6 Small Movements That Can Help You Burn Calories From Your Chair

With so many people sitting for most of their days due to their work, health issues are starting to appear in people at younger ages. Problems like high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and excess body fat around the waist are very likely to appear. That’s why it’s vital to move after prolonged periods of sitting or, if possible, sporadically throughout the time you have to stay seated. There are even exercises that you can do while you’re in your chair that can help you boost your metabolism and burn calories.

1. Soleus push-up

Your soleus muscle is located at the back of your lower leg, and it’s the one responsible for walking, running, and jumping. What scientists hadn’t discovered until recently is that it’s possible to activate this muscle by just sitting. You just need to lift your heels for a few rounds. The results of the research showed a 52% improvement in stabilizing blood glucose fluctuations.

Not only that, but it’s possible to burn fat in the blood that contributes to high cholesterol. That’s because the soleus muscle uses blood glucose in order to energize itself instead of glycogen like other muscles in our bodies.

2. Sitting on a fitness ball

An alternative to a regular office chair would be a balance ball or fitness ball. The perks of this ball are that they push you to engage your core muscles in order to be able to maintain your balance. This way, you keep a good posture and adjust it if your issue is bad posture. If you want to use your ball in the office, 1 hour of sitting on it will help you burn 150 calories.

3. Wall sits

Let’s say you want to take a small break from your desk. All you need to do is find the closest wall and rest your back on it while sliding down with your knees bent. You don’t need to slide too close to the floor. Choose the length you feel more comfortable at and stay there for about 20 seconds.

This small exercise and movement will help you work on your quads, glutes, and calves. Make sure that you are about 2 feet away from the wall and that your knees are properly bent in order to maintain the correct posture.

4. Squeezing your stomach muscles

This might not seem like much of an exercise, but in reality, it’s a very simple and easy tool to keep your metabolism running while sitting down. Just squeeze your stomach for about 8 seconds at a time and then release the muscles. 2 sets of 8 reps will help you burn about 100 calories.

5. Seated abs

Working on your abs while seated might sound hard, but it actually is pretty simple. All you need to do is lift your legs in a straight line in front of you at a 45-degree angle. Then you can bend your knees until they almost reach your chest and push them back out to the starting position. With this simple exercise, you can burn 75 calories if you do 3 sets of 20 reps.

6. Start fidgeting

While fidgeting is often associated with people who don’t pay attention and are uncomfortable or stressed in the environment they are in, it might actually be a great idea to keep your metabolism running smoothly while sitting at your desk for many hours. That is because you are constantly moving, even if it’s your legs moving right and left or wiggling in your seat and changing positions. If you happen to fidget all the time during the day, you might be able to burn 300 calories.

Does your work require you to stay seated for many hours during the day? How do you cope with that, and what types of exercises do you do during and after work?