Well, duh! That’s a no-brainer of a question, but now that I have your attention, let’s chat about the fact that working at your desk is something many of us do whether we are working from home or working in an office. Losing weight while multi-tasking is a dream come true. While weight loss is something that is a constant, ongoing event 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, there is a way to help keep your calories burning while you’re sitting at your desk and working.
Sit Up Straight
Sitting up straight and practicing good posture will increase your calorie burning while you are sitting at your desk. Sitting up straight instead of leaning back in the chair requires you to use the muscles in your back and in your abdominal. As you are sitting here reading this, straighten up your posture and sit up straight.
You will feel a faint tightness in your lower back and while you may not feel the muscles of your abdomen engaging, it is helping you to tone some of the muscles there. Fifteen minutes of sitting up straight and you will definitely begin to feel it. As you can imagine, toning these muscles will also be burning calories. If you manage to sit up straight for eight hours, you will definitely be toning your muscles in your back and abdomen.
Flex While You Sit
Sitting up straight is a great way to get started on burning calories while you’re sitting still. Another great way to burn calories is to flex and stretch your muscles while you’re sitting. You can flex your feet, rotate your ankles, stretch your legs and your arms and stretch your face. While each of these activities may only burn a few calories at a time, that’s a few more calories than you would otherwise.
The next time you get up for a cup of coffee or to go to the bathroom, take a five minute walk around to warm your muscles back up and to increase the blood circulation. Take a few minutes every couple of hours to laugh and relax your mind. Laughter burns calories and it’s a good way to relax and distress.
Finally, consider investing in a ball type desk chair – not only will you be engaging your core as you sit up straight, it will definitely help you to burn your calories by just sitting still. While this is not a guaranteed way to lose weight all by itself, it is yet another way that lifestyle changes can help you increase the chances for success. If you’ve been sitting up straight this whole time – how is your back feeling?
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