Most of us live a more sedentary lifestyle and we would choose, and the effects can make it clear that our bodies weren't designed for this. If you sit a computer all day, you know what I am talking about - tightness in the body, the lack of energy or brain fog that comes with staring at a computer screen, and a general loss of muscle tone due to the constant sitting and lack of time for any "formal" exercise. But this doesn't mean you're doomed to pain and suffering! These effects can be lessened by committing yourself to a few simple exercises at your desk as well as bringing attention to posture and how you move the body.

While working be sure to:

• Sit up straight.


• Keep shoulders over hips.


• Keep both feet flat on the floor, knees in line or above hips. This may require a foot rest.


• If possible, sit on a stability ball instead of a chair to increase core strength and promote proper spinal alignment.


• Get up every so often to increase blood flow, mobilize the joints, and rejuvenate the mind.


• Roll the wrists and ankles every so often.


• Talk your focus off the computer and focus on something far away to give the eyes a break, and to balance out near sight with far sight strength.

Specific exercises to incorporate during the day:

• Sitting up tall, keeping collarbones wide and parallel to floor, tip the left ear to left shoulder. Be sure to keep the right shoulder down and relaxed. Engage abdominal muscles to support posture. Breathe into the right side of the neck. After several breaths, bring the left arm up and place hand on head, not pulling, but allowing the extra weight to deepen the stretch. Be sure to keep the torso stable, not changing anything with added weight. Switch sides.


• Sitting up tall, inhale expanding the belly, filling it up with air, not lifting the chest. Exhale, pull the belly all the way back to the spine. With abdominal muscles pulled as far back to the spine as possible count out loud to 10. (If you are in close proximity to co-workers, whisper, but do count - this ensures you are breathing while engaging the deepest abdominal muscle, the transverse abdominus). Repeat this 4 times.


• Sitting up tall, inhale into the belly, put the naval back toward spine. Release halfway, pull back to spine and count out loud - 1, repeat, 2, repeat 3, and so on - until you have completed 40 pulses. This is a mindful pull of abdominal muscles toward spine, not a violent pulsing movement. Nothing should be moving but the abdominal muscles.


• Strengthen the pelvic floor muscles by performing kegels. Sitting up tall, think of pubic bone and tail bone coming together and both sits bones coming together, all meeting in the center of the pelvic floor. Contract and lift- as if closing a change purse and lifting. Exhale and release. Repeat 10 times.


• Get up from the computer and stretch calves by facing wall with right leg forward of left. Keep about a 3-foot distance between front and back foot. Bend into the right leg, keeping torso upright and breathing into the back leg. Be sure to keep heel down. Repeat on other side.


• Face wall and do 20 or so pushups.

All of the above exercises can increase in repetition, and be repeated several times throughout the day.

Remember, these suggestions are only to give the body movement throughout the day behind a desk. I look at these movements as "preventative." Hopefully, with these movements and postural changes you can avoid some of the aches, pains, and imbalances that come with a sedentary lifestyle. You will still want to incorporate other types of exercise in your life, where you can find the time.

If you have any types of exercises that have worked for you in the office, please share!