If working long hours at the office is eating away at your exercise time, don't despair. Make the most of your time by exercising on the job.
Warm-up: 2 - 5 minutes
Marching Steps
Sit at the edge of your chair with feet under knees.
Keep your arms at your sides and pull your belly button towards your spine to brace the core.
Pick up one leg as if you were "marching" in place.
Alternate between left and right.
Seated Calf Raises
Sit at the edge of your chair with feet under knees.
Brace your core by pulling your belly button to your spine.
Push your toes into the floor and lift your heels to flex your calf muscles.
Slowly lower your heels back to the floor.
Heel Taps
Sit at the edge of your chair with feet under knees.
Brace your core.
Extend one leg out in front and tap your heel on the floor.
Return leg to set position.
Repeat on other leg.
Marching Steps with Arms
Repeat the same technique for the marching steps, only this time add the arms.
Bend your arms at 90 degrees and pump the arms forwards and backwards to assist in raising the heart rate.
Main Set: 10 - 15 repetitions
Body Squats
Stand with your feet under your hips, shoulder width apart.
Extend arms in front of you, for balance.
Brace your core.
Slowly bend your knees, with your chest and butt out, stopping once you are almost "sitting in a chair."
It's essential that you push your butt out as much as possible as you're going down to keep the pressure off your knees.
Lunges
Begin in a lunging position with feet very wide and hip distance apart.
Brace your core.
Place your hands on your hips.
Slowly lower down to the bottom of the lunge (knee approx. 1 inch above the floor).
Ensure your front knee is lined up with your first and second toes.
Slowly push up through your front heel to rise back to set position, squeezing your glutes on the way up.
Speedball Arms with Leg Bounce
Sit at the edge of your chair with feet under knees.
Brace your core.
Bounce your legs up and down as quickly as you can.
Continue to bounce your legs and add in the speedball arms by bending your arms at 90-degree angles and rotating one arm around the other as quickly as possible.
Knee Extension with Arm Punch
Sit at the edge of your chair with feet under knees.
Brace your core.
Extend and raise your right leg up until it is parallel to the floor.
At the same time, punch your left arm across towards your right foot while keeping the arm parallel to the floor.
You should feel a small twist through your mid-back.
Lower your arm and leg back to set position and repeat on the other side.
Chair Dips
Sit at the edge of your chair with feet under the knees.
Place your hands shoulder width apart behind your hips.
Lift your glutes off the chair and walk your feet forward slightly, ensuring your knees are lined up with your first and second toes.
Brace your core and slowly lower yourself down towards the floor until your elbows are at a 90-degree angle.
Extend your arms and use them to raise your body upwards to the starting position.
Russian Twist with Leg Bounce
Sit at the edge of your chair with feet under knees.
Brace your core.
Bounce your legs up and down while also moving them side to side.
Continue to bounce your legs and add in the arms by either extending them away from your chest or by bending them at a 90-degree angle (arms lined up with lower ribs).
Slowly rotate your torso as far as possible opposite direction to your legs.
Repeat on the other side.
Seated Bicycle Twist
Sit at the edge of your chair with feet under knees.
Brace your core.
Place your hands on your temples with elbows wide.
Lift your left knee and rotate the torso as far towards your knee as possible while keeping the chest lifted.
Repeat on the other side.
Double Knee Lift
Sit at the edge of your chair with feet slightly in front of your knees.
Place your hands on the chair in line with your hips.
Brace your core and lean back slightly.
Slowly lift both knees towards your chest, hold, and slowly return your legs back to the set position.
To increase the intensity, do not touch your feet on the floor between repetitions.
Seated Side Crunch
Sit at the edge of your chair with feet under knees.
Place your hands on your temples with arms wide.
Brace your core.
Slowly bring your elbow towards your hip.
Try not to lean forward.
You should feel a squeeze in your obliques.
Slowly return to the set position.
Baby Back Bend
Sit at the edge of your chair with feet under knees.
Bring the arms straight overhead with palms together.
Squeeze your glutes and lift your chest towards the ceiling, creating a muscular contraction through the mid-back.
Cool-down: 2 - 5 minutes
Overhead Triceps Stretch
Sit at the edge of your chair and brace your core.
Place both arms over your head.
Position the palm of your left hand in the center of your back.
Use your right hand to gently pull your left elbow back.
Feel the stretch in the back of your left arm and in your shoulders.
Hold for 30 seconds, release, and repeat on the other side.
Upper Back Stretch
Sit at the edge of your chair and stretch the arms straight out in front.
Cross the arms at the forearms and press the palms together.
Contract the core and round the back, reaching forward as you tuck your chin and relax your head.
Hold for 15 seconds and repeat.
Chest and Shoulder Stretch
Sit up tall at the edge of your chair.
Brace your core while relaxing your shoulders, head, and neck.
With your back straight, clasp your hands behind your back.
Lift your arms behind you until you feel the stretch across your chest.
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