Desk Job Exercises: Get Fit and Improve Well-Being While You Work

If you work a desk job, you know how easy it is to be stuck in your chair for hours on end. Not only does this leave your body feeling stiff and uncomfortable, it also limits how much movement you may get throughout the day.

Adults are encouraged to engage in at least 150 minutes of physical activity per week. However, sitting at your desk from 9 am to 5 pm, 5 days a week, can make it more difficult for many people to reach that amount. 

This is where desk job exercises come in. 

Known as “deskercise” by some, they offer a simple way to introduce more movement into your day without leaving your workspace. In this guide, we’ll introduce you to some of the best desk job exercises that are beginner-friendly. 

We’ll also explore the question of the effectiveness of such workouts. Can you use exercises at your desk to lose weight, or is this yet another passing trend? Let’s find out!

What Are Practical Desk Job Exercises?

Practical desk job exercises are simple, functional movements that are designed specifically for people with desk-based jobs. These physical movements are intended to be relatively easy, convenient, and able to fit naturally and realistically into a typical office setup and routine.

Key components of such activities include:

1. Easy to perform: They require minimal effort and simple movements.
2. No special desk exercise equipment: Most of these movements will use your body weight or common office items to complete. However, some people may choose tools such as standing desks, light dumbbells, or resistance bands.
3. Time-efficient: Usually takes a few minutes to complete. A routine can be done during short 10-15-minute breaks.
4. Workplace-friendly: Can be done without disrupting workflow or drawing the attention of your colleagues.
5. Sustainable: They fit naturally into a daily routine. This makes it easier for some people to include them regularly in their daily routines.

Do Desk Exercises Really Work?

Desk-based movements usually comprise stretching and other mobility activities as well as simple, often low-impact, strength-building moves.

Office workers often experience long periods of sitting, which may sometimes lead to feelings of stiffness or discomfort. Studies have suggested that adding these movements in daily work life may support general well-being and physical comfort.

• In one study, researchers had office workers stretch twice a week for 10 minutes over a period of 12 weeks. At the end of the study, they found that the participants reported improvements in physical functioning, vitality, stiffness, and quality of life (1).

It should be noted that study participants did not do these activities at their desks. But we can still use this research to gather more information about the challenges that office workers face when attempting to exercise consistently throughout the week. Generally,  desk workouts often incorporate stretching and light strength training movements, and you may experience similar benefits whether you perform them at your desk or standing.

• In this study review, researchers looked at seven studies with 967 office worker participants. They found workplace exercise interventions to be associated with improvements in symptoms related to musculoskeletal discomfort among office workers (2).

The exercises in the chosen studies included:

• 10 to 15 seconds of stretch exercises every 6 minutes during work hours.
• 3-minute break intervention with a dynamic contraction group and a stretching group, focused on the neck/shoulder regions, performed three times a week.
• 10–15-minute stretching routine with a 20 min strength routine.
• 7-minute routine of physical exercise targeting postural stability strengthening, flexibility, mobility, and stretching done 5 days a week.
• Up to 1 hour of strengthening exercises with 2–3 sets of 10–15 repetitions combined with 5 seconds of static neck exercises once a week.

Once again, while not all exercises were done as sitting or standing desk workouts, these findings suggest that incorporating movement throughout the workday may support physical comfort and general wellness.

• In this study, researchers found ergonomic training and workplace strengthening exercises to be beneficial. They helped employees with improvements in pain perception, work functioning, and improved wellness and quality of life (3).

Overall, these studies suggest that by increasing movement at work, through stretching or strength training, individuals may see positive outcomes. This contributes to improved comfort and less stiffness caused by prolonged sitting, in addition to their general wellness.

Read more: Chair Exercises for Office Workers Who Are Done Feeling Glued to Their Desks

How To Stay in Shape While Working a Desk Job

Working a desk job limits how many hours a day you can move around. However, with a few changes, you can find ways to increase your physical activity, which can help you become or stay fit. This could be achieved through:

• Walking around during phone meetings or no-face video calls

• Taking at least a 5-minute break every hour

 Set a timer on your phone or watch. When it rings, stand and take a short walk.

• Walking outside at lunchtime

It’s tempting to sit back and relax as you eat during your lunch break. Or maybe you opt to skip your break entirely in order to work through it. While this is effective for productivity, it makes you spend more time sitting. 

Go outside for your lunch—walk to a nearby cafe instead of requesting delivery. If you bring your lunch from home, walk up the stairs to the rooftop (if available) or try to find a spot in the park and have it there. Find ways to incorporate walking in your lunch hour. Getting outside for a little bit can help elevate your mood and break up your workday. (12)

• Take the stairs

The lift or escalator is quicker, but the stairs add more movement to your day. If you don’t have to go up or down too many floors, opt for the stairs.

