Do you have a sense of guilt because you don’t move enough and you don’t get enough exercise? Monday has passed and you haven’t started a new life? It is clear that you have a lot of excuses: no time for exercises, gym passes are too expensive, and you can’t exercise at home because of limited space. All these excuses are valid! If you have a job, you should take a few minutes in the day to exercise.
1. Exercising at work protects against professional burnout.
This confirms the research of psychologists Sharon Toker and Michael Byron, published in the Journal of Applied Psychology. It showed a direct link between depression, emotional burnout, and lack of physical activity: it turned out that people, who do not engage in physical activity regularly, often feel overwhelmed and are not inclined to work hard.
2. Exercise improves mood and causes a burst of energy.
You can thank endorphins for this, they are produced during exercises even during even short bursts of activity: they evoke a feeling of indescribable delight in runners after jogging. Endorphins have a calming effect, and even help to dull pains.
3. Exercise protects the brain from ageing.
As we age, we all start to think more slowly, and our memories get worse. At the University of Pittsburgh they found that sports can help stop this process. They studied how exercises influence those who are over 70, and found out that those who lead an active life at this age, feel the ageing process slower than those who do nothing. Start doing something right now!
4. Exercises at work do not interfere, but help us become more motivated.
The study, published in the Journal of Occupational & Environmental Medicine, proves that workers who take care of their health during working hours show much better results than those who work without fixing their posture. It turned out that those who devote two and a half hours per week to atheletic activities are more satisfied and work with great enthusiasm.
Try these 7 simple exercises for the office:
1. Keep your head straight, turn it slowly and look to the right. Return to the original position, and then just as slowly turn your head and look to the left. Do this four times.
2. Looking straight ahead, tilt your head to the right slowly, return to the place, lean to the left slowly. Repeat four times.
3. Direct the shoulders forward and lower them down, then lift, lay back and sat down again, and then again lift, move forward and back. Repeat eight times.
4. Stay straight, look ahead. Raise your hands up and cup your hands, stretch them as high as possible. If possible, cross your wrists.
5. Stand straight, place your palms on your lower back and try to touch your elbows.
6. Sitting on a chair and keeping your back straight, lift the right and left knee alternately. Repeat four times.
7. Standing erect and leaning on a table, bend the left leg, grasp the ankles and pull back.
