Now you can workout at work

All it takes is a little planning and some inspiration to squeeze in the exercise all day long.

It's hard to find time to exercise, but now you don't have that excuse anymore. You may think you don't have time to workout at work, but there are opportunities everywhere if you pay attention. All it takes is a little planning and some inspiration to squeeze in the exercise all day long. You already know the drill about being more active at work.

HT Image

- Sit on an exercise ball instead of a chair. This will strengthen your abs and back and you'll work on your posture without even trying.
- Set an alarm to go off every hour to remind you to stand up and move around. Even if you just swing your arms or take a deep breath, you'll feel more alert.
- Use the restroom on another floor and take the stairs
- Use a pedometer and keep track of how many steps you take. Aim for 6,000 to 10,000 steps a day.
- Leave something important in your car (your lunch, your briefcase, etc.) so you have to run out to get it (and take the stairs)
- Deliver documents or messages to co-workers in person rather than by email
- Go to the mall for lunch and park on the opposite end of the food court. Don't forget to buy something healthy.

- Get a headset for your phone so you can move around while you talk.

Be creative. Any movement is better than none; so don't feel like you have to do sprints all day long. Adding short bouts of exercise throughout the day will help you burn more calories and will also reduce stress so you can easily smile at your boss when she piles more work on you.

Exercise Equipment

If you have your own office, consider keeping a resistance band, ankle weights and even a couple of sets of dumbbells in your desk drawer. You can squeeze in some quick upper body exercises while you're on the phone. If you work in a cubicle or don't want people to see you exercising at your desk, all you really need is a chair and a couple of large, full water bottles you can use for any dumbbell exercise. Following is an excellent circuit routine to follow targeting all the body parts.

Use your office chair to do a set of push-ups. You can start with a set of 10 push-ups and target to do at least 3 such sets over a period of time. This will give you great strength in your arms, shoulders and chest to do your daily activities effortlessly besides giving you a great posture, form and shape.

If you have your own separate office, which has a space for mat, utilize it to do mat exercises. This one targets your hips and legs. Lying on your side, take the leg forward and backward without arching your lower back. Do at least 20 repetitions on each side.

Make your workout a complete workout by toning your abdominal. This is again done lying supine on the mat. Crunch your abdominal. Remember the movement is not coming from your cervical spine (avoid moving your neck) but from your abdominal. Exhale on your way up and inhale down for more effective ab crunch. Do correct and focused move for 20 repetitions to get those 6 packs wash board abs.