Struggling to carve out time for daily exercise? Don’t fret! Consider adding three-minute exercise sessions into your workday routine. Over the course of an eight-hour workday, this can add up to a 24-minute workout. Once an hour during your workday, get up and do any of the three-minute easy exercises to do at work listed below. Set a repeating alarm on your phone as a reminder to get up and move. Goodbye mission impossible, hello mission accomplished!
Wall Push-ups
You’ll build your upper-body muscles by adding this classic move to your workday, say, after using the john or on your way to the kitchen for a cup of coffee. These muscles are essential for good posture, power, and impressing your significant other.
1 – Stand about two feet back from a spot on the wall. Use a sturdy table, desk, or counter for more of a challenge.
2 – Lean forward, place both hands on the wall just past shoulder width, and assume the “plank” position with your arms, legs and back straight, and arms slightly bent.
3 – Bend your elbows and lean toward the wall until your nose almost touches it. Ensure your back stays straight and your hips don’t sag.
4 – Pause, then push back to the starting position. Repeat for three minutes, which is about as long as it takes to brew a cup of coffee.
Calf raises
This super-simple move will get your calves looking chiselled.
1 – Stand up straight, then push through the balls of your feet and raise your heels until you are standing on your toes.
2 – Lower slowly back to the start and repeat for three minutes, or the length of the song by the Spice Girls. “If you wannabe my lover, you gotta get rock-hard calves….” Sing it!
Lunges
Lunges target your lower body: calves, glutes, quads, hamstrings, hips, and core. These muscles move you around all day, so a little extra strength and balance will help you move, look, and feel better.
1 – Stand up straight with your legs hip-width apart.
2 – With one foot, step forward about 2-3 feet or whatever feels comfortable. Make sure you keep your back straight.
3 – Bend both your knee, so they form a 90-degree angle. Ensure your front knee isn’t further than the toe of the leg you stepped out with, and your other knee isn’t touching the floor. Hold the position for 3-6 seconds.
4 – Push off with the foot you stepped out on and return to standing.
5 – Repeat with alternating legs for three minutes, which is less than the average length of a cell phone call. Heck, you can even do lunges while making a phone call!
Leg raises
Build your leg and core muscles, and reduce the risk of backaches and stiffness with this super-easy move you can do while sitting.
1 – Keeping your back straight, chest, and shoulders down, straighten your right leg out in front of you and tighten your thigh muscles.
2 – Lower your right foot back to the floor and do the same with the left leg. Repeat for three minutes, which is about as long as it takes to toast a slice of bread. Feel the burn, but don’t burn the toast!
Tricep dips
This exercise targets the muscles that run down the back of your upper arm, from your shoulder to your elbow. It’s a bigger muscle group than your biceps, so working your triceps is a quick way to get great-looking arms. You only need a raised surface, like a desk, sturdy chair or table, to push yourself off. Walking by the sofa on your way to get a snack from the kitchen? Time to fire off some tricep dips!
1 – Sit on the edge of a chair or bench with your hands next to your thighs.
2 – Lift your body up from the chair with your feet flat on the floor and your knees bent.
3 – Lower yourself down, so your elbows bend no more than 90 degrees and push yourself back up. Repeat for three minutes, which is less than the length of a typical TV commercial break.
Wall Squats
Last but not least, these awesome leg-strengtheners work many of the muscles in your lower body. Improve your hockey and golf game (or any sport, for that matter), lift heavier objects without killing your back, and increase your stamina in bed (and we don’t mean sleeping).
1 – Stand straight with your back up against a wall.
2 – Slowly lower your body until your knees are bent at 90 degrees.
3 – Hold for at least 15 seconds. The longer you hold, the more intense the wall squat becomes. Repeat for three minutes, which is less time than it takes to roast a perfect marshmallow. (Unless you like ’em well done, in which case it takes about 12 seconds.)
Why exercise is essential
Regular physical activity strengthens your muscles, heart, lungs and bones, helps you sleep better, keeps your mind sharp, and reduces the risk of everything from stroke and type 2 diabetes to depression and various forms of cancer.
What is the cost of the exercises on this list? Zero dollars and zero cents. What are the benefits of doing them? PRICELESS!
Has anyone ever caught you sneaking in some exercise at work? We’d love to hear all about it in the comments below!
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