Make Use Of Your Downtime

 

Quick Muscle Toning & Cardio Tips

 

Shape up while on the phone, standing in line, sitting in the car, waiting in the doctor’s office, at your desk, and climbing stairs - with quick muscle toning and cardio tips.

 

Toning not only strengthens your muscles, which can prevent injuries and enhance posture, but can also help alleviate stress related pain. Cardio exercise gets the blood pumping, burns calories, and gives your brain a mini refresher.

 

“Choose the life that is most useful, and habit will make it the most agreeable.”

Francis Bacon

 

-           Burn calories. Pace while you talk. Walking back and forth will burn more than one and a half times as many calories as sitting. That’s 61 extra calories an hour - at two hours per work day - adds up to 30,134 calories - or nine pounds per year.

 

-           Leg toning while you chat. Stand with your feet in a"V", heels together, toes apart. Lower hips until your knees extend just past your toes. Focus on squeezing your inner thighs together as you rise up again. Do 20, slow. On the last one, stay in the bent-knee position and lift and lower your heels 10 to 15 times to target your calves. 

 

-           Tighten your tush.  Squeeze and release your gluteal muscles for one minute. And when you’re finished, draw your navel toward your spine for 30 seconds to work the deep abdominal muscles.

 

-           Strengthen your neck. Place the palm of your dominant hand on your forehead and press your head against it for five seconds. Repeat on the right and left sides of your head. Finally, drop your chin; put both palms against the back of your head and lift up against your hands. Doing this will not only strengthen your neck muscles, but can also help alleviate stress-related headaches.

 

-           Give your brain a mini refresher. Stand up, lean over, and place your palms on the edge of your desk - make sure it’s sturdy. Do “push-ups”. Keep your body straight as you lower and press up. Push-ups on an incline are slightly easier than on the floor, so you can do more in one minute without compromising your form.

 

-           Toning at your desk. Chair squats and toe-ups are easy to do in an office or cubicle. Stand with your back to your chair several inches in front of your chair with arms extended in front of you. Squat down until your rear barely touches the seat. Then stand and rise onto your toes. Repeat 10 to 12 times to strengthen your muscles and enhance posture.

 

-           Power up your stair cardio climb. Instead of walking leisurely up a flight of stairs, gradually increase your speed and the number of stairs you take in one minute. Take two steps at once - if you are able to do it safely - and you will target your glutes even more.

 

-           Tone your calves on the stairs. For every three steps you take, stop and do five calf raises - coming up onto the balls of your feet and then lowering heels to just below step height.

 

 

Written by Beverly Smith, Division Support Specialist

 

© B4W, LLC 2006