Best Way to Do an Easy Office Workout

The exercises that follow together make up a ten-minute workout that you can do at your desk to relieve the stress hot spots – neck, back and shoulders – calm your mind and energize your entire system.

Breathe into your shoulders

Moving in rhythm with your breath helps release tension and stiffness, improves concentration and increases energy levels. This exercise is particularly helpful for RSI (Repetitive Strain Injury) sufferers.

Instructions

• Sit with your back straight, your chest lifted and your shoulders rolling back. Move your abdomen back and up, and your tailbone in. Have your feet hip distance apart with your toes pointing straight forward. If your feet are not firmly flat on the floor place books beneath them.
• Interlace your fingers. Exhale and press the hands forwards horizontally away from your chest, turning your palms out and then straightening your arms.
• Keeping your arms straight, inhale and extend the arms vertically above your head, moving your elbows in.
• Exhale, keep your hands above your head and bend the elbows out to the sides. Resting your hands on the crown of your head, take your shoulders down and extend the elbows away from one other.
• Inhale and extend the arms above your head. Press the thumb side of your hand up higher than the little finger side.
• Exhale and take your arms forward.
• Repeat several times in a continuous movement, changing the interlace of your fingers halfway through so that the other hand is on top.

Focus points

•  Keep your chest lifted, even when bringing your arms down.
•  Breathe through your nose without holding your breath. Your breathing should be soft, slow, deep and rhythmic.

Energizing chest opener

This position improves posture and increases energy by opening the chest. It relieves stiffness and tension in the shoulders, upper back and neck.

Instructions

• Sit forward on your chair with your back straight and your feet hip distance apart. If your feet are not firmly flat on the floor, place books beneath them.
• Place your hands on the back of your seat with your fingers pointing forwards. Take your shoulders down, point your elbows back and lift your chest.
• Inhale and lift your chest to look up to the ceiling. Exhale. Hold for as long as you feel comfortable, lifting your chest with each inhalation, and maintaining the lift with each exhalation.
• Inhale, keeping your chest lifted, come up and raise. Repeat twice.

Focus points

•  Keep your shoulders back and down.
•  Take your shoulder blades into the flesh of your back and down.
•  If you feel any discomfort in your neck, do not hold the position.
•  Take your abdomen towards your back; keep your tailbone in.

Unwind your spine

This balancing exercise has a calming, restorative and energizing effect on your whole system.

Instructions

• Sit with your back straight, your chest lifted and your shoulders rolling back. Move your abdomen back and up. Have your feet hip distance apart with your toes pointing straight forward. If your feet are not firmly flat on the ground place books beneath them.
• Breathe in, extending the spine up.
• Breathe out, turning to your right. Hold the back of your chair with your right hand. Bring your left hand to the outer right thigh.

• Breathe in and lift further. Breathe out and turn further. Without forcing your neck, turn your head around to look behind you.
• Breathe in and lift. As you breathe out come back to the front.
• Repeat to the left, and repeat the whole cycle several times in one continuous flow. Try to turn a little farther each time.

Focus points

•  Keep your weight even on both sitting bones and your thighs in place as you rotate the trunk.
• Keep your chest lifted through out and your spine extending throughout.
• Keep your face soft, teeth slightly apart.