2021 is here and one of the things that remains unchanged in this New Year is that we are still home. A lot. Schools are still closed in my neck of the woods here in the Pacific Northwest. Many offices remain closed as well. Gyms opened for a mere glimmer before being closed again. So here we are. At home. I find it extremely difficult to motivate myself for in-home workouts; though it is something I am aiming to improve on this year if gyms remain closed. One small thing I have been doing are easy exercises from my desk so I at least get my body moving a little bit. It’s even resulted in slightly sore muscles which is an awesome feeling.
Here are three easy moves to get tone at your desk.
Seated leg pulse. Sitting down with a straight back and core engaged, lift one leg and keep the other bent with a flat foot on the floor. Lift the leg in little pulses up and down. How high you go just depends on your comfort level but you don’t need to go super high or make too big of a motion in order to feel a small burn with this one. Aim for a few sets a day of 20 sets each leg.
Standing calf raises. Stand tall and engage your core. Start with toes forward and simply raise your heels up and down. Hang onto your desk if needed for balance. Next, face heels towards each other toes facing away and again lift your heels up and down. Then try the same move with your toes facing in (pigeon toed). Aim for 15 sets in each position and work up to a few rounds a day. This one always gets my muscles a little sore so you know it’s working.
Seated arm circles. Sitting down with a straight back and core engaged, take your arms out to the sides aligned with your shoulders. Simply circle your arms forward and then backwards. Aim for 30 each direction. Squeeze your shoulder blades together to engage even more muscles. Add a challenge by picking up weighted objects like water bottles or anything you might have at your desk.
Watch the moves here:
While I will not fool myself that 2021 is going to start out with some fantastic fitness routine, I do intend on at least stepping it up just a little bit. Small daily things like this can help. I plan on sharing more and would love to hear your tips and ideas as well!
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