Tip of the Week: 3 Easy Exercises Designed for Office Workers

You wouldn’t think that sitting at a desk all day could have many detrimental effects to the body, but the opposite is actually true: remaining stationary throughout the day, especially in a slouching position, can cause considerable stress and discomfort. This discomfort, in addition to decreasing morale, can be a distraction that cuts into the productivity of workers throughout the day.

If you’re experiencing the ill health effects of poor desk posture, try these exercises at home--you’ll see why in a moment--to relieve many of the negative symptoms by stretching out your cramped and compressed muscles.

Get rocking...
On all fours, carefully rock back and forth. When rocking back, your hips should move down towards your feet, extending your back for a stretch across the lower portion of your spine, relaxing the stretch when returning to the forward position. For an added bonus in your upper back and neck, nod your head as you rock, bringing your chin to and from your chest.

… and rolling.
Starting off by laying on your stomach with your arms above your head, alternatively lift your arms and use their weight to roll over a few times on each side. Be sure to use the weight of your arm to roll, rather than bracing against the ground and pushing yourself over.

Also, get back to the basics.
With remarkably few exceptions, human beings start moving on all fours. Use that as an inspiration during your next exercise and crawl forwards and backwards, focusing on moving your hips as much as possible. While moving backwards, get a good stretch in your neck by turning your head from side to side.

Hopefully, it is now clear why these exercises are better done at home. Unless your office has a dedicated exercise area, there simply is not space for employees to do such things, never mind how distracting such activities would be for the other employees to work around. Therefore, since these activities are intended to assist office workers in remaining comfortable and focused, this is a bit of work that people should really take home with them.

An uncomfortable employee is an unproductive employee--fortunately, the opposite is also true. Encouraging your employees to take care of their bodies will not only help them feel their best, but also help them remain more productive for your business.

For more office productivity tips, keep checking back to the XFER blog.