4 times. As you do this, contract your abdominal muscles (yes, they're in there) and continue to inhale and exhale deeply
3. Press-Up: Keep sitting up straight with your shoulders back (tough, isn't it?) and press your hands next to your hips and into the chair. Straighten out your arms as you push up -you should feel a stretch in your shoulders and a bit of a sensation in your triceps (those little muscles at the back of the arm)
4. Knee-Ups: Sit with your knees bent and your feet on the floor. Try to lift both feet off the floor, while keeping the knees bent. If that doesn't work, start by lifting one foot off the floor, bringing it down, then lifting the other. This will help strengthen the quadriceps and lower abdomen
5. Flutter Kicks: Straighten out your legs, while seated. Alternate lifting each foot off the floor while keeping your legs straight (but not locked). This will help elevate the heart rate and strengthen the legs and abdomen
6. Shoulder Presses: Find something near you that weighs 3-10lbs (no, not your computer, or your Intern) -- while seated, place the object on the floor. Contract your abdomen as you pick the object up and raise it over your head as you sit upright. 10 times, each side.

And here's just a couple of tips for making your day at the office just a tad healthier.

1. Remove all junk from your desk/office: End the mindless munching. Just because you're on an endless conference call with Asia does not warrant a gorge fest on leftover fried won-ton
2. Email, schmemail: Do you really need to email your boss, whose office is down the hall, that your report will be on his desk first thing in the morning? Get up, walk, talk, walk back. Same with the gossip emails to your co-workers
3. Climb Every Mountain: Your office is on the 4th floor. Do you really need to take the elevator? If the answer is yes, try walking up to the 2nd floor and taking the elevator from there. Work up to taking the stairs wherever and whenever possible
4. Get Outta Here: Never, ever, ever eat a meal at your desk. Make it a rule to go somewhere, anywhere, but your desk to eat. This can only lead to senseless, careless eating. Pizza crust stuck in your keyboard is not easy to get out.
5. It's (enter name here) Birthday!!: A birthday/anniversary/promotion/going away celebration will miraculously be commemorated even if you don't eat that second or third piece of cake. I'm a huge fan of cake. One piece is cake, 2 or more is trouble. Remember, it's always someones birthday
6. The Reception Deception: Just because the receptionist has a giant candy jar on his/her desk, doesn't mean it's there for you. Pretend it's for the clients/customers only and keep your hands out of it

Keep in mind that while you're working in a confined space all day, you can still initiate healthy options and a few exercises. You'll be amazed at how much you can do just by doing a little at a time. Stay tuned, we'll be back with some more tips and exercises you can do while performing your daily professional duties. You're multi-taskers. You can take it.

You can put your hand down now.

Keep Climbing,

ELD