• Switch to a standing desk

If you can afford one, a standing desk could be better than a regular one. One study found that when some employees incorporated standing while working into their daily work life, it led to reduced sedentary behavior, improved wellness and well-being, in addition to more productivity (4).

• Exercise at your desk

It may not be the norm, but as shown in the studies mentioned in the previous section, exercise can be beneficial to office workers. Find a way to make those long work hours productive for your physical well-being. Flexibility, mobility, and strengthening office chair workouts may help you stay in shape and reduce stiffness.

Workouts, weight management tools, and recipe ideas come together in the BetterMe: Health Coaching app, giving you practical support for building a more consistent wellness routine.

How Can I Exercise While Sitting at My Desk?

The most accessible and realistic workouts to do at your desk are flexibility and strengthening movements.

Seated Desk Job Exercises for a 10-Minute Office Workout

The following office chair workout combines flexibility and strengthening movements you can perform in about 10 minutes.

Neck Circles

• Sit upright in your chair with your feet planted to the floor and your arms holding on to the seat of your desk chair.
• Relax your shoulders and neck, then lean your head forward.
• In a slow and controlled motion, roll your head toward one side and hold for 10 seconds.
• Repeat the movement on the other side.
• Relax again and lift your chin back to the starting position. This is one rep.
• Repeat this movement up to 5 times. Remember to keep the movement slow and controlled to avoid strain to the neck or dizziness.

Shoulder Shrugs

• Sit upright in your chair with a straight back.
• Engage your core and grasp the sides of the chair for stability.
• Inhale and lift your shoulders toward your ears.
• Exhale and relax them back down to their neutral position.
• Repeat 10-15 times.

Cat-Cow Stretch

• Sit comfortably on a chair. Place your feet hip-width apart and firmly planted on the floor. Rest your hands on your knees or thighs.
• Inhale as you lift your chest toward the ceiling, arch your back gently, and draw your shoulders back and down. Hold for 3-5 seconds. This is the cow pose.
• Exhale as you round your spine, tuck your tailbone, and pull your belly button toward your spine, allowing your chin to drop to your chest. Hold for 3-5 seconds. This is the cat pose.
• Slowly continue flowing through these two poses for up to 10 breaths.

Seated Marches

• Sit upright with your feet planted firmly flat on the floor.
• Lift your right knee toward your chest as if marching in place.
• Lower your foot back to the ground and repeat on the left side.
• Continue alternating legs for 20 reps, i.e., 10 per leg.

Seated Leg Raises

• Sit straight at the edge of your chair with your arms by your sides.
• Extend your right leg out so only the heel touches the floor.
• Lift this leg as high as you can off the ground without bending your back. Pause for 3-5 seconds before lowering it.
• This is one rep. Complete 8-10 reps on this leg, then switch to the left leg and repeat.

Seated Bicycle Crunches

• Sit on the edge of a chair with your feet flat on the ground.
• Place your hands behind your head, keeping your elbows wide.
• Lift your right knee toward your chest while twisting your left elbow to meet it.
• Lower your right foot back to the ground and repeat with the left knee and right elbow.
• Continue alternating sides for 20 reps, i.e., 10 per side.

Seated Torso Twists

• Sit straight on the edge of a chair with your feet on the ground.
• Lean back slightly without arching your back and place your hand behind your head.
• Twist slowly to the left, pausing at the maximum stretch before returning to the starting position and twisting to the right.
• Repeat this alternating movement 8-10 times per side.

Bicep Curls

• Sit upright in a chair with your feet flat on the floor.
• Hold a water bottle in each hand, with your arms extended by your sides.
• Bend your elbows, bringing the weights toward your shoulders.
• Slowly lower your arms back to the starting position. This is one rep.
• Repeat for 10-12 reps.

Glute Squeezes

• Sit upright with your feet flat on the floor.
• Squeeze your glute (buttock) muscles as tightly as you can.
• Hold the contraction for 5 seconds, then release.
• Repeat the movement 15-20 times.

Read more: Office Chair Workouts That Fit Between Emails, Meetings, and Deadlines

What are Some of the Best Desk Job Exercises: Standing Workouts

For those with a little more space or freedom in their workplace, standing desk workouts can be a good option for increased physical activity. 

Ankle Circles

• Stand tall and lift your left foot slightly off the ground.
• Rotate your ankle in a clockwise circle 10 times.
• Reverse the direction for another 10 rotations.
• Switch to your right foot and repeat.

Air Squats

• Stand in front of your office chair. Keep your feet hip-width apart and your arms clasped in front of your chest.
• Slowly lower your body down as if about to sit in the chair. Stop just before your bottom touches the seat.
• Push through your heels to stand back up. This is one rep.
• Repeat this 8-12 times.

