Sitting still for too long will damage your body. No time for yoga you say? Try the chair yoga:
Everyone knows the consequences of sitting too long and how bad it could be for our health. However, taking out 1-2 hours or even more hours of exercising is almost not practical. Luckily, there is chair yoga where you can practice during your short break by stretching your body even though you are sitting.
1. Chair Dip
Benefits: Work on your biceps and triceps.
Sit at the edge of the chair, hands on the side of the body. Place the palms at the edge of the chair, fingers pointing down. Hips wide apart, leave your buttock away from the chair and dip down. Hold for 5 seconds, return and sit back on the chair. Repeats this for 10 times. This is one set, practice 3 sets of these.
2. Arm Circle
Benefits: Work on your arms and correct posture
On the chair, sit up straight and extend your hands out to your shoulder level forming a âTâ with the body. Open your chest, draw your scapula (shoulder blades) towards each other. Extend your arms with palms facing up. Circle your arms clockwise for 20 times, then, turn your palms facing down, circle your arms anti-clockwise, and practice for another 20 times. Repeat 3 sets.
3. Leg Extension
Benefits: Work on your hip and thighs
Sit up straight on the edge of the chair, hands beside hip. Raise your right leg up, straighten the knee and flex your foot. Hold for 3 seconds and return to the starting position. Switch to left leg and repeat 10 times for 3 sets.
4. Oblique Twist
Benefits: Work on the oblique muscles and core muscles
Place both hands on the back of your head, elbow facing the side of your body. Bring your right elbow to touch your left knee. When you lean your body forward, you can feel the abdominal muscles contracting. Back to sitting position, then bring your left elbow to touch the right knee. Repeat 10 times for 3 sets.
5. Seated Press-up
Benefits: Work on your triceps and release stress on the spine.
Sit up straight and place both hands on the handle of your chair. Straighten the body and avoid bringing the shoulders up. Straighten the arms and leave the buttock away from the chair. Either hold on to the position or move up and down. Repeat 10 times for 3 sets.
6. Knee Tuck
Benefits: Working on core muscles
Sit on the first-half portion of the chair. Hold on to the side of the chair and lean your body backwards about 45-degree angle from the hip. Contract the abdominal muscles, bend your right knee and bring it up closer to your chest. Then, slowly extend the leg down. While the right leg is going down, bring the left knee up closer to your chest. Then switch side. If this is easy, try lifting both knees together. Repeat 10 times for 3 sets.
7. Chair slide
Benefits: Work on the back of your thighs
Sit on a sliding chair, extend your legs and toes pointing up with the heel on the floor. Bend both knees and slide the chair closer to the heels. Do not let the chair touching your calves. Extend the legs again so the chair is away from your heels. Repeat 10 times.
8. Chest Squeeze
Benefits: Work on your chest muscles
Sit up straight, extend your hand to the side with elbows bend forming a 90-degree angle; upper arms parallel to the floor. Bring both arms towards to the centre of your body, then, extend the arms to the side and the scapula draw towards to each other. Repeat 10 times for 3 sets.
