Sitting in a cubicle eight or more hours a day for five days a week can really take a toll on your body. Our bodies are meant to move, not be stationary, which is happening to most of our population. People are finding it harder to take time out of their busy schedules to workout and improve their state of well-being. Many of us say it is because of our late night hours in the office, we are exhausted after working all day, or by the time we get to the gym we do not have enough time to complete our workout. However, sitting all day and not keeping our bodies active will really put a damper on our health. Staying active can improve our health, giving us improved productivity during the day. Since many people say that they do not have time to exercise, here are the top 5 exercises we recommend doing in the office.

Lower Back Stretch

Sit tall at the edge of your chair and put your left arm behind your left hip. Twist gently to left and hold for 20-30 seconds. Repeat on the right side to even out the exercise. Doing this stretch will enhance your flexibility and muscle strength, and ultimately improving your core strength.

Walking Around the Office

Although many people forget to get up and walk around during work, it is one activity that will benefit your body. Try to get up every half hour or hour to take a walk down your office hallways, talk to your co-workers, deliver a message instead of writing an e-mail or even if you need just get up and stretch those legs. You will get the blood pumping and your muscles will continue to stay strong, not to mention burn some calories! Walking is one of the most underrated forms of exercises, yet will produce the same benefits as another exercise.

Chair Squats

Do you hate sitting in your computer chair all day, and are just aching for the need to get up? Well doing chair squats will be the perfect work environment exercise for you to do! Doing squats improves your core, thighs and glute muscles. All you need to do is stand in front of your chair with your feet shoulder width apart. Place your hands on your hips, then squat down towards your office chair as if you were about to sit. Instead of sitting, stop just before you touch the chair and come back to a standing position. We recommend doing 20 repetitions before sitting and working again, but always do as much as you like! If you would like to challenge yourself, try doing the squats with one leg! You will build up your leg muscles without having to use a leg press machine at the gym!

Desk Push Ups

With this office exercise you do not have to worry about getting onto the floor to do push ups, plus we don’t want you to mess up your business suit! Take five or ten minutes out of your day to strengthen your upper-body, especially your biceps and triceps. Standing about a yard away from your desk, and your feet together, slowly do a push up. Aim to do at least 20 repetitions, then gradually increase the amount you do in a set. If you need to, do ten at a time and take a minute break before you finish the rest. Always remember to exhale on the way up and not the way down! Try to get the whole office involved to see how many each employee can do at the beginning of the month and then how much they improved at the end of the month!

Tricep Desk Dips

Going off working your biceps with the desk push up exercise, try doing the reverse tricep dip. This will shape the back of your arms, leaving you with toned arms for any season (ladies this is great when you wear short sleeves to the office!). It is very simple to do, just face away from your desk, putting your palms on the edge. Dip down a few inches until your elbows are bent at a 90 degree angle and then push yourself back up. Soon you will have killer arms just from your desk!

If you find that you do not have time to go to a gym for a workout, these exercises will sure help. Try to take time out of your day to do one or all five of the exercises a day and see if their is an improvement to your body. The office might not be the first place you think of when working out comes to mind, but it sure is a place that it can be accomplished.