5+ Sitting Exercises You Can do Without Leaving Your Desk

Getting a good weekly work out is a big challenge that people, for the most part, tend to ignore. Living a sedentary lifestyle like most Lagosians, especially the office peeps, is a sure way to obesity and related heart problems. As students or office workers, there is a tendency to spend long hours seated or in one unmovable position. But fret not, the chair is more useful than we give it credit for. There are some sitting exercises which can help you keep fit without getting off your seat.

When in an office environment, for every thirty minutes of sitting, we should get up and take a stroll. This doesn’t mean going out of the office and taking long walks in the afternoon sun though. Get up and go see someone at the other end of the office, go take some water, use the stairs or what not. These short walks will help break the monotony of a sedentary hours-long sitting.

But aside from these short bursts of activities, we can also do some intense fat burning exercises right there sitting on your chair. All you need is a sturdy chair and you’re on your way to getting rid of the muffin tops and sausage legs.

Sitting Exercises That Can Be done on A Chair

1. Warm-ups: This is to prepare your body to carry out the workouts, warm up exercises shouldn’t be ignored, even if you only want to exercise for a few minutes. Warm ups are done by first taking a position at the edge of your chair, arms in lap. Tense the abdominal muscles up. Slowly lean back till you touch the back of the chair. And then slowly go back to initial position. DO NOT REST YOUR WEIGHT AGAINST THE BACK OF THE CHAIR. Repeat this process 12 times and that’s your warm up. If done right you should feel it in the lower abdomen.

2. Obliques

   

   Still in the same sitting position, at the edge of the chair, place hands behind the head; shoulders out. Rotate to the right without moving the hips at all. Hips must be facing forward all through. Move upper body to the right slowly and maintain that position for 3 seconds. Turn slowly to the opposite side and maintain position for another 3 seconds. Do ten reps of this.

3. Forward Bends

   

   For this exercise we should sit back in the chair, fingers interlaced behind the head. Without using your hands to push yourself, slowly bend forward till you get to your knees. then slowly raise yourself back up. This exercise should be done utilizing only the muscles in your abs. 15 reps of this sitting exercise will do fine.

4. Knees to Chest

   

   While sitting comfortably, back straight, pull your right leg bending it towards yourself. Raise till your knee gets to chest level and wrap your arms around the knee and hold the position for 3 seconds. Return right leg to initial position and repeat 15 reps for the right leg. Also, 15 reps for left leg.                                                                                       ALSO READ 5 WAYS TO BECOME FIT WITHOUT VISITING THE GYM

5. Leg Raises

   

   With your bum in the center of the chair, grip the chair sides for support and to steady the chair. Lean your back towards the chair, clasp knees together and pull them up towards your chest hold this position for 3 seconds and then straighten your legs for another 3 seconds. Repeat this sitting exercise sequence for 10reps.

6. Knee Circles

   

   Maintaining position of the butt in the center of the seat, lean back, legs together and hands holding on to chair for support. Knees clasped together, raise them up and draw circles in the air; 10 clockwise and 10 anticlockwise reps.

7. Scissors

   

   Still sitting in the middle of the chair, straighten your legs in front of you, sloping downwards so as not to put pressure on your back. With legs straightened out and slightly elevated off the floor, cross and uncross your legs at the knees. Continue this for 90seconds. These sitting exercises will help to get those slim legs for summer.

With these few sitting exercises, you are sure to strengthen your abs, glutes and thigh muscles. All these without a gym membership or even a yoga mat! Like, how cool is that!!! Be sure to try these exercises out and let us know how you are doing. If the recommended reps are too much you can reduce them to your strength level and work up from there. So, let us know, how are those abs and thighs doing….?