Exercises You Can Do While Sitting

When you have good health you tend to take it for granted. Despite the fact that I am quite a heavy woman and have been for many years, I have just assumed that I can exercise and my body will just take it. Well, last night my body finally said NO! Well, actually it said OUCH first and then no.

If you can believe it, I actually went to exercise with my friend last night who plays in a recreational indoor soccer league. I have never really been a sports person and I know that I am very uncoordinated when it comes to kicking a ball, but when she said it would be the cardio workout of my life I couldn’t refuse. I welcomed a break from going to the gym as that can be quite monotonous after a while. So there I was, me and my large body, surrounded by crazy fit people zipping about me like flies. I tried my absolute best to get that darn ball and let me tell you it was one hell of a workout. Finally, an hour into the game I got the ball in front of the net and channeled David Beckham. I visualized making the goal, everyone cheering and giving me high-fives. Wooo, it was amazing… no, it didn’t happen. Instead I managed to step on the ball and roll over onto my ankle. The good news is that my ankle is only sprained, the bad news is that it still hurts a lot and I’m going to have to explore ways of exercising that won’t irritate it for the next few days. So last night when I got home I went online to see what types of exercises you can do while sitting.

There are many exercises you can do while sitting that will help to increase your activity level no matter what your physical condition may be.

Sometimes, getting up and moving for exercise is out of the question, either because of injury or chronic pain. It also could be that you sit in a chair all day to work like many of us do, and you want to get some exercise in while doing that (another good post to check out “Exercises You can Do at Work“). You could also be in poor health or very overweight and standing or running is not a good option for you. Whatever the case, there are some exercises you can do while sitting in a chair that are great for your health and can mean a higher fitness level. This can help you move towards a more active and fit lifestyle.

Stretching is important, but you should do it the right way. Take a few moments to close your eyes and relax your entire body. You can do this by visualizing each part of your body from your toes up to your head. Relax each part as you move up your body. Once you have done this, then start to gently stretch your muscles until you feel a pulling, but no pain. Stretching should feel good, not painful.

You can do small amounts of strength training exercises while sitting in a chair. You must have hand and ankle weights for this, but they can be as light as one pound if you are starting from the beginning. You can do simple sets of 10 or twenty lifts by arm or by leg. Rest in between and try to do these a few times a day a few days a week. As this gets easier, try to hold the weight in the upright position for longer periods of time, and then add weight when that is easier as well.

It is possible to improve more than arm and leg tone and strength in a chair as well. You can clench the muscles in your buttocks and your stomach while you are sitting. You should clench and hold for three seconds to start, doing this about five times. Then move up to ten repetitions and hold your clenched muscles for ten seconds or longer if you can. This might not seem like much, but it can work wonders when other types of exercise are out of the question.

Yoga is an exercise that promotes muscle growth and strength. You may picture people on the floor or standing up doing yoga poses, but there are some you can do right from your seat. There are some positions made just for chair sitting, and others that can be adjusted so that they can be done while sitting. You may want to find an instructor for this, or perhaps a good book to guide you through. Another terrific option is to check out this Free Sitting Yoga routine that takes about 15 minutes to complete. It has videos for all of the poses and would be a perfect break-time activity to do at your desk at work or between hockey periods at home on the couch. Not only can you get exercise with yoga, you can get peace of mind and relaxation as well.

Finally, my personal favorite exercise you can do while sitting is using a pedal exerciser. This is a small contraption with pedals like a bike that is small and sits at your feet wherever you may be seated. Just put your feet on the pedals and get going. You can also put the pedal exerciser on a table in front of you and use it to exercise your arms. My aunt was the first person to show me how great one of these could be. She and my cousin drove across the country to come for a visit a couple of summers ago. As my cousin drove she would sit in the back seat of the van and use her pedal exerciser. She did this across the country and back and was in terrific shape when she got home. I thought that was so smart that I went out and bought one right away. I don’t use it as much as I should, but when I remember I try to pedal while I watch TV. There are many different types of pedal exercisers you can buy, and I recommend buying one that you can adjust the resistance on so that you can get as good a workout as you can.