Exercise in (Work)Place

Wed Oct 25, 2006 12:34PM EDT

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I just got up from my desk to warm up my coffee and take a break from my ever-beckoning computer screen. And, boy, am I stiff, though the day is young.

So it was serendipitous to come across this reminder on Lifehacker to take breaks and do some exercises throughout the day to prevent the aches and strains that can come from many hours on a computer. It's stuff we all know but could use a friendly reminder about now and again.

These How to Exercise While Sitting at Your Computer tips come from lots of sources on wikiHow, and they bear repeating. Check them all out, but here are some I plan to do more often.

• Stand up every half hour. Walk around a few steps, stretch your legs, and give your eyes a break from focusing on your computer screen.

• Roll your head slowly from side to side a few times periodically.

• Stretch your arms, legs, neck, and torso while sitting. This will help prevent you from feeling stiff.

• Sit properly in a good chair designed for desk work. Your back should be straight, and your head and eyes should be looking directly at your monitor. Your wrists should not be bent.

• Take care of your eyes. Follow the 20-20-20 rule espoused by eye doctors: For every 20 minutes spent focusing on your computer screen, spend 20 seconds focusing on something 20 feet away.

• Roll your wrists regularly and stretch your hands to avoid carpal tunnel syndrome if you type a lot.

• Throughout the day, contract your abdominal and gluteal muscles, and hold them for a few seconds, then release.

Of course, none of this replaces real honest-to-goodness exercise, but it can help keep us looser and fresher while work takes precedence.

I confess I am writing this from my couch, not the most ergonomic place to work, I know. The irony is not lost on me, but sometimes, you need a break from your desk, too.

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  • 6 Posted by tiggerkitty3 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 10:10PM EDT Report Abuse

    i work 72 hours/week between Monday morning and Friday night. my commute is 10 minutes to either of my jobs unless there's a train coming through town and then its 15 minutes. i'm not at my computer all those hours though, which is good. i couldn't be at my computer for all of the hours i work- i'd be blind.

  • 7 Posted by sessou_ek on Thu Sep 3, 2009 9:14PM EDT Report Abuse

    I cant believe some people work 2o hours a day. Good tips,i will start practising and hope to make some progress. can these help reduce the risk of a pot belly???? Emml,Ghana

  • 8 Posted by mar112006 on Thu Nov 9, 2006 8:33AM EST Report Abuse

    The first thing I want to ask is, Steveefa, which chic are you talking about Dory Devlin "the Mom" in the upper left hand corner of the screen? :) My other comment is to the author of the info, this article is pretty good, I just adopted it for my department. My department provides CADD support and we are at the computer for 9-10 hrs daily and our work gets to be dull at times. But we try to find ways to be excited and awake at what we do yet be productive at the same time.

  • 9 Posted by aliquigs on Thu Nov 9, 2006 9:08AM EST Report Abuse

    haha, steveefa could you BE anymore off subject??!! good article by the way. there are people in this world who work 20 hours a day, and they're OK WITH THAT?! wow

  • 10 Posted by vnbdq7 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 10:37PM EDT Report Abuse

    It's help. Thanks for that.

  • 11 Posted by wildkitty_ua on Thu Sep 3, 2009 10:46PM EDT Report Abuse

    No matter what you do at your desk to keep you from being "stiff", and the atricle is correct in many wasy,but nothing will substitute a good work-out! I work full-time (not 20 hrs/ day by any means), but still, if I didnt worl out on a regular basis, I would've already been looking pretty pathetic, because I usually sit at my desl all day. So the point is: GO TO THE GYM, IT HELPS!

  • 12 Posted by master_schweinsberg on Thu Sep 3, 2009 7:10PM EDT Report Abuse

    Working 20 hours a day is not a life worth living. I would kill myself without thought if I had to do that. There has to be a better way, period. There has to be.

  • 13 Posted by catw007 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:19PM EDT Report Abuse

    Nice article with validity and good strategies for getting the kinks out at work. BUT, the highlight of my morning was definitely gnr_tj. *

  • 14 Posted by jstandifer on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:43PM EDT Report Abuse

    Thank you for these tips. I sit at my desk for many hours each day. I will try these tips. Thanks Julie

  • 15 Posted by aylam_espinosa on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:00PM EDT Report Abuse

    Wonderful. I am the assistant manager for a Quizno's. After running a busy lunch rush I think tuna w/olives on wheat bread is the most energizing brain food. I run around plenty in the kitchen but I always eat well before getting on the comp. for full concentration

  • 16 Posted by aolani_06 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 2:56PM EDT Report Abuse

    I shall do that today, as I have a butt spread going on from sitting on it for 8 hours a day... It is things like this I guess that some management do not *see* or understand for those that have desk jobs....I would love to have a better chair, pc hardware to help with typing and propping of my wrists..You know? the things that seem little to them and the purchasing department, but could mean so much.....

