Burn Calories: This article’s material is meant to help you move ahead at work. If you want to lose weight, these exercises can help, but we also recommend going to the gym and possibly eating a low-calorie diet. Several elements influence general health, and various ones have varied effects on different persons. The activities listed below are a fantastic method to break up your sitting habit and maintain physical exercise in your health journey, even when you’re at work. Let’s have a look at them and see what we can find.
Table of Contents
Why Sitting All Day Is Bad for Your Health
There is a study that is listed in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine that explains how prolonged sitting is related to risk of obesity, type 2 diabetes, and heart disease, and even early mortality even in a person that exercises regularly.
A person that works in an office could sit for 6 to 10 hours a day, which makes the sitters slow down in their break, plus prolonging muscle fatigue. Taking short breaks to be come active in the middle of a workday can help in the improvement of flow and vo2 levels at work to minimize fatigue.
What Exercise Burns The Most Calories At Work?
What Exercise Burns The Most Calories:
| Exercise | Calories Burned (10 min) | Intensity Level | Best For |
| Jumping jacks | 80–100 | High | Fat burn + cardio |
| Stair climbing | 70–90 | High | Legs & glutes |
| Desk push-ups | 50–70 | Medium | Upper body |
| Wall sits | 60–80 | High | Leg endurance |
| Chair lunges | 65–85 | Medium–High | Lower body |
| Desk yoga | 30–40 | Low | Flexibility |
| Fidgeting | 20–30 | Low | Sedentary relief |
Values based on average adult, body weight ~70 kg
Quick Cardio Bursts
Activities like jumping jacks or other workouts that you can do in a short time can successfully elevate your heart rate. We understand that it can be difficult for you to keep a jump rope at your workstation, but jumping in place is always an option.
To elevate your heart rate and diminish your stress, you can do one full minute of intense exercise and do this for every subsequent hour of work you do.To your desk workout, you can add a pair of light weights to make it more intense. It won’t be long before you are sweating a lot!
Taking the Stairs
We are so accustomed to taking the stairs that we don’t consider exercise. Unlike our homes or apartments, our professions don’t often allow us to visit other levels; therefore, this is a terrific method to make your own! You can begin utilizing the toilet or drinking fountain on a different floor by taking the stairs. For an additional energy boost, we recommend taking two at once.
Chair with Exercise Ball
may use a balancing ball in place of your desk chair (also called a stability ball or fitness ball). Unlike sitting in a chair, sitting on a balancing ball forces us to activate our core. Balance balls are also an excellent technique to enhance your posture. If you have a balancing ball at home, you may utilize it to get a similar effect by sitting on it in your living room while watching TV.
Yoga in the Office

Try sitting half-moon stance for desk yoga. (This is also a more subtle exercise than rising and doing jumping jacks!) Start by releasing your thumb and pointer fingers while interlacing your fingers overhead. Extend your weapons straight out in front of you, biceps close to your ears. Shoulders and hips should be square. Raise your fingers gently back and up. Shift your weight to one side. Hold the position for 20 seconds. This stretch will help you feel more energized and rejuvenated.
Lunges from a Chair
Your workplace chair may be your biggest enemy or your closest friend, depending on how you use it. Let’s make it the latter with one-legged chair lunges, a technique that many personal trainers recommend as a beautiful leg-strengthening exercise.
Fidget If You Want To.
Fidgeters actually burn more calories than people that do not fidget. They, of course, are always fidgeting and, are always on the go. While sitting at your work, raise your heels on the sitting position just a little off the floor. Then, as you come up onto your toes, continue to move your knees up and down.
To make this even more intense, you can add light weights to your desk workout. It won’t be long before you are sweating a lot! We don’t recommend doing this during a board meeting as it can be distracting, so save this for your lunch hour.
Push-ups at a Desk
Push-ups may be done on your desk as if it were a piece of gym equipment, such as a bench. Place your hands on your desk’s edge and move your feet out in a diagonal, straight line. Bend your elbows and lower your chest. Return to the initial place by pushing up. Rep until you’re completely exhausted.
Work on the Wall Sits
Practice Wall Sits A nice wall sit is something everyone can appreciate. Look for some wall space during your next water cooler chat. Even better, get your coworkers to join you; they’ll surely appreciate it. Rest your back against the wall, and position your feet roughly 1 to 2 feet away. Gradually lower yourself until you reach a 90-degree bend in your knees. Hold until you can’t anymore. Now you have eight different exercises you can do to get your heart pumping at your work station! You can do these exercises once an hour, or sit and do them one time per day before your lunch.
Here’s a tip; stepping away every 30 minutes will improve your concentration and increase your work output. So there’s really no reason not to do some of these amazing moves during work hours. Also, these movements can be done anywhere; you can do them at home when you’re having a lazy day and want to get off the couch for a bit.
Calories Burned by Desk Exercises (Estimated)
| Desk Exercise | Duration | Estimated Calories Burned* |
| Jumping jacks | 1 minute | 8–12 calories |
| Stair climbing | 5 minutes | 40–60 calories |
| Chair lunges | 2 minutes | 15–25 calories |
| Desk push-ups | 2 minutes | 10–20 calories |
| Wall sits | 1 minute | 6–10 calories |
| Fidgeting | 10 minutes | 15–30 calories |
| Desk yoga stretches | 5 minutes | 10–15 calories |
Estimates based on average body weight and intensity.
10-Minute Office Workout Routine (No Equipment)
Add this routine:
- 1 minute jumping jacks or marching in place
- 1 minute desk push-ups
- 1 minute chair lunges
- 1 minute wall sit
- 2 minutes stair walking
- 2 minutes desk yoga stretches
- 2 minutes light fidgeting or heel raises
- Repeat once or twice daily for best results.
Conclusion
Increased productivity can be accomplished by small progressive movements in a work day, plus you will have more energy, and your health will improve. Activating your body to be productive with these exercises don’t require a gym, and will be more beneficial for you. Just be consistent and you will see the improvements.

