Fun ways to keep fit in your office (1 of 2)

Good morning friends.  Wellness lifestyle allows you to truly enjoy life at whatever age you’re in.

‘Fitness at workplace’ is the latest mantra in the corporate world. Companies have realized that regular exercise boosts employee morale, enhances productivity, reduces absenteeism and signs of burnout or depression. 

Nowadays, the corporate employees not only stretch themselves beyond their responsibilities, but also stretch their muscles in the office gym.

A little bit of planning and a few small additions in one’s office routine can help one a healthier lifestyle. According to a World Health Organization report, India could incur losses to the tune of $237 billion by 2015 due to rise in lifestyle diseases like heart disease, diabetes, stroke and cancer, because of unhealthy workplaces.

Here are some easy everyday things you can do to get healthy and fit while at your workplace:

Stay hydrated: Water helps your body with physical and mental performance, detoxification and digestion. Keep a water bottle at your desk and you’ll find it much easier to drink the recommend eight glasses of water each day. It will ease stress and result in sustained energy throughout the day. You can also supplement it with fresh lemonade and coconut water, etc, to avoid monotony.

Make reasons to walk around: Give yourself several reasons to take a break and move around after every 40 minutes. Simply getting up and moving around for a few moments can keep you focused, less fatigued and feeling better. For example, avoid ordering a cup of coffee/ tea at your desk, go and get it yourself or while speaking with someone on cell phone walk around till you end the call. Get down from your car if driven by a chauffer a few blocks before your office and walk the remaining distance provided you leave home 10 to 15 minutes before your usual time.

Fitness Test: Activity List

Scoring:

0-3 Points:

Inactive.  You’re overlooking opportunities to move.  Start making simple changes in your daily routine.  For instance, take the stairs instead of the elevator.  If your office to apartment is on a nose-bleed floor, get off the elevator two or three flights early.  If you live near a grocery store, walk instead of driving.  Put away the food processor and flex your muscles in the kitchen.  If your scored below 3, you’re missing out on life’s simplest pleasures.  When was the last time you hit a tennis ball, went dancing, or pedaled a bike?

4-6 Points:

Moderately active.  Your day probably includes some built-in physical chores.  Make the most of them by concentrating on the muscles you’re working.  When you lift a child, for example, notice how arm, shoulder, and thigh muscles come into play.  Look for ways to earn extra credit: raking leaves, sweeping the front walk, or scrubbing the tub.

7-9 Points:

Congratulations.  Even if you’re not exercising regularly, you’re getting a healthy close of activity each day.  could you be ready for a bigger challenge? Pick an activity that you already enjoy, and keep it up for fifteen minutes.  Think about adding some recreation to your day:  take a walk with a friend, go for a spin on an indoor skating rink, or swim laps at the community pool.

Activity	Aerobic	Strength	Agility
Walking	●
Walking with stroller	●
Walking, pushing stroller uphill	●	●
Walking, carrying child	●	●
Climbing stairs	●	●
Raking Leaves	●	●
Scrubbing floors or tub		●
Carrying groceries		●
Playing tag with child	●	●
Tossing a ball with child			●
Pushing child in swing		●
Dancing with child	●		●
Lifting child into/out of bathtub		●
Lifting child into/out of car seat or stroller		●
Mowing grass	●	●
Watering garden—with watering can		●
Riding bike	●		●
Riding bike, hills	●	●	●
Hand-mixing dough		●
Washing windows		●
Vacuuming	●
Sweeping	●
Moving boxes of furniture		●
Making beds	●
Doing laundry (includes carrying basket up and down stairs)	●	●
Sawing of chopping wood	●	●	●
Weeding	●
Car washing/waxing		●
Taking out trash		●

Daily Activities Fitness Test

Are you taking advantage of everyday opportunities to work your heart, lungs, and muscles?  To help you find out, Nancy Burstein, president of New York City’s Fitness Plus, Inc. to design a simple test.

Skim the list of activities for those you do in a typical day.  then add up the number of minutes you actually spend at each activity.  Award yourself one point for every five minutes of activity.

To ensure you’re reaping the benefits from each of the three components of well balance fitness, look for a mix of aerobic, strength, and agility-building moves.  Aerobic movement should make up 50 percent of your total score; strength and agility-based activity should account for 25% of the day’s tally.

Remember, some activities will earn you points in more than one category.  Climbing stairs, for example, gets your heart rate up while it strengthens lower muscles.  So, five minutes of walking up a few flights of stairs will you tow points—one for aerobic work and one for strength. 

To find out how you scored, tally the day’s points and check the scoring key.

Source:  Fit Your SwimSuit

Super Fitness Workout

This is the type of workout that is balanced.  We stretch and work on endurance and strength.  This kind of exercise is good because it makes you do a little bit of everything.  Find the time of day you have the most energy and set aside a half hour to be good to your body.

It’s best to exercise with a friend, an adult, or someone your own age.  Clear some room so you don’t knock over anything or trip over a table.  Put on your exercise gear, turn of your favorite music and have some fun!

 

Let’s Warm UP

It’s very important to wake up your muscles before you start making them work.

1.   Side bend 

      5 times each side.

2.  Arm circles

       5 times back and front

3.  Stand stretch

      10 times

4.  Ankle circles

      5 times each ankle

5.  Wrist circles

       5 times each wrist

6.  Calf stretch

       5 times each leg 

 

Warm-Up for Heart and Lungs

 

1.  High stepping or marching

      Make sure you swing your arms!

2.  Walking up and down stairs

       Do for 30 steps.

3.  Jogging on the Spot

      Start very slowly and gradually increase your speed.  Only do 

      this for 2 or 3 minutes as this is part of your warm-up.

All About Strength

The stronger your body, the more you can do.

You can carry more books!  … jump higher!

                                                          … run faster!

A body made up of strong muscles work better.  It uses up food as fuel instead of letting it turn into excess fat.

  

Are your Muscles Strong?

Can you see your muscles when you flex?  Are they firm to the touch?  If so, you’re probably pretty strong.

It’s important to realize that you don’t need to have every muscle bulging out so that you look like a body builder.  But you should look firm not flabby and soft.  Remember, muscles grow when you grow.  If you know you’re strong but can’t see your muscle, wait until you’re older.  Then you muscle development will show.