8 Desk Exercises for Your Health
1. Neck Rolls
Neck rolls are a great way to warm up your muscles before attempting any other moves. Relaxing any stiffness in the neck, lean forward and slowly roll your head clockwise towards one side for 10 seconds. Repeat on the other side, this time going counter-clockwise. Switch off until you’ve completed 3 rounds per direction.
2. Shoulder Stretch
Lace your fingers together and raise your arms above your head, palms pressed towards the sky. Push your arms up to deepen the stretch. Hold for a few deep breaths.
3. Shoulder Rolls
Take a deep breath and lift your shoulders towards your ears. Roll your shoulders back, squeezing shoulder blades together. Exhale and drop your shoulders back to starting position. Repeat 5 times, and then change directions by rolling your shoulders forward. Repeat until you’ve done 15 rolls in each direction.
4. Chest Stretch
Lace fingers together behind your lower back, palms pressed towards the ground. Drop your shoulders, giving your chest a nice stretch. Raise your chin to deepen it. Hold for a few seconds, taking the opportunity to take a few deep breaths, before resetting and doing it again.
5. Upper Back Stretch
Hold your arms straight out in front of you, parallel to the ground, with palms facing down. Drop your head between your upper arms and round your upper back to deepen the stretch. Hold for a few deep breaths before resetting and repeating.
6. Arm Pulses
Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart with your arms extended on either side and parallel to the ground. Facing palms up, quickly pulse your arms up and down, controlling the movement so you’re not moving more than a few inches. Repeat at least 50 times then switch to palms facing down for a total of 100 reps. Repeat if you can for a bicep-burning 200 reps!
7. Arm Circles
Here’s an easy one to get your blood pumping! Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart with your arms extended on either side and parallel to the ground. Circle your arms forward with small, controlled motions. Think about making circles the size of an apple, gradually making the motion bigger (think the size of a basketball!) until you feel a nice tricep stretch. Repeat 20 times, switch directions, and repeat 20 more times.
8. Back Extensions
This simple stretch will give your back some relief after a few hours at your desk. Holding onto the back of your chair, raise one arm towards the ceiling while lifting and stretching the opposite leg behind you. Hold the pose for 30 seconds before switching to the other side. Repeat 20 times.
