If you are having a busy day, a few short breaks for exercise at work can improve your mood and your body at the same time. Do yourself a favor and squeeze in five minutes of fitness - you'll be glad you did!

Set your computer to remind you when it's time for a brief 5-minute workout, and plan to have at least four 5-minute exercise breaks throughout the day.

Here are eight ways to exercise at work:

1. Step outside the building and take a brisk walk around the parking lot. While you exercise your cardiovascular system and muscles by walking fast, the excess tension in your system drains away so you return to work feeling relaxed and refreshed.

2. Ride the elevator to the bottom floor and then climb the stairs back up to your floor. If your building is four floors or shorter, repeat. If your office building has no stairs, you can buy an inexpensive workout step and keep it in your office. The exertion of step climbing helps work out stress and emotion.

3. Stand about two feet away from your desk, bend at the waist, and place your hands on the edge of the desk to support your body. Hold for thirty seconds and then stand up straight and take several deep breaths. Repeat twice more. Stretching your back helps release tension in the spine and shoulders.

4. Keep tennis balls in a desk drawer and grab two of them when you feel tense. Hold one tennis ball in each hand and squeeze as hard as you can for eight seconds. Release and relax; then repeat several more times. This exercise conditions the forearms and increases hand strength.

5. Keep a set of resistance bands in your office to use for exercise. If you feel irritated, take the highest-resistance band and use it for lateral raises (place one end of the band under your foot and hold the other end in your hand at about waist height; lift the band straight out to the side).

6. Keep a set of dumbbells at the office. Do some strength building exercises for the arms and back.

7. Stretch to relieve tension and stiffness in joints and relieve your mid-afternoon energy slump. You can even keep a yoga mat in your office for stretching and yoga poses.

8. Use your office walls as workout equipment: Stand about eighteen inches away from the wall or door, place your hands on the surface at about shoulder height, and do vertical push-ups. Challenge yourself by moving farther away or changing the position of your hands on the wall. You can even do one-handed push-ups vertically - it can be a great introduction to the real thing.



About the author:

Carol Wiley, LMP, is a writer and licensed massage therapist in Bellevue, WA. For more exercise articles, visit http://www.bellevuemassagetherapy.com/exercise-program.html .