3 Creative Ways to Lose Weight While Working at Your Desk

Hey everyone! 

The latest edition this week is a special guest post. We have Elliot, a blogger for GunsmithFitness.com giving us 3 creative ways to lose weight while at work. If you are back to working at your desk at your office, it's important to still get some movement throughout your day. I'll let Elliot take it away: 

Working at a desk job for eight hours a day can make it difficult to find the time to exercise.
Sure, you have plans to do so, but sometimes you are just too tired after working. Not to mention
the myriad of house chores that say hello post-duty.
Admit it, you spend more time than you prefer sitting in a chair--whether it is in an office or the
comforts of your home. While it is less challenging, having a sedentary lifestyle is not the best
for one's overall health. You might have tried putting snacks away, opting for the stairs, and
standing for at least 30 minutes per hour, but these do not seem to be enough. 
If you cannot avoid being tied to your desk, we have some incredible news for you. You can be
physically active and lose weight even from your work table. The following are simple yet
creative workouts you can employ amid your hectic schedule. These not only burn calories but
complement your mood, too. 

Incline Desk Push-Ups

Your upper extremities will surely benefit from incline desk push-ups. This helps strengthen
your bones as well as keep your stamina elevated.
Instead of getting down on the floor, stand only a few feet away from your desk. Place your
palms, shoulder-width apart, against your desk. Then, slowly lower yourself down to the edge of
the desk and push yourself back up to your original position. Then repeat.
Having your arms apart benefits your chest, while holding them close together is ideal for the
triceps. A person weighing 180 pounds can lose 39 calories from 10 minutes of incline desk
push-ups in a day not to mention the increase in strength.

Chair Squats

For your lower extremities, you can do chair squats. This is good for your hamstrings and glutes,
while still engaging your core. Also, this is good practice if you are planning to do actual squats.
To do this, stand straight with a shoulder-width distance between your feet. Lower yourself back
down to the chair without (actually sitting) while maintaining an upright posture. Make sure that
your shins and abdomen are of the same angle. Squeeze your glutes as you stand up to your
original position, then do it again!
This exercise burns 34 calories for the same amount of time. Thirty minutes of this exercise in a
day can lose one more than 100 calories and build muscle.

Chair Lunges

You can also do chair lunges. This helps stabilize your core as well as tone your lower
extremities.
While keeping your abdomen tight, slowly lower yourself by placing one foot forward while
holding onto a chair. Make sure that your knee is bent to 90 degrees and your thigh is parallel to
the ground. Push yourself back up to your original position and do the same to your other leg,
then repeat!
Five minutes of chair lunges can help you burn an average of 45 calories.
Remember, if you can, start your exercise with a warm-up. This can be done by stretching your
body as well as by performing a decent number of jumping jacks.
By exercising at your desk for 30 minutes per day, you will see results almost immediately.
Imagine getting in 30 minutes of chair squats per day. That would be 500 calories by the end of
your shift on Friday. That’s essentially a whole meal burned for the week. Let the weight loss
begin!