Excercises

Run in Place 

To improve muscle strength, stability, and flexibility, we are going to start by simply running on the spot.

This does what it says on the tin. Get up and run on the spot. Making sure to really lift your knees up high, while using your arms to propel the motion - bringing them forwards and up.

This is a great aerobic exercise which involves constantly moving and contracting your muscles.

Running in place elevates your heart rate, improves blood sugar levels, and burns calories, all of which help with weight loss too.

Desk Push-Ups

A simple yet effective ‘deskercise’. The desk push-up will work to build strength in your arms, chest and back, and is known to boost metabolism and improve blood glucose regulation.

Start by placing both hands on your desk and walk your feet back to a 45-degree angle.

Dip your elbows and lower your body in a controlled motion down to the desk before pushing yourself back up slowly. 

Complete 10 desk push-ups at a steady pace.

Wall Sit

The humble wall sit is a compound exercise - meaning it works multiple muscle groups at the same time - and this exercise activates the quadriceps, glutes, and calves - requiring numerous joints and muscles to work together in unison.

So, we are going to jump out of our chairs now and find a flat wall.

Turn around and place your back against the wall. Keeping your feet shoulder width apart and approximately 60cm away from the wall – that’s about 2 school rulers away, feet outwards.

Using controlled motion, we are going to activate our abdominal muscles by slowly sliding the back down the wall until our thighs are parallel to the ground.

Make sure your knees are in line with your ankles and not above your toes!

Now we are going to feel the burn and hold this position between 30 and 60 seconds.

Then, keeping your back to the wall, slide back up until you reach a standing position.

Rest for 30 seconds and repeat three times. Each time we are going to hold for an additional 5 seconds to build our strength.

Chair Dips ‘Triceps Dip’

The triceps dip is an effective exercise for activating and strengthening the triceps brachii muscle group - which can be found at the back of your upper arm.

Start by sitting on the edge of a stable chair - making sure it doesn’t move around. Open up the chest and roll your shoulders back.

Grip onto the left and right edges of the seat with your hands.

Extend your legs out with your heels on the ground. Keeping your feet about hip-width apart.

Now bend your elbows and lower your hips down - don't touch the floor though. Keep it controlled - and extend the elbows to raise your body back up. 

Make sure you are working to activate the muscles in your core as you hold your hips off the ground - and keep your neck long. 

Let’s do a few reps of these. 

Seated Bodyweight Leg Extensions 

We are going to work the quadriceps femoris - known as ‘quads’ - which are the biggest muscle group in the human body.

This exercise will help to strengthen the quads without using weights. Making sure to have strong quads is important for good posture, as well as walking and squatting.

Start by simply sitting in your chair, with your feet on the floor, hip-width apart.

Make sure to keep your back nice and straight, before extending out your right knee to lift up your right leg. Keep your foot flat and pointed to the sky as you raise the leg. 

Then return to starting position and lift your left leg. Repeat 10 times. Rest. Then do another 10.