Sitting Too Long? Here’s a 4 Minute Workout You Can Do At Your Desk

A lot of small business owners spend their workdays seated. It’s the reality of the modern work environment.

That means hours a day, week after week, behind a desk, in some cubicle or even in your home office hunched over a computer.

Well, those hours in your office chair – no matter how comfortable it may be – are taking a toll on your body. If you log a lot of hours without much physical activity otherwise, your body is probably already suffering.

Crossfit South Brooklyn instructor Christian Fox has discovered a 4-minute workout you can do right at your desk. The goal of this workout is to boost your heart rate and stretch some important muscles.

To start, you’ll need a little space. You’ll get a good cardio workout by following 20 seconds of abdominal squats with 10 seconds of rest. After that, do 20 seconds of push-ups followed by another 10 seconds of rest.

To get in a full four minutes, repeat the steps three more times.

Fox says seated workers often suffer from a similar malady. He told Business Insider:

“A lot of people who sit all day long tend to be pretty tight in the hips.”

There are several stretches you can do right at your desk to help loosen those hips. It also serves as a good cool-down period following the cardio workout you just endured.

To get a good rotation stretch of the hip, sit tall in your office chair with your back straight. Raise one ankle to the opposite knee and press down on the other knee. Fox says to hold this stretch for a minute or two, then switch sides.

For stretching the muscles in the front of the hip, put one knee down on the ground in front of your chair. Then extend your calf back and up until your foot is on the seat of your chair.

Your other foot should be planted on the ground with your knee bent at a 90-degree angle for balance.

Keeping your back straight and tall throughout. This should stretch the front hip muscles. Hold this for a minute or two before switching sides and repeating.

This workout is perfect for any busy person who can’t find time to schedule for any other workout. Fox explains:

“The benefit of it is that it’s short and intense. So you get a lot done in a short amount of time.”

Image: Business Insider Video Still

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Source: Small Business Trends

Sitting Too Long? Here’s a 4 Minute Workout You Can Do At Your Desk