Easy Chair Exercises

Sitting at your desk or in a chair for long periods of time can not only cause your muscles to get tight, but becoming so relaxed daily often causes one to lose sight of the little things that matter to keep our bodies in great health, like stretching and exercising.

From non-stop virtual meetings to sitting down, many have found creative ways to incorporate health & fitness at work or at home while sitting.

While there are many exercises that you can incorporate into your daily routine, we've listed a few simple exercises that you can do to keep you active and moving.

1. Leg Raises

How to do it: Extend a leg from your seat. Raise it and hold it for 2 seconds. Lower your foot till it stops short of the floor.

2. Chair Squat

How to do it: Stand in front of the chair with your legs shoulder-width apart. Squat down like you are sitting on the chair but without actually touching it. Maintain a proper position: back straight, knees above the feet, weight on the heels. Keep your hands together, arms bent at the elbows. Straighten your legs to go back to the starting position.

3. Arm Circles

How to do it: Raise your arms straight out to your sides, to form a T shape, and press your shoulder blades together. Extend arms with palms down, thumbs facing forward, and do 20 forward circles with your arms. Flip your palms up, thumbs facing behind you, and do 20 backward circles with your arms. Repeat 2 to 3 times.

4. Chair Overhead Reaches

How to do it: Sit tall in your chair. Fully extend your arms overhead. Then look up and bring your palms together as you stretch higher toward the ceiling. Hold for five seconds then return and repeat.

5. Shoulder Rolls

How to do it: Roll your shoulders backward slowly in large circles, trying to bring your shoulder blades together as you roll them back. Repeat several times.

6. Seated Twist

How to do it: While seated in a chair, place your feet flat on the ground at hip-distance apart. As you continue to sit tall with good posture, twist your upper body only to the right as far as you can, using your hands to help you, with your right hand grabbing the back of your chair and your left hand on your right armrest. Hold for 20 seconds, then slowly twist back to face front. Then do the same on the opposite side, twisting your upper body to the left as far as you can, with your left hand grabbing the back of your chair and your right hand on your left armrest. Hold for 20 seconds, then slowly twist back to face front. Repeat two more times on each side.

7. Neck Roll

How to do it: Bend your head backward at the neck, looking up to the ceiling, then slowly roll your head from right shoulder to left shoulder and back again, repeating five times. Next, bend your head forward at the neck, bringing your chin down to your chest, then slowly roll your head back and forth from right shoulder to left shoulder and back again, repeating five times.

Remember to keep trying. If you’re not able to start every day, set a goal to find one

comfortable exercise and do that one one day a week, then two days a week, and then another until you reach your desired goal of exercising, increasing the number of exercises as you go. Eventually you will have created a habit of exercising and will feel a sense of accomplishment at the end of the day. Your actions may even motivate someone else to do the same or join you in exercising.