Most adults spend a majority of their time at a desk. Sedentary. Not moving, not making themselves stronger, healthier, better.

Me too friends, me too.

I hate that, so I changed it for myself. Now I work out while I work. I don’t mean break a sweat intense cardio go for a run (ha!) type of workout. What I mean is tiny muscle building things that I can do at my desk or in the bathroom that wouldn’t be embarrassing if someone walked in. I promise that I won’t tell you to do burpees in the cafeteria.

First, if you can get yourself a standing desk, DO IT. I have shoulder issues that doctors can’t seem to figure out, but the pain is relieved by standing more often than sitting all day long. It helps my posture and keeps me moving more than I would if I were sitting.

If you can get your company to pay for, or find one cheap (like this one, from Amazon) get yourself a TreadDesk. They range in cost, from around $400 to over $1000, but I use mine for about 90 minutes a day, and it’s amazing. Before I got it, even though I knew how important it was to get in 10,000 steps, but I won’t lie, I rarely got it. I walk between 3-5 miles a day at my desk, and usually hit 10,000 by 11:30 am. That way, it’s out of the way and done. Plus, I sit in an open space office, and the room is COLD, so walking keeps me warm! Check out my Instagram today – I’ll post a little video of me in action!

Common questions/comments I get about my TreadDesk:

• How on EARTH do you walk and type at the same time?! I never could! I have no balance/coordination/I’d kill myself falling off of it (etc., etc.)!!!!
  • While I have played sports most of my life, I can’t say this takes the most focus and coordination. My arms rest on the table while I am typing, so if there was ever a concern of balance, my arms hold me steady. I walk in heels (by heels I mean thick heeled boots, not stilettos. But I’d break an ankle just trying those on so….)
• Don’t you get sweaty!?
  • Not really. My office space is super cold, and I walk about 2.5 mph, sometimes slower, rarely faster. I do occasionally start to overheat, and if that’s the case, I just stop until I inevitably get cold again.
• What do you do when you want to sit down? Do you stand all day?
  • Most of the time I stand all day. I do like sitting while I eat my lunch, or if I have had a particularly exhausting day or am in a tired mood. When I want to do that, I pull a chair over from our big team table, and it fits nicely and sturdily on top of the machine. Is that its intended use? Probably (definitely) not, but it works for me!
• Doesn’t the noise bother you/your officemates?
  • I don’t hear it. Its become white noise, and I’ve done a survey of those right around me, and they agree – white noise. Since you walk at the same speed, the cadence of your steps is even, and so everything from your steps to the lull of the tread moving is even and becomes white noise. I’m sure if I stomped or changed speeds a lot it would be obvious and obnoxious, but it’s so steady it’s a great white noise machine.
• Isn’t it boring to walk all the time?
  • Au contraire my friends, it’s actually a great way to speed time UP. It doubles down on the distraction level – work + walking, so time moves faster.

If you can’t get a standing desk,  get an under-desk elliptical. Before I got a TreadDesk, I had one and used it when I would sit during the day, to just keep me moving and feeling good. Plus, it’s another good distraction.

OK, now that we’ve gotten purchases out of the way – the BEST ways to workout at work!

1. Calf raises. (Standing) Its easy and you can barely tell your moving. Rock up onto the balls of your feet, then back to flat feet. I tend to try to do it 20-50 times, in sets of 10. You can do this while you wait for your morning coffee to pour, the elevator to arrive, a meeting to start, standing in line at the cafe, literally anywhere.
2. Toe lifts.  (Sitting or standing) With feet flat on the ground, lift toes up, keeping heels on the ground. Again, 20-50 times, in sets of 10.
3. Wall or desk pushups (standing) I do this on my desk because it’s standing, but I have also done in the bathroom against the wall (also less likely to be seen, I do have a limit to my shamelessness). Do a standard pushup, but use the desk or wall rather than the floor.
4. Squats. (standing) This one is an easy one – do 15 squats in the bathroom every time you go to the bathroom! It’s a good way to get in some great leg work!
5. Arm circles. (sitting or standing) I do these because they are quick, and I can feel them fast. Raise arms straight out to sides. Move arms in small circles forward 25 times, then move in small circles backward 25 times.
6. March in place. (standing or sitting) Obviously easier to march in place while standing, but you can do it sitting too! Just lift one leg at a time (high knees) back and forth 25-50 times
7. Barre poses. (standing) OH MY GOODNESS YOU WILL BURN. Stand flat-footed. Roll up on balls of your feet (high as you can go) Bend knees, keeping your hips under your shoulders. Hold for 2 minutes or as long as your legs will let you. I’m still working up to 2 minutes because wow!
8. Climb the stairs! I work in a 3-story building, plus a garage. I park in the garage daily, then walk to my 2nd-floor office. If I’m feeling tired (or freezing cold) in the middle of the day, I walk the halls to one staircase, go down, walk across to another staircase, and go up. I can do this a few times without looking silly because I am utilizing multiple staircases
9. WALK! I go on almost daily walks around my building – I take 15 minutes and just walk a loop. I use this time to pray, to think about the action items I have for the rest of the day, to call someone, or I invite a friend or coworker to have a 1:1 while we walk!

And there you have it.

Simple, easy ways to get your blood flowing and your heart pumping in you 8, 9, 12 hour days. Do your best to get your steps in, and tell me in the comments, what you do think are the best ways to workout at work?!?