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If you’ve got a day of back-to-back meetings while working from home, squeezing in some movement during short breaks is essential.
Not only will this improve your posture and alleviate aches and pains, it’ll also help to get your head in the game and boost productivity before your next interaction.
And if you’re really short on time, you don’t even have to leave your desk.
Aubrey Mvula, a personal trainer from Myprotein, has shared a quick, home office workout with HuffPost UK, designed to get people up and out their seats for a fast recharge.
“The key here is to do five key movements with each exercise going for 30 seconds and rest for 30 seconds, a total of five minutes,” he says. “Start this way and progress to doing more sets in the following week. ”
1. Calf raises
“Start with your foot on the ground and raise your heel and slightly hold it at the top for a second before returning it to the ground. For movement (range of motion), use a book to lift your foot from the ground. ”
2. Body weight squats
“Start seated then focusing on your quads (thighs) stand without using the chair for support. If you need to, feel free to regress this exercise by using the arm rest if your chair has them. Keep this going for 30 seconds and eventually rest another 30 seconds – then on to the next one!”
3. Lumbar spine stretches
“Thirdly, to keep our lumbar spine active, raise your hand as high as possible and reach sideways to the opposite side to where it feels adequately stretched without causing too much discomfort. Return to the starting position, put your hand down and raise the other hand. Alternatively, carry on with one side and alternate after 15 seconds.”
4. Desk press-ups
“Don’t be intimidated by this workout because it can be regressed or progressed to suit any level of fitness/ability. Using the desk, place your hands slightly wider that shoulder width, start with your arms straight and aim to point your elbows and reach the desk with your chest. This can be done while seated or for more of a challenge, feel free to stand but still use the desk, after all, this is an office workout. ”
5. Neck rotations
“Lastly, we have some neck rotations. Hold the rest of your body still and rotate your head clockwise for 15 seconds and anticlockwise for 15 seconds. It’s possible that you might feel dizzy at the beginning. If you do, take a pause, and try again. Voila, five minutes done and dusted!”
Move celebrates exercise in all its forms, with accessible features encouraging you to add movement into your day – because it’s not just good for the body, but the mind, too. We get it: workouts can be a bit of a slog, but there are ways you can move more without dreading it. Whether you love hikes, bike rides, YouTube workouts or hula hoop routines, exercise should be something to enjoy.
