Movement and nutrition are an inseparable combination to reach a state of physical and mental wellness. A fair amount of physical activity should be provided in the daily life of all of us.
The type and intensity of training depend on many factors such as age, gender, health conditions and chronic stress. It would be necessary to find the right dose of duration and quality of activity to benefit from the movement and to prevent this from becoming a source of further stress.
If daily activities do not allow you to spend time at the gym, pool or other advice, then, try to reserve little time at home or in the office to do simple exercises. Take a walk in between the exercises. These few minutes that you can dedicate to a physical exercise or a walk every day allow you to dedicate some time to yourself. The few movements or the short walks will not change your active life drastically, but, persistently and progressively, even only 10 minutes well done every day, will make a difference.
Several researches show that the physical activity during the daily working routine improves health.
In fact, data relating to various studies carried out between 1967 and 2007 involving a total of more than 38,000 people were published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine (AJPM) and showed that even a modest daily physical activity produces a reduction in ratio of total cholesterol to HDL cholesterol, fasting blood glucose and diabetes risk
Surely, your personal trainer may provide you with the most correct and personalized advice. Nevertheless, I may provide my personal suggestion about simple movements to do for a few minutes a day at home or in the office in front of the desk.
Before starting the exercises, it is preferable to warm up by going up and down the stairs a few times or by taking a short walk at a fast pace.
Exercises for the arms
- Place your hands under the desk or table with your elbow bent at ninety degrees and push upwards. Hold the pressure for 15 seconds and repeat 5 times like the previous one.
- Place the palms of your hands and forearms on the desk and push down with energy while maintaining this effort for about 15 seconds. Repeat this exercise 5 times with a pause of a few seconds between each performance.
- Standing in upright position, with the legs slightly apart and the abdomen contracted, hold a half-liter bottle of water with your arm at your side. Lift the arm sideways in a couple of seconds without going over the shoulder, then return to the starting position in 3-4 seconds. Do 3 sets of 10 repetitions each with a 30 second pause between each set. Run with the other arm.
Exercises for legs and abdominals
- While sitting, contract and relax your buttocks continuously for 20-30 times.
- Hold your hands at the side edges of the chair and raise both legs by flexing them towards the chest, then return them to the starting position. Lift and flex 15 times. Do at least two sets of this exercise.
- Place your hands on the side edges of the chair and fairly quickly raise and flex towards the trunk first one leg and then the other. Do it 15 times for each leg.
Back exercises
- Raise your arms and inhale, hold them parallel and stretch them upwards alternately as if to climb. You need to feel the back muscles stretch well. Count up to fifteen, then exhaling, relax your arms along your chest. Pause for a few seconds and repeat the exercise.
- Raise your arms and inhale, cross your wrists over your head and join your palms together. Stretch your arms as far as possible towards the ceiling while keeping your back straight. Hold the position for 10 seconds, then exhale, remove your hands and let your arms go along your chest. After a few seconds, repeat the exercise.
- Put your hands behind your neck keeping your upper body straight. Open your elbows and bring your shoulder blades as close together as possible. Stay like this for 5 seconds, take a short break and repeat the exercise 4 times.
Cervical exercises
- Rest your hands on your knees by relaxing your shoulders and arms. Slowly bend your head first to the right then to the left 5 times. After a pause of a few seconds, repeat one more time.
- Same starting position as in the previous exercise: bend your head very slowly and bring it straight 5 times. Repeat.
- Still maintaining the same posture, rotate your head to the right and then to the left slowly 10 times.
