17 Exercises You Can Do at Your Desk

In corporate America, we all seem to be losing our minds trying to find time to do everything on our lists from conferences to data entry, and in the chaos, we tend to completely forget to find time to exercise. If you're trying to slim down for summer, it tends to take hours of schedule manipulation just to fit in a couple minutes of yoga at the beginning of the day. One of the best ways to find time to exercise is to wake up earlier or go to bed later, but most people don't have this luxury, already sleeping six hours (or less!) per day. What are you to do?

I've assembled a list of exercises perfect for a work space, including cubicles and private offices, which will keep your body in tip-top shape. While you won't be Arnold, you can surely be a thinner version of you!

Intense, Short Aerobics for your "Alone time"

1. Start with a simple pseudo-run. Pump your arms above your head for 30 seconds, then run in place (Get those knees up!) as fast as you can for 30 seconds. Repeat a few times.
   
2. Pretend to jump rope. Swing your wrists in circles while you bounce in place, or alternate legs for an easier version.
3. Do jumping jacks! Either modified or standard, these are a great exercise to get your heart pounding.
4. Do some walking lunges in an empty conference room (Or down the hallway, if you'd like to amuse your co-workers). Tone up that bum while you get your lungs going.
5. Take the stairs 5 to 7 times per day.

Get those arms firmed

1. Do some one-(or two)-legged squats while you wait for the Internet to load or the copy machine.
   
2. Sitting down, lift one leg off the seat,straight up, hold, extend to the floor (Don't actually touch the floor!), hold, and then repeat. Do this 15 times on each leg.
   
3. Place both your hands on the arms of your chair. Slowly lift your buttocks into the air. Lower (but don't touch the chair). Repeat.
4. Put your hands on your desk. Walk backwards. Lower your chest to the desk (like a push-up). Repeat.
   
5. This one may look like you're about to be sick: push yourself away from your desk with your arms, and look down. Then pull yourself back. Repeat. This is a great stretch for your back.

Streeeeeeetch...

1. Let your head fall over and nearly touch your shoulder. Gently tug it closer with your arm. Repeat. Slowly.
2. Turn your head to one side and your torso to the other. Hold. Repeat.
3. Put your hands on your hips with your fingers pointing towards the floor. Try to push your elbows together behind your back.
4. Stand up. Reach your hands above your head. Sway one hip outwards while you extend the opposite hand higher. Alternate. Repeat.

You can't see me!

If your boss is giving you hell for this, try some invisible exercises. Clench your butt cheeks together, hold, hold, and hold some more. Relax. Repeat. Or suck in your gut as far as you can (think belly button to your spine). Again, hold as long as you can, relax. Raise your chest by contracting your rib cage (like a belly dancer -- don't use your breath to control it). Relax it and try to make it bounce.

If you're still aching to get out and play, simply be sure to exercise every chance you get. Walk around instead of sitting. Try to walk at lunch. If it's boring to you, buy a camera and take pictures. See if you can get other people to try some of your exercises, for example!

Go On a Diet With Three Fat Chicks

Forum and advice website 3FatChicks is definitely not new in town. A proven community of dieters and exercisers alike, it has seen rough and good times, and is not going anywhere anytime soon.

They provide articles, tips, and book reviews pertaining to dieting, fitness, and general health, as well as weight loss-friendly recipes and even a forum section of the website which provides an outlet to seek and give advice, vent frustrations, keep track of yourself, and meet others who are experiencing the same things as you.

Whether you plan to diet for weight loss or are just looking for some friends who are getting healthier, 3FatChicks is a great website for connecting with not only some great facts, but also other people.

Review: My Yoga Online

If you're looking to improve flexibility, lose weight, eliminate stress, and gain peace of mind, chances are yoga is meant for you. From pregnant women to elders and all the way back to the most fit people, there is a style of yoga which can match your desires in intensity.

If you want to learn the art of stretching and centering, have I got the yoga resource for you.

MyYogaOnline is a website dedicated to teaching students the ancient practice completely from the comfort of your own home. The service includes on-demand, streaming videos covering yoga, pilates, and meditation, a wellness newsletter, recipes, information about chakras and anatomy, and even articles on living a green life.

I found the site immensely useful in the beginning stages of learning to practice yoga. The videos move at just the right pace, and if I ever had questions, they responded within a day to any inquiries I had, regardless of how annoying and trivial they were.

So if you want to get into shape, try yoga, and check out My Yoga Online.

What's Your Diet Personality?

Diet.com has a personality quiz which assesses your goals, your stresses, and your general traits to tell you exactly how you should go about dieting and your weight loss adventure.

It's fairly useful with some good consideration put into it, which ultimately provides some helpful tips which I personally wouldn't have thought of without taking the quiz.

If you'd like to take the quiz, it's available here.

So, what's your diet personality? Share your results in the comments!

Simple Steps to Losing Weight

Everybody these days seems to be getting into a trend of losing weight. Weight loss, while not too difficult, does take a bit of knowledge of mathematics, as well as how to create the necessary deficit.

The first step to losing weight is to limit your intake of calories. This is done by striking the fragile balance between starvation and overeating, and is usually found in the 1,000 and 2,000 calorie range. While this is a large range, most people fall into the average of 1,500 calories per day.

The next step is to burn the calories to create a deficit. A calculator to tell your calories burned as well as a dieting e-book is available at Negative Calorie Foods.

In order to create a deficit, you need to burn more calories than you eat every day. A common misconception is that all this must come from exercise. However, you must take into consideration how many calories you burn just through your metabolism, which is usually around the amount you eat.

To lose one pound of fat, you must burn 3,500 calories total through your metabolism and exercise. Good exercises for burning off the pounds are prolonged walking, jump roping, and swimming. Exercises with a good trimming effect are pilates and yoga, and it's always a good idea to lift weights at least a little bit in order to build muscle, which burns fat efficiently while resting.

Secrets of the Master Cleanse

The master cleanse is a common cleansing ritual taken up among the biggest names in Hollywood. Especially well-known as a believer in the master cleanse diet is Beyonce Knowles, who has been using it to detox and lose weight for years now.

The master cleanse is a drink made from lemon juice and other all-natural ingredients and is designed to make you lose the most weight and shed the most toxins in the shortest period of time. From shaping up for wedding day to detoxing for swimsuit season, all over the world, people are choosing the master cleanse detox diet to meet their fullest potential.

So what are you waiting for? View all the secrets of the master cleanse diet now!