Shape up or ship out!
On average, a normal working adult would spend at least 8 to 12 hours at their office workplace. That is a third of your day spent hunched over a monitor, typing away endlessly while only occasionally getting up to get more snacks from the pantry or to attend that meeting nobody really wants to be in. If that doesn’t sound depressing enough then wait till it’s lunch time and you make your way to the toilet for a quick break, only to stare surprised at a reflection of our disheveled self.
Work fatigue, drowsiness, migraine, weight gain – these are just some of the side effects of sedentary workplace lifestyle. Though it isn’t new, it’s certainly a less conspicuous issue that’s been around for well… ever since office jobs are invented. Yet, there are still little care being put into making sure employees are still active while at work, apart from the mandatory weekend company day outing (which probably consists of more eating anyways).
They say that only 1% of employees can be fully efficient in maintaining a non-sedentary working lifestyle. I can admit right now that I’m not part of that 1%. Even though I have all the time and freedom to better plan my day, I’d always find excuses to get away from incorporating active exercising during working. While I still stick to my gym routine post-work, I can definitely still feel the toll on my body from the long hours I’ve put in.
As the title suggests, it’s either I shape up or ship out! Personally speaking, I felt that it was high time to get out of my comfort zone once more and get serious in improving my lifestyle.
The exercising menu
A few months back, I’ve shared this concern to one of our fellow HTO writers, Rahimah. I wanted to bounce some ideas around and to see if she has any suggestions to help me overcome my predicament. While I was practically in distraught from the slow realization of my poor lifestyle choices, she left the meeting with an eager smile instead.
Lo and behold about a week ago, I received an email from her with the subject line “Simple exercises you can do while working“. It turns out that she too had faced similar health problems when she was working part-time and was completely empathizing with my current situation. In the email, she mentioned how she used to keep a short memo of exercise routines she regularly does while at work. After digging it back out, she’s more than happy to have me share it with our dear readers.
As a bonus, rather than me simply listing out the plans verbatim, I’ve decide to put my money where my mouth is and undergone a 1 week’s trial of said menu. So for each point, you’ll get to hear my take on the matter and how I’ve approached it for maximum effectiveness! 
1. Head and shoulder
Jumping right into the thick of things, I first wanted to address the issue of my head, neck and shoulder stiffness. Fortunately enough, these starter exercises are pretty easy to do even while seated at your desk:
- Head tilt (10 seconds on each side) – place a palm on your head and slowly tilt it towards the shoulder. Hold for 10 seconds before repeating for the other side.
- Head roll (10 times) – from the neutral position, lean your head forwards then slowly rotate it clockwise in a circular motion. Do this for 10 times before repeating it counter clockwise.
- Shoulder stretches (10 times) – move your shoulder by the joints forward in a circular motion. Do it for 10 times before repeating a backward circular motion.
In total, that’s a measly 1 minute out of your 8 hours to help reduce the stiffness. It’s recommended to repeat the whole sequence for at least 2-3 minutes, every time you’re having a break.
Editor’s Takeaway
For myself, I found it easier to designate time “landmarks” to my exercises with 3 hours interval in between. That would mean once before I begin work at 9am, around lunch time at 12pm, then at my 3pm break and after work ended at 6pm. Now, it looks evenly spaced out and doesn’t pressure me to overdo the exercises itself.
2. Arms, hands and upper body
You would think that being at your home office acts as a disincentive to work on my arms, chest and back. However, I can say for a fact that that couldn’t be more wrong! Check this out gang:
- Wrist stretch (6 seconds for each wrist) – stretch your right arm out with palm down, then use your left hand to pull your fingers down, holding it for 3 seconds before pulling them upwards for another 3 seconds. Repeat for left wrist as well.
- Handball (10 times for each hand) – make a fist with your hand, pretend you’re squeezing an imaginary stress ball. Hold and release for 10 times before repeating for the other hand.
- Arm dips (for as long as you can) – grip your armrests with both hands and lift your bottom off your seat. Hold it for as long as you can (also known as “till failure”). Be sure to have a sturdy and stable chair before attempting!
- Triceps stretch (10 seconds for each arm) – raise your right arm and bend it so that it can reach or nearly reach your opposite shoulder. Use your left hand to pull the right elbow towards your head. Hold for 10 seconds before switching.
- Abs (15 times) – on your swivel chair, sit straight up with feet flat on the floor. Hold onto the edge of your desk, then use your core abs to swivel the chair from side to side. Doing 15 reps should suffice!
The next two would require you to actually get up from your seat!
- Wall push up (20 times) – stand a few steps away from the wall and lay your hands flat on it. Then slowly lower yourself down onto the wall (but keep your body straight) before pushing back until your arms are straight. Aim for at least 20 reps.
- Back body (30 seconds) – with your back facing a wall, slide yourself down until your hips are the same level as your knees at 90 degree angles. Hold this position for a minimum of 30 seconds.
Editor’s Takeaway
I find that the more intense workouts such as the wall push up and back body can be done in moderation while for the others, I tend to perform them whenever I’m bored or simply thinking.
3. Lower body
As someone who spends most of his time seated, it’s crucial that you don’t skip the vital lower parts of your body!
- Lunges (10 times for each leg) – place your right leg in front of your left leg, then slowly lower your left knee onto the ground. Do this for 10 times on each leg.
- Knee hug (10 times for each knee) – while sitting straight on your chair, hug one knee, pulling it close to your chest. Repeat for 10 times before moving to the other knee.
- Ankle circles (20 times for each ankle) – while remaining seated, bring your right foot to rest on top of your left knee. Turn it clockwise in a circular motion for 10 times, then counterclockwise for another 10 times. Repeat for the other foot after.
Editor’s Takeaway
Aside from the lunges, I love that you can practically do the knee hugs and ankle stretches while you’re typing away! It can certainly be one of the easier exercises to develop into a habit overtime. I also find myself doing them without even realizing it at least half of the time 😂.
1 week later
As I’ve mentioned previously, this workout list is drafted courtesy of one of our HTO writers Rahimah. From her own experience working as a part time sales girl, even standing around the whole day and entertaining customers puts a strain on her legs, shoulders, everywhere in her joints as well. While medicine used to be her go to remedy for pains, it gives diminishing returns over time. She needed a healthier, sustainable way of relieving daily pains – that’s when she scoured Google to come up with this neat little list.
While working remotely differs greatly with being a sales assistant, I’ve updated the list to cater to a broader audience of not just remote workers but also those working in office too!
For a full working week, I’ve followed through with the menu as best as I can. I wasn’t expecting drastic changes to come but what I discovered by the end of the week did surprise me pleasantly. Just like Rahimah, I’ve seen positive changes happening to my body like:
- Improvement in my mood and concentration while doing work. Especially useful given my remote arrangement.
- Less feeling burnt out. It takes my mind off work for a while, giving me a mandatory break from getting tunnel vision in a problem I’m facing.
- Motivates me to go to the gym! Doing short exercises through out the day feels like having a drawn out warming up session.
- Lesser back pains!! 🤩
And that’s all from my very first week!
So, my advice to any readers out there, whether you’re doing remote work or being in the office, do take some time to stay active at the desk. It can be incredibly easy and rewarding! The better we are in keeping ourselves healthy, the more productive worker we’ll become. Who knows, by then you’ll be good enough to warrant that promotion you’ve ben eyeing on 😜.
Note: If you have any tips that we miss out that you think can be more effective then let us know in the comments section below! We always welcome good suggestions and different opinions from our dear readers. Cheers!