  • 17 Posted by isabel_jorge27 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:25PM EDT Report Abuse

    I agree with gnr_tj. These are not for excersise, but to keep a person from being stiff. This article is titled wrong.

  • 18 Posted by chickendit on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:23PM EDT Report Abuse

    Great advice to keep moving but many experts do not recommend neck rolling. Better to stretch neck and turn gently than it is to roll.

  • 19 Posted by softball_chick_102 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 9:31PM EDT Report Abuse

    i think that the things listed are a great idea! i use them everyday and they work real well.. i have a computer class that is an hour long and every 20 minutes as a class we do these streatches.. at first i thought they were stupid but they really truly work! :)

  • 20 Posted by pamdiggity on Thu Sep 3, 2009 7:59PM EDT Report Abuse

    I quote: "So it was serendipitous to come across this reminder on Lifehacker to take breaks and do some exercises throughout the day to prevent the aches and strains that can come from many hours on a computer." This is titled "Exercise in (Work) Place". Many of you have commented that this is titled wrong, and cannot help you lose weight. Newsflash! It didnt claim to 'make you lose weight'. It says exactly what these exercises are made for: to prevent aches and strains that come from amny hours on a computer. I work 9 hrs a day in front of a computer, and I bear witness these exercises, no matter how small, help tremendously. I get stiff from sitting still so long, eyes begin to hurt because of focusing on the screen too much, and my arms and wrists get tired of moving across the keyboard and controlling the mouse. Small breaks - little stretches, brisk walks down the hall, neck rolling... it all loosens your muscles up, relaxes your eyes, and wakes you up. Loved the article. Keep it up!

  • 21 Posted by bimmerb5 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:08PM EDT Report Abuse

    You can actually burn more calories at your desk by just doing 3 sets of 10 reps of sqwats and standing in place lunges. This won't take more than 5 minutes to do. You can also lean against your desk and do pushups. Keep a pair of dumb bells at your desk to do bicep curls and tricep kick backs. If you want to lose weight, then your diet is 85% of your goal. Snack foods should be banned from the work place, no cakes, cookies, donuts, sodas. If you are bored, do some sqwats. When you get home run in place for 10 minutes. Even if you work 20 hours a day you can find 20-30 minutes a day to do some form of exercise. If you need more information email me. Patrick, DC, CPT

  • 22 Posted by airmid62 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 2:47PM EDT Report Abuse

    OK - I think gnr_tj might have missed the point here, just a bit... granted the "exercises" listed in the article aren't going to get you in perfect cardio shape, nor help you lose weight. The article was about ways to keep you body from stiffening up while you sit at in your cubby all day.... and as a by-product distract your mind, if even only for a few moments at a time. I don't know about the rest of you but a "stretch break" is what my body needs every hour, if even to prevent me from going completely batty!!

  • 23 Posted by tcmms on Thu Sep 3, 2009 9:57PM EDT Report Abuse

    Always looking for ways to improve the way I feel at work. Thx.

  • 24 Posted by eric_w_cam on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:55PM EDT Report Abuse

    If you are trying to loose weight and you work long hours at the desk, then get rid of the desk, and start using your feet. For a few weeks stand up and work. You would be amazed at the result. Good luck.

  • 25 Posted by telenanher420a on Thu Sep 3, 2009 9:59PM EDT Report Abuse

    My husband used to work anywhere from 10-20 hours a day and on average 7 days a week. He was an on-air personality for one of the radio stations in town. He would have to sit in the studio for about 9 hours straight, with 4 comp screens to watch. After he'd get off the air at midnight, he would have to do the music programming for the next day. Normally, we would get home around 5am just to go back at 9am to 10am. After 8 years of doing that, he couldn't take it anymore and quit. Now it's starting to take it's toll, his sight is suffering, and he's trying to get back in shape... He could've used these tips for the last 8 years!!! Did I mention that he's only 25!? That is the definition of not having a life.

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