10 Best Standing Desk Exercises will Boost your Health when working at home

There have been dramatic transformation in the work environment nowadays so as the norm of exercising. From the traditional sitting arrangement at work, standing desks are now among the new trends that keep on surprising the market. With this new alternative, doing some basic physical routine while working at home is much feasible. Thus, loosen up a bit and try out these best simple standing desk exercises that we have collated for your benefit.

The following standing desk activities are grouped into three categories according to what suits your needs and lifestyle. The first is for strength. Second, is for balance. And third is for flexibility.

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Strength Exercises at Your Workstation to Improve Health and Mobility
Balance Standing Desk Exercises to Improve Body Position Stability
Conditioning Muscle Flexibility Standing Desk Exercises

Strength Exercises at Your Workstation to Improve Health and Mobility

Claps

Reading your emails, planning your business strategies or thinking of creative designs for your clients are undeniably exhausting. Thus, it is imperative to help yourself out in mitigating the stress by incorporating simple exercise while at your standing desk. One perfect way to kick off your standing desk exercise without compromising a lot of your time and vigor is through clapping. Don’t you know that clapping actually improves your blood circulation which leads to improved heart health? It also aids to strengthen your arm muscles. Visible results through this exercise might take a little longer compared to other rigorous muscle-strengthening activities. However, if you do this every day, then it could really do a lot of positive change for your health.

Doing this exercise is pretty simple:

Reach your arms to your side so that they would be parallel to the floor.
Then clap like you are watching your favorite celebrity performing on stage.
Do this clapping exercise for at least 2-3 minutes daily.

Calf raises

Another standing desk exercise that builds your body strength is the calf raises. When you do one at home or at work, make sure to do it the right way to achieve visible results. This exercise works well for your ankle stability and mobility and aids lower body performance. Furthermore, this aids in preventing injury as you will have enough strength and agility to avoid one.

To start this exercise, follow the following steps:

Stand up straight.
Push through the balls of your feet.
Raise your heel until you are standing on your toes.
Finally, slowly back to the start and do it again.

Lateral Leg Raises

Lateral leg raise is among those versatile exercises since you can pretty much do it anywhere, much more at your standing desk. This exercise is also called as hip abduction. Doing this activity routinely actually mainly helps strengthen the muscle on the side of your butt cheek, which is called gluteus minimus. Building strength on this part of your body is essential to stabilize your knees. It also helps enhance your appearance with strong lateral hips. Additionally, this offers other various functional benefits.

There are two basic ways to perform this fitness drill. First, is when standing. Second, is when lying on your side. While at your standing desk, the standing version of the leg raise exercise is much more applicable for execution.

How to do the lateral leg raise? Follow the following simple steps:

Stand straight on your right leg with your back straight.
Keep your knee bent a little.
Hold your left foot a few inches off the ground.
Then lift your leg as high as you can. (Approximately 45 degrees with the floor)
Lower your leg back to the starting position.
Repeat the above steps.

Balance Standing Desk Exercises to Improve Body Position Stability

Standing on one foot

Standing on one foot exercise is apparently simple but contributes a lot in your body balance. You can do this anytime while at your standing desk. You can even do it while reading your email or catching up with your deliverables. The Harvard Health Publishing wrote that this exercise helps ankle stability and boosts vigor.

To realize this activity, simply do the following:

Stand straight on one foot behind your standing desk. You can hold still to the desk for balance.
Maintain this position for at least 10 seconds.
Repeat the same pose for at least 10-15 time.
Do the same routine with your other foot.

Arm Circles

There are a handful of tiny circle exercises that you can try, but the arm circle is the most feasible at your standing desk. This therapy aims your triceps, biceps and shoulders.

To do this, simply do the following:

Stand straight with your feet shoulder-width apart.
Extend your arms, around 90-degree angle to your body.
Circle your arms forward through minimal controlled motions.
Slowly widen the circle.
Do the same routine but reverse the direction of your circles.
Do this for at least 10 seconds each direction.

Tree Pose

This exercise enhances flexibility as it enhances your thighs, torso and shoulders.

Simply do the following basic steps:
Stand straight with your arms at your sides.
Put your hands on your hips.
Clasp your left ankle while placing the sole of your left foot on the inner right thigh.
Repeat the same exercise with your right foot.

Conditioning Muscle Flexibility Standing Desk Exercises

Side-to-Side Head Rotation Exercise

Standing for long hours may cause some muscle pains. Thus, take some quick breaks and prevent neck pains by doing side-to-side head rotation exercise. This is a very simple activity to do and perfect to loosen up your neck muscles.

To start this flexibility exercise, do the following:

Stand straight.
Rotate your chin towards your left shoulder.
Hold onto this position for at least 15-20 seconds.
Bring your head back to the center and then rotate to the right side.
Hold onto this position for another 15-20secinds.
Repeat the same routine on each side until your neck feels more comfortable.

Standing Leg Extensions

Fitness authorities say that when you plainly sit down, you are wasting your legs as they are used for no reason. And when you stand up, you are using their strength which may lead to strain once abused. Hence, the suggestion is if you are at your standing desk, take some time to relax your feet and strengthen them more. To do that, the best route to go is to perform leg extensions in between standing up. There are several variations of leg extension exercises. The most feasible anywhere, however, is when you are standing up or when you can grab a chair. If you can grab a chair for a few minutes, then you can use the chair as an apparatus to start the routine. However, if you are mainly relying on your standing desk, then you can do this while standing straight.

To do this standing exercise, follow these basic steps:

Attach a cuff like a band resistance to one ankle. The anchor must be behind your body.
Slowly lift your cuffed foot (1-2 inches off the floor).
Make sure to stabilize your body and avoid shifting your hips with your torso.
You can hold on your standing desk, make sure it is stable, to help out your balance as you do the exercise.
Continue extending your knee until your leg is straightened or according to your comfort level.
Do this for 2-3 minutes with one leg. Then switch the cuff to your other leg and repeat the exercise.

Standing Hamstring Stretch

Hamstring stretch helps improve muscle flexibility. Aside from that, it also boosts good posture. Through this physical therapy, veer away from your work screen for a few minutes and loosen up for all the right ways.

How to do standing hamstring stretch?

Stand straight and cross your right foot in front of your left foot.
Gradually lower your forehead to your right knee. Do this through bending your waist.
Make sure to keep both your knees locked.
Stay in this position for 15-30 seconds.
Relax and repeat.

Quad Stretch

Quad stretching is also a simple exercise to do at your standing desk. Doing this physical activity even for a few minutes at your standing desk increases elasticity in the quadriceps and hip flexors. This is a good exercise to release the stiffness in your quadriceps.

How to do the quad stretch?

Stand on your left leg. One of your knees should touch the other knee.
You can actually hold onto your standing desk to keep you stable when needed.
Grab your right foot using your right hand then pull it towards your butt.
Maintain this position for 20-30 seconds.
Repeat the same routine.
Switch to your right-left leg.

Final thoughts

The importance of health and fitness is non-negotiable. With the undeniable dynamic trend of the society today where human mobility is mostly fast-paced and even the platform of work is mostly through computer screens, it is imperative that you should be creative in your habits to not compromise your health. Thus, if you are working on a standing desk, grab the chance to do the outlined exercises as part of your health and fitness strategies. Start now!