Three mini exercises to do while working from home

Are you glued to your desk going from one virtual meeting to another? Here are three mini exercises to make sure you get some movement in your day.

For those of us with office jobs that moved abruptly to working from home due to the coronavirus, recent studies have shown we are working longer hours.

And that means more virtual meetings and more time on our backsides for extended periods of time. This lack of activity can impact our health and our mindset too – and has been particularly challenging for me as I rehab my way through my knee injury.

To combat this, I do three physio approved exercises throughout the day when I have a five minute window between virtual meetings.

Each exercise targets a key muscle group and offers a caloric burn if you do enough reps.

Here are my three mini exercises to do while waiting for your next online meeting to start.

1. Wall sits – start by leaning against the wall, or using a foam roller for support, slide your back down until you form a 90 degree angle with your knees over your toes hip width apart on the floor. Hold this position for up to 60 seconds at a time to work your quads, glutes and core. See if you can stay in this position while listening to one of your favourite Spotify tracks.
   
2. Single leg calf raises – standing upright, rest your hands on the back of your chair for support as you ground both feet into the floor, and lengthen through your spine, belly button drawn in. Start by lifting the heel of one foot slowly of the ground to balance on one leg. On your standing leg, gently rise up onto your toes, hold for a few moments, before gently lowering down. Repeat as many times as you can muster, before swapping to the opposite leg.
   
3. Crab walks – place a resistance band on the floor and step into it, sliding the band just above your ankles, and step your legs shoulder width apart. Stand tall, pull up your knee cap and tighten your quads. Step parallel, squeezing your glutes and inner thighs to push against the resistance band as you move across the floor. Aim for 10 steps before pausing. Then use your opposite leg to start the crab walk back to your starting position. Repeat till fatigued.

There are many variations you can do to the three exercises listed above, these are suggestions only to get you started.

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Until next time,
Maryanne K