What is Desk Fitness?

I use this term a lot, so I wanted to explain what I mean by “desk fitness.”

Obviously, while we are “at work,” we’re focused on work, so it’s not feasible that we can perform fitness or wellness activities for long stretches of time. If we did, we’d probably neglect our jobs, and that’s a whole new set of problems!

BUT–no matter how ‘tethered’ to the desk we are, it is also pretty reasonable to assume that we all step away from the desk for a few minutes throughout the day.

We often do this with trips to restroom, coffee shop runs, conversations around the water cooler, afternoon snack expeditions to the vending machine, etc. (We could also factor in the minutes we spend watching viral cat videos or checking social media feeds.) So why not use this same time to work in a few desk exercises to stay active?

So, when I evaluate a workday, or desk fitness concept, I look at how often I’ll be able to do the exercise. Ideally, I’d like to carve out a little time for these desk workouts every hour (or every couple of hours).

These could be seated or standing stretches. Or, exercises you actually do in your office chair while you sit at your desk. I also include short sets of exercises you could do as you stand near your desk. Finally, in some cases it’ll involve using actual exercise equipment at your desk or in your cubicle.

I think time is one of the biggest factors in a successful desk exercise.

I really dislike stopping work when I’m really focused and have a sense of flow. And I’m also not super jazzed about doing something that takes so long that I get drenched in sweat. (I work from home but have video meetings with my co-workers all day. Showing up on a video call dripping sweat is not a good look!) To balance productivity and still get an effective mini workout, I look at things that can be done in about 5 minutes or less.

Though it may not feel like much at the time, I do believe that multiple, short “desk exercise” increments can add up over time. And, since most of us can’t really work out for prolonged periods during our workday, we can use short bursts of activity to break up the inertia of sitting for hours.

Last, but not least are results!

If I stop in the middle of a project and get up and risk breaking a sweat in my work clothes, I want results. I’m not talking impossible results like spot toning in 3 days or something unrealistic like that. But I do want to feel like the exercise has either burned some calories, reduced my stress level, helped build or maintain muscle, improved my cardiovascular heath or had a positive effect on my body in some way.

I’ve found several exercises that fit those requirements and I’m on a continuing quest to find more. I’ll share what’s worked (and sometimes talk about what didn’t work) here and hopefully provide a resource for anyone else looking for the same thing!

Grace & Peace…