Recharging your mind and body is important, especially when you’ve been working long hours 5 days a week. This is a common situation among people who work from home (WFH) and rarely exercise. Try the following breaks to live a healthier and more active lifestyle.
1. 1-Minute Exercises
Too much sitting time has long been associated with obesity, diabetes, and heart disease. It’s very important to get up and move around. To help avoid health problems, try to do 1-minute exercises throughout the day. We suggest doing these every 45 minutes.
- Speed walking
- Squats
- Jumping jacks
- Stair climbing
- Running in place
2. Stretching Sessions
When you’re working all-day on your computer then you’re basically staying in the same position for hours. Prolonged poor posture can lead to pains and aches. Stretching can help counter the effects of poor posture, and even help improve it. Try this stretching routine:
- Start with a seated hip opener. Sit straight on your chair (or on the floor). Bring your right foot to your left knee and lean forward with control. Hold this pose for 30 seconds. Then do the same step for your left knee.
- Afterwards, you can stretch your back with the back extension. Remain seated while you place both hands behind your head. Press your elbows back and gently arch your upper back, neck and head. Hold this position for 30 seconds.
- Once done, the next focus is your neck and shoulders. The standing shoulder W external rotation is great for this purpose. Using a resistance band, stand tall and hold the ends of your bands in your hands and then put both arms by your sides. Make a W shape with your arms by bending your elbows up. Hold this position for 30 seconds.
- Finally, the standing lunge stretch. Stand tall and place your right leg forward. With your left heel on the ground, slowly lower your body with control to open up your hip flexors. Hold this position for 30 seconds.
3. Water Breaks
It’s easy to forget to hydrate yourself properly when you’re busy working. But if you become dehydrated, it will result in fatigue and difficulty concentrating. Be sure to get up to drink water at least every 2 hours. If you don’t like the taste of water, you can try flavored water or perhaps add a few slices of lemon, apple or berries.
What Breaks Are Not
Some people consider organizing their email is a break. But it’s not. You’re still letting your mind work and processing the same things. Watching TV is also not a good break idea since you’ll only end up spending hours in one position and worse, eating junk foods.
It’s important to make the most of your breaks. In general, anything that helps promote blood circulation, burn calories and relaxing your mind and body are what’s considered “good breaks.”
If you can go to a fully equipped gym like Equinox Fitness a few times a week, that would be even better. Aim for a break every 30 minutes by trying the ideas we’ve listed above. You’ll notice that you’ll feel better, think better and become even more productive after you’ve taken breaks.
Here are some 1-minute exercises to burn belly fat and get your heart pumping: