http://deskercises.com Deskercises and Desk Exercises you can do at your desk

BREATHE

Breathing is one of the most important parts of any stretching routine

To breathe correctly, you must completely inhale and exhale.

Inhale:
breathe in through your nose without allowing your shoulders to lift, as if your lungs are deflated balloons that you’re trying to fill

Exhale:
breathe out through your mouth, squeezing all the air from your lungs, almost as if you are wringing the water out of a wet washcloth

Hello World!

If you are anything like me you sit at a desk all day. Hours sitting there you feel cramped. I sometimes sit for hours and just need a change. That change is Deskercise!

Here are some great Desk Exercises you can do, right at your desk.

Deskercise Neck stretch 1:

Sit forward on your chair with your feet firmly planted on the floor
Extend your upper body and drop your chin onto your chest
Place your right hand on the left side of your head and gently pull your head away from your shoulder
Hold and breathe, stretching from the base of your skull to your shoulder
Repeat by gently pulling the right side of your head with your left hand

Deskercise Neck stretch 2:

Sit upright on your chair, keep your head upright and place the palm of one hand against your forehead
Push forward with your head while resisting with your hand and hold for a few breaths
Then clasp your hands behind your head and push your head backwards while resisting with your hands

Deskercise Eye relaxer:

Sit upright on your chair, relax your shoulders, facial muscles, jaw and tongue
Circle your eyes clockwise eight times, then repeat counter-clockwise eight times
Close your eyes and breathe deeply for a few slow breaths

Deskercise Hand stretch:

Start with your hands in front of you, palms facing inward
Straighten your fingers and thumbs, then bend the top two joints of your finger down to the tops of your palms
Keep your knuckle joints straight
If your fingers are stiff, bend each finger individually, helping with the other hand

Deskercise Finger stretch:

Place the index finger against the edge of your desk, keeping your wrists straight
Gently push your finger into the desk and hold for a few breaths
Repeat with all fingers except the thumb

Deskercise Shoulder stretch:

Stand in front of an open doorway with your right arm extended at shoulder height
Bend your elbow to make a right angle and lay your forearm upright against the door jamb
Lean into the open doorway while gently twisting your upper body away from your upraised arm and hold the stretch
Repeat on the left side
This will open up your chest and stretch your shoulders

Deskercise Shoulder blade pinch:

Raise your arms out to the side with your elbows bent
Pinch your shoulder blades together by moving your elbows back as far as you can
Hold for a few breaths, then slowly move your arms forward to touch your elbows together

Deskercise Chest stretch:

Sit tall in your chair or stand up
Extend your arms behind your back and interlock your fingers
Gently stretch your shoulders back, opening up your chest
Take several deep breaths, making sure to keep your back straight and your gaze level

Deskercise Side stretch:

Sit tall in your chair or stand up
Stretch your arms overhead, interlock your fingers, turn your palms to the ceiling and breathe in deeply
As you exhale, bend your body to the right side, still holding your arms overhead
Take another deep breath in, then as you exhale, repeat the movement on the left side

Deskercise Calf raises:

Holding on to your desk or chair, slowly raise your heels off the floor
Hold for a few breaths, then lower

Deskercise Buttocks squeeze:

Sit upright on a chair or stand with feet planted firmly on the ground
Squeeze the muscles in your buttocks as tightly as you can
Hold for a few breaths, then relax

Deskercise Back stretch:

Sit forward on your chair and open your legs a little wider than your hips
Lean forward from your hips and gently bend your back forward
Let your head and arms hang down to the floor

Deskercise Cat stretch for lower back

Stand up and place your hands on your desk about shoulder width apart
Your feet should also be shoulder width apart
Slowly arch your back like a cat, dropping your chin to your chest and tucking your pelvis in
Hold for a few breaths, then release and arch your back slightly in the other direction, pushing your buttocks backward and raising your head upward
Hold and release

Deskercise Squats:

Stand in front of your office chair with your feet shoulder width apart
Bend your knees as though sitting on the chair, keeping your weight on your heels
When your legs are parallel with the seat of the chair, slowly rise to your original position

Deskercise Full body stretch:

Stand facing a wall and stretch your fingers up the wall as far as you can
While stretching up with your arms, add a downward stretch by pressing your feet firmly into the floor
Gently press your shoulder blades towards the wall and walk your fingers further up the wall to extend the stretch

Deskercise Heavy Hinges
This stretch is best done in a standing position. It is great not only for your shoulders, but also your triceps (backs of your arms). Do several times a day, or whenever your shoulders and upper body are feeling tight.

Standing upright, push both arms straight back with your palms facing down and hold for five seconds.
Bend in arms at the elbow (like a hinge), fingers pointing straight ahead, and hold for five seconds.
Repeat five to 10 times.

Deskercise Chop Wood
You're not really swinging an ax as you do this exercise, so you need not make the movements choppy or jerky. Try for maximum stretch to relieve the tension in your shoulders and elbows that develops as you work at your keyboard all day.

From a standing position, clasp your hands and hold them close to your right shoulder, as though resting an ax there.
Gently swing the ax by straightening your elbows and moving your hands toward your left thigh.
Raise your clasped hands to your left shoulder, and swing the ax toward your right thigh. Repeat on both sides seven or eight times.

Deskercise Ready For Fight
Your shoulders are the link between the three most common sites of stress-related pain - your head, neck and back. Increasing flexibility in your shoulders will also help with back and neck relaxation.

Sit erect in a chair.
Raise your arms so that elbows are flared in an outward position and hands are at shoulder level in front of your body.
Keep hands at shoulder level and push your elbows as high as you can, isolating the pressure on your shoulders.
Repeat 10 to 15 times.

Perform the first few slowly and smoothly, the next few faster and more intense, and the last couple slow and smooth.

Deskercise Do the Funky Chicken
Loosen up your shoulders, chest and back by doing this "funky chicken" exercise. It takes only a minute and releases a lot of tension in your upper body. It can be done from either a sitting or standing position.

Place your fingertips on your shoulders, elbows pointing out to the sides.
Pull your elbows back as far as you can.
Push your elbows forward and try to touch them together.
Repeat 10 times.
Now, keeping your fingertips on your shoulders, lift your elbows up and then push them down to your sides, as if you're trying to fly.
Repeat 10 times.

Deskercise Let the Good Times Roll
Your shoulders are one of the most flexible joints in your body, when they are functioning smoothly. Do this shoulder roll at least three times a day to relax your shoulders. You may do this one shoulder at a time, or both together.

Sit or stand tall.
Lift your shoulders as high as you can.
Bring them forward.
Push them down.
Pull your shoulders back, then return to starting position.
Repeat in the opposite direction. Repeat three to five times.

Do some heavy breathing

Find a quiet spot where you can sit down and close your eyes. Inhale deeply to a count of 5, then exhale to the count of 5. Shut out the noise and distractions around you by concentrating on the air flowing in and out of your body. Keep breathing deeply for at least 5 minutes. Repeat this exercise regularly throughout the day when you feel tired, or tense.

Take a Concentration Break

If you don't have time for a nutrition break, take a quick concentration break. Getting away from your desk, taking a short walk, or getting a drink of water will help you to work more efficiently when you have a tight timeline or heavy workload.

Protect Your Eyes

If your eyes are tired at the end of the day or if you get headaches at work, you may be experiencing eyestrain. Prolonged work on a computer is hard on your eyes. One way of minimizing discomfort is by blinking often to keep your eyes lubricated. Rest your eyes every 10 minutes by taking a break and gazing at something in the distance for a few seconds. Having the computer screen too close to your eyes can be another source of eyestrain.

The ERGOKIT is an evaluation and training program that can help you to arrange your workstation to reduce eyestrain.