5
Fresh Start Edition
5 TIPS TO KEEP IN TIP TOP
APRÈS HEALTH
SHAPE IN THE OFFICE
By Wessel Stoltz
So you really like your new job. You feel like you
make a difference, like you matter to the boss and
the people around you. And to boot, the salary is
not half bad either. Problem is, though, it might kill
you. Literally.
Offices are designed to minimize movement –
something smart people call ergonomics – and it’s
all about keeping you at your desk so you can simultaneously appease the boss’s wife on the other side
of the line (that’s why you matter to him), type out a
mail, flap down a copy of the year-end report on the
scanner, hand the stapler to your colleague and, if
you’re lucky, press the “on” button on the espresso
machine. All whilst sitting down at your desk.
If you read our article a few weeks back, chances
are you’ve been having sleepless nights trying to
conjure up devious ways in which you can slip away
from your desk and chair (read “tomb”) to minimize
your chances of contracting diabetes, heart disease,
stress, depression and obesity...
saves you from
flopping over and
making a fool of
yourself), improve
your balance and
even correct your
spinal alignment.
2. Bottoms up...
While
drinking
isn’t going to get
you
anywhere,
clenching
your
bottom while sitting in your chair
will give you that
extra bit of lift you
need! Tense your glutes and hold for 15 seconds, relax and repeat. Just do try and not pull a face or let
anything slip...
3. Squating at work
repeat. Variations of this are also possible if you follow the above step and then slowly extend your leg
until it is straight. Your abs too will get a bit of a
workout. Score!
5. Tiptoe-tapper
Lucky for you, we’ve done all the legwork (pun intended) and came up with five sneaky exercises that
you can covertly do at your desk or in the office, and
if you are found out by chair-toting, exercise-hating colleagues, you can always fall back on the facts:
people who exercise during the day are far more
productive and happy than those who don’t.
Indecision in the workplace is generally, and rightfully so, frowned upon, but if you can feign a few
indecisive stand-up and sit-downs without losing
face in the office, your quads will thank you later.
Those in the know will tell you that squats are great
at burning fat!
1. Have a ball of a time!
4. Leg up
Instead of sitting on the average office chair, opt for
an exercise ball. By just sitting you work on your abs
(it’s those core muscles that keep you balanced and
While sitting with both legs at 90° and feet firmly
on the floor, raise your right foot a few inches off
the ground and hold for 20 seconds, alternate and
With both feet flat on the floor, tap your toes alternating quickly between feet. Try and lift your toes
quite high as this works out your shins. Another alternative is to do calve-raises while standing at your
desk – place your left leg behind your right leg and
lift up onto your right foot’s toes. Who knows, after
a few (hundred) of these you might pass as a Tour
de France participant!
Job. Done.
Jobs executive desk