How to Exercise at your Desk
Motivating yourself to care for your body isn’t always the hard part. We all want to exercise; the problem is finding a routine we can pencil in between our jobs, social events and family. Luckily, there’s a set of simple, Gyrokinesis®-inspired exercises that refuse to let you use the office as a an excuse to ignore your fitness.
(Remember: Gyrokinesis® is a style of exercise that focuses on fluidity and body stretches to strengthen and tone your muscles, all without the use of equipment.)
If your work schedule has got your body in a slump, try one of these Gyrokinesis® stretches to keep your juices flowing while you’re at your desk:
For the spine and beyond
Sit upright in your chair and rest your arms on your legs. Your feet should be flat on the floor, with your legs hip-width apart.
Take a deep breath, feeling your spine elongate as you look toward the ceiling. Bring your shoulder blades together and inhale as you return to an upright position.
As you exhale, look to the floor and curl your back.
Inhale to return to your upright position. Exhale to get back into rest mode.
To spotlight the spine using the same upright position, elongate the spine as you inhale and look over your left shoulder on your exhale, twisting your spine counterclockwise while keeping your knees facing forward. Repeat by looking over your right shoulder as you inhale and twisting clockwise as you exhale. Inhale to return to a forward position; exhale to rest
Shoulder Spotlight
Sit upright with your feet on the floor and your legs a hip-width apart.
Scoop your arms toward the floor so they are adjacent to your hips.
Raise your arms until your elbows are as high as your shoulders and form 90-degree angles.
Move your shoulders in a circular pattern as you keep your elbows at a 90-degree angle. Push your shoulders forward and shrug them as if trying to touch your ears.
Rotate your shoulders back as you exhale.