We spend a lot of time standing around waiting. How much of that time feels completely wasted? Is there something you could be doing while you’re waiting in line, at the bank, at the grocery, or anywhere else?
There are exercises you can do at work while standing or no matter where you are. If your work requires you to stand for long periods of time, or you want to make the most of your time waiting in line restaurant or concert, then there are a few exercises you should know about.
These are easy to do anywhere while standing up, and you can help burn fat, improve your metabolism, and tone your body simply while standing around and waiting.
Best Exercises to do While Standing at Work
Stand on Your Tiptoes
If you’re looking for simple exercises to do while standing at work, you can’t get much simpler than simply putting your weight on your tiptoes. What this does is shift the weight from being spread across the flat of your feet to the balls and toes of your feet.
That means different muscles need to be put into action to make this happen. This also increases the strain on some muscles, causing them to contract and stretch. This helps to develop muscle and burn some fat. It’s not exactly cardio exercise, but standing on your tip toes throughout the day when possible can have quite an impact on your fitness and overall health.
Stretches
This is a little more involved, and you may not feel comfortable doing stretches while waiting in the grocery line, but it’s one of the best exercises to do while standing at work. The kind of stretches you do may depend on the space you have available to you.
You can simply stretch your arms upward or outward, or you can bend down and touch your toes. You can also lean backwards as much as possible. You can try bending to the side as well, stretching your arms outward as you do so.
The lower body can get involved as well. You can stretch your legs out to the side while holding a wide stance pose. You can also do leg lifts or knee lifts, bringing your legs or knees as high up towards your chest as possible.
These exercises can stretch out and limber your body, reducing strain and improving muscle recovery. You can do this as a way to prepare for a workout later in the day and as exercise on its own. You’ll be exerting your body in ways you don’t normally do during the day, which can be great for keeping your body fit and toned.
Simple exercises are great for stress relief, and they can be very relaxing. If you find yourself getting frequent headaches or feeling stress or restless at work, you can simply take time to stand up and do some stretches. You’ll be amazed at the effect it has on your body and your mind.
You may prefer to be at the gym working out or running down the street in a jogging suit, but that’s not always an option. Standing stretches can be the next best thing.
Standing stretches are also a great way to improve your flexibility, and you can incorporate quad stretches, shoulder rolls, and hamstring stretches into your standing stretch workout.
Vertical Jumps
If you want something more intense when it comes to exercises to do while standing up at work, you can try some jumping. Once again, you don’t need a lot of space with this exercise.
It’s simply a matter of jumping straight up and down, and you can get more impact out of it by lifting your knees as high is possible and as close to your chest as possible while you do this exercise.
Try to resist the urge to tuck your knees in and hold them in place with your arms as you jump, as you could easily fall and injure yourself. Keep this exercise as relaxed and limber as possible and your arms loose as you do it.
This way, you keep your balance and won’t overexert yourself. It can be dangerous to go from simply sitting or standing around for much of the day to transition into a jumping exercise like this. You want to keep it light and simple, and take your time between jumps so that you don’t strain yourself.
Running in Place
Here’s a great way to work your whole body without moving from a single spot. This is an excellent substitute for getting out and jogging down the street, and if you are required to stay in one place to do your work or wait in line, running in place lets you do that without disturbing everyone around you.
It may be awkward at first doing something like this, but if people see you doing standing workouts like this regularly, it’ll soon become commonplace. They’ll probably admire your dedication to staying fit and healthy. You may find some of them joining in with you.
Like the jumping exercises, keep this loose and limber. Try not to strain yourself and run too fast. This is an exercise you may want to warm up for a little bit beforehand, and make sure you keep your pace relaxed.
It’s a great way to do a little cardio exercise without much space, but be careful about disturbing people too much. This may not be appropriate for all workspaces, as it can be distracting and cause a lot of noise.
Try to run in place as lightly as possible so that you are not disturbing your coworkers. It can help to run on your tiptoes or the balls of your feet rather than to come down on your heels when you land. You’re less likely to stomp and cause a lot of noise this way.
This is one of the most aerobic exercises to do while standing at work, and it’s a great way to get in your workout no matter where you are.
Exercises For Abs to do While Standing at Work
Squats
When looking for ab exercises to do while standing at work, you probably want something that doesn’t require any exercise equipment and doesn’t take up much space. You want something that doesn’t require you to lie down on the floor, as there may not be suitable flooring material for that.
You can do squats practically anywhere without any equipment and from a standing position. This is a really good exercise for people who work in small cubicles. They can simply get up out of their chair and stand to the side in do a series of squats as a quick and simple exercise at work.
You can also do what is called a squat challenge. Get a coworker or another person to squat with you. Go from a standing position to a squatting position and hold that squat as long as possible. The challenge is to see who can hold the position for longer before having to stand back to their feet. It’s a great way to challenge yourself and push yourself farther than you might normally go.
These are just a few different exercises you can do no matter where you are at. If you want to stop wasting time standing around and you want to make sure you’re making the most of your time while getting fit, then try incorporating some of these exercises into your daily activity. You can use them in checkout lines, in many work environments, and even while you’re having a conversation with friends. Any time and any place can be turned into an opportunity to exercise.
