For those of us who struggle with chair jobs all day, we may find it difficult not to slip into a sedentary lifestyle. Knowing certain exercises to avoid a sedentary lifestyle is very important, especially for people of adulthood. The body is a machine that must be put to good use so that it does not lock up. Staying motionless for long hours for long periods of time can greatly reverse people’s physical condition.
When you also enter a dynamic of this type in which exercise can always wait until tomorrow, it means that before you know it, weeks have passed and you have lost all your motivation to do the regular exercise that your body needs. We help you combat daily sedentary lifestyle with a very simple exercise routine. Keep reading!
The ultimate routine for sedentary people
As we age, it is important to maintain and strengthen muscle tone so that our bodies do not begin to fail us. Here are nine simple exercises ideal for the easy- going to help you strengthen major muscle groups and avoid a sedentary lifestyle.
All of the exercises shown below can be completed with just a chair and a few small weights. If you don’t have weights, replace them with soup cans or water bottles, for example. Chair exercises are great to complete your maintenance work out and start progressing before starting full-body movements:
1. Shoulder circles
While sitting, place your fingertips on your shoulders. Roll your shoulders forward in a circle for 15 reps or until you feel fatigue in your shoulder muscles.
Then reverse the movement and circle backward. This exercise is a great start because of the number of injuries that occur to the shoulder muscles. It also helps warm up the area before moving on to other more demanding exercises.
2. Wheels with shoulders
Sit with your feet planted on the ground. Shrug your shoulders up to your ears and slowly turn them in a circle. When you get to the top, reverse the movement. Try to complete 15 repetitions in one direction and reverse or alternate directions.
3. Tapping the toes
Sit up straight with your feet flat on the floor. Bend your toes toward the ceiling and back to the ground. If this seems particularly easy, move forward to the edge of the chair and keep your legs straight. Make sure to keep your heels on the ground as you curl your toes up and down. Do 10 or 15 repetitions.
4. Kneeling raises
Sit upright with the soles of your feet flat on the floor. Slowly raise your right knee to your chest, then lower your foot to the ground. Repeat with the left knee. Do 10 or 15 repetitions. You can do a whole side and then switch or alternate sides on each rep.
5. Side flexion
Stand tall with your feet hip-width apart and your arms at your sides. Slide your left arm down the side as far as is comfortable for you. As you stretch, you should feel the stretch on your opposite hip. Repeat with the other side. Complete 15-20 reps on each side. If you want to progress in this exercise, hold small weights or soup cans.
6. Calf raises
Get behind a chair. Standing up, use the chair as a point of support. Lift both heels off the ground until comfortable. Keep this movement slow and controlled and repeat 5 to 10 times. To make this exercise more difficult, hold the chair with one hand. The more advanced can remove the chair completely. If possible, have a friend close by, as this exercise can make your legs suddenly fatigued.
What do you think of this exercise routine to combat sedentary lifestyle? Do not forget to have the supervision of a personal trainer to perform these exercises. With the help of a professional, you can start exercising little by little and without neglecting your physical conditions and needs.
