Part of the problem of weight gain at the office is the inactivity of sitting behind a desk all day. But there are some great exercises you can do right at your desk. Set a timer to remind you to do these simple exercises:
1. For your tummy: Sit tall and straighten the spine. Then clench the abdominal muscles as tightly as possible, pulling your belly button back toward the spine. Hold for one to five seconds and repeat 20 times. Do at least three times daily.
2. For your thighs: While seated with knees together, imagine someone’s pulling them apart and it’s your job to keep them together by squeezing your inner thigh muscles in one-second pulses. Do this at least three times daily.
3. For your backside: Start to stand up, with heels digging into the ground to contract the backside muscles, but pause a beat about three-quarters of the way through the standing motion. Sit back down, and then stand up as you normally would. It’s a great way to get exercise without even breaking a sweat.
Some call the above “deskercises.” These days, many exercise programs offer chair options.
* Buy an aerobic or other kind of exercise CD and begin working out with it. You don’t have to spend a lot of money. You can find many such tapes and CDs in thrift shops and places that resell CDs.
* Your local library offers all sorts of free health information, including exercise books.
Steve Reynolds, the “anti-fat pastor,” has served as senior pastor of Capital Baptist Church in Annandale, Va., since 1982. He is the author of Bod4God and Get Off the Couch. Steve launched a weight-loss ministry called “Losing to Live” in his church and nationwide after he lost more than 100 pounds. His story has been featured in local, national and international media, including Fox News, CNN, the Washington Post and the Chicago Tribune. For more information, contact www.losingtolive.com.