Wall Sit

• Lean against the wall with your feet shoulder-width apart and roughly 2 feet away from the wall.
• Slowly slide down the wall until your thighs are parallel to the floor. You should form a 90-degree angle with your knees and hips.
• Ensure that your knees are directly above your ankles, not extending over your toes. Keep your back, shoulders, and head pressed against the wall.
• Tighten your core muscles and keep your back flat against the wall. Hold this position for 20 to 60 seconds.
• Slowly slide back up the wall to a standing position.

Calf Raises

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart.
• On an inhale, slowly rise onto your toes, pause, and squeeze at the top.
• On an exhale, slowly lower down to the starting position. This is one rep.
• Repeat 12-15 times.

Note: Hold on to the back of the office chair or a wall for better stability.

Back Extensions

• Stand upright with your feet shoulder-width apart. Place your hands on the back of your hips for support.
• Gently lean backward, allowing your hips to drift slightly forward while lifting your chest toward the sky. You should feel a curve and stretch in the lower back.
• Hold this position for approximately 10 seconds before returning to the standing position. This is one rep.
• Repeat this stretch for 10-12 repetitions with slow, controlled movements.

Are Desk Exercises Effective for Weight Loss?

A chair workout for weight loss may contribute to your overall activity level, which plays a role in long-term fitness and weight-management goals. This can be done through:

• Increased Calorie Expenditure: All kinds of physical activity burn calories. The amount of calories burned is dependent on the type of exercise, intensity or workout, individual body weight, and more. Chair or desk job exercises are generally low-impact, but they are better than living a sedentary lifestyle (5).

• Increased Muscle Mass: Strengthening desk exercises may challenge your muscles. Meaningful muscle gains generally require progressive resistance training, while changes in body composition also depend on overall activity and eating patterns.

If you’re looking for ways to add movement during the workday, the strengthening exercises above can be a practical option. You should also aim to walk more throughout the workday.

Studies have shown that resistance training, in addition to aerobic workouts such as walking, is particularly beneficial for increasing muscle mass and reducing belly fat (6, 7, 8).

Whether you want to refresh your fitness routine, explore lower-calorie recipe ideas, or bring more structure to your wellness habits, BetterMe: Health Coaching app offers tools that can support your next step. Explore the app and find an approach that works for your lifestyle.

How to Get 10,000 Steps when You Work a Desk Job

The trick is to find instances in your day where you can walk more. For example:

• Walk to work rather than taking the bus or train.
• If you have to take transportation, get off the bus at an earlier stop and walk the remainder of the way.
• If you drive to work, park further away.
• Walk during phone meetings.
• Take the stairs.
• Get a standing desk or an under-the-desk walking pad.

FAQs

• How do desk jobs affect your body?

Desk jobs increase the likelihood of a sedentary lifestyle. If nothing is done to combat this, it may contribute to a weight increase, reduced quality of life due to reduced well-being, discomfort in the joints, and much more.

• What is the most supportive way to sit at a desk?

The most commonly recommended way to sit at a desk is by:

1. Sitting with your back against the chair.
2. Keeping your feet flat on the floor and your knees at a 90-degree angle to your hips.
3. Keeping your shoulders relaxed and your elbows close to your body at 90-120 degrees,
4. Ensuring that the top of your monitor is at eye level.

This may help reduce strain in your neck, shoulders, eyes, and lower back, leading to a more comfortable working posture.

• Can I lose belly fat working a desk job?

Some ways to improve waist circumference while working a desk job typically include lifestyle factors such as:

• Engaging in resistance training, standing and seated desk job exercises.
• Consuming a healthy, well-balanced, calorie deficit diet.
• Walking more.

This combination can help improve fitness and general weight management efforts. It’s also important to remember that spot reduction of fat isn’t possible. There’s no single exercise that will target belly fat. Belly fat decreases through consistent healthy lifestyle habits (exercise, calorie deficit, etc.).

• Do under-desk exercises really work?

Increased physical activity of any form—including under-desk exercises—is better than a sedentary lifestyle. These low-impact exercises may help break up long periods of sitting. They encourage more movement throughout the day.

• Are short breaks for desk workers effective?

Studies have shown that when employees take short work breaks, this may support improved mood and workplace relationships and foster group cohesion. This can ultimately lead to them feeling more refreshed and increased work engagement (9, 10, 11). 

As shown by the studies listed above, incorporating small workouts during these breaks could lead to improved well-being and less physical strain for workers.

The Bottom Line

Desk job exercises could be a good and practical daily intervention to increase movement and help improve employee well-being. While they’re not a replacement for a full workout routine, these seated or standing workouts may help reduce stiffness, encourage regular activity, and support general well-being during long hours stuck at a desk.