Physical Exercise at Work

We say ‘healthy body, healthy mind’ but how often do we apply it to work? In the chaos of deadlines, back-to-back Zooms, and caregiving roles, physical wellbeing is usually the first thing we sacrifice. But here’s what research (and real-world teams) are making crystal clear: 👉 Physical rituals = mental resilience. No need for marathons or green smoothies (unless you’re into that). What matters more? Tiny, consistent actions that shift your state, physically and emotionally. In fact, recent UK studies show: 🧠 Employees who move more report significantly less stress 🧠 A 4-week workplace steps challenge improved mood and engagement 🧠 Even 10-minute daily walks can reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression And in 2025, we need this more than ever. Burnout hasn’t gone away. But our strategies are finally evolving. The New Work-Wellbeing Equation: Mind + Body Here are 4 rituals that actually work tested by real professionals and easy to adopt: 1/ Morning Motion Start your day with movement: → 10-minute walk → A few stretches → Dance to one song before checking emails You’ll boost endorphins, clear brain fog, and enter the workday on your own terms. 2/ Midday Recharge Instead of scrolling at lunch, try: → A 5-minute “walking call” → 4-7-8 breathing (inhale 4s, hold 7s, exhale 8s) → Standing outside and taking 10 deep breaths Your nervous system will thank you and so will your next project. 3/ End-of-Day Wind Down Don’t let work bleed into your evenings. Try a closing ritual: → Tidy your desk → Quick yoga flow → Walk with your dog or around the block This helps your brain switch off and reclaim personal time. 4/ Share & Lead By Example Are you a founder, manager or HR lead? → Share your wellbeing habits (even imperfect ones) → Host a #MindfulMonday or #WellbeingWednesday chat → Create a space where small acts of care are encouraged Culture doesn’t shift with posters. It shifts with people. Why this matters for business: Burnout = 2.6x more likelihood of job hunting Movement improves decision-making and reduces absenteeism Teams that feel supported in wellbeing are more creative, loyal, and productive 💡 Think of athletes: they don’t train non-stop, they recover on purpose. We’re corporate athletes. Our game is mental. What’s one small physical habit that helps you feel better at work? Do you do squats between calls? Garden on weekends? Walk during 1:1s?

Do you ever feel physically fatigued or mentally strained in the middle of work, wishing you could regain your energy? Here’s a THREAD of exercises you can do to feel like yourself again: 1. Deep Breathing: Start with a simple deep breathing exercise. Inhale slowly through your nose, hold for a count of four, and exhale through your mouth. Repeat this for a few minutes to help calm your mind and increase oxygen flow to your brain. 2. Neck Rolls: Drop your chin to your chest and slowly rotate your head clockwise, then counterclockwise. This can help reduce headaches and stiffness. 3. Shoulder Shrugs: Lift your shoulders up towards your ears, hold for a few seconds, and then release. Repeat several times to release the tension built up in your shoulders. 4. The Desk Push-Up: Place your hands shoulder-width apart on the edge of your desk, step back with your feet hip-width apart, and lower your chest towards the desk keeping your core engaged. Push back up to the starting position and repeat 5-10 times. 5. Chair Squats: Stand in front of your chair, keeping your core engaged and back straight. Slowly lower yourself down as if to sit, but don't touch the chair. Pause for a second, then push back up to standing. Repeat 10-15 times. 6. Leg Extensions: While sitting, extend one leg out straight in front of you and hold it in place for a few seconds. Lower it back down and repeat with the other leg. This can help prevent leg cramps and improve circulation. 7. The Desk Stretch: Reach one arm overhead and gently pull your elbow towards the opposite side of your body with your other hand. Hold for 15-30 seconds and repeat on the other side. 8. Mindful Meditation: Take a moment to close your eyes and focus on your breath. Even a short meditation can reduce stress and improve your focus. These are just a few ideas to get you started. Remember, even such small movements can make a big difference in your energy levels and focus. #FitnessFriday

𝗤𝘂𝗶𝗰𝗸 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗼𝘂𝘁𝘀 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗖𝗮𝗻 𝗗𝗼 𝗗𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗟𝘂𝗻𝗰𝗵 𝗕𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗸 (𝗡𝗼 𝗚𝘆𝗺 𝗥𝗲𝗾𝘂𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗱) There was a time when I was juggling work, meetings, and everything else in my day. And the gym felt out of reach. So I told myself I didn’t have time to work out. But I eventually learned that you don’t need hours or fancy equipment to stay fit. All you need is a few minutes and some space, like a conference room during your lunch break. The key is to keep things simple and use your own bodyweight or minimal equipment, like a set of 10-pound free weights. Here’s a 5-core exercise routine you can do during lunch breaks, or split into two 15-minute sessions: 1. Seated Overhead Press (Shoulders/Arms)  Sit at the edge of your chair with your feet flat on the floor. Hold the free weights at shoulder height and press them overhead. Slowly lower and repeat for 10-12 reps. 2. Walking Lunges (Quads/Hamstrings/Glutes)  Step forward with one leg, lowering your body as close to a 90-degree angle as possible with both knees. Push through the heel of your front foot to stand up, and then step forward with the other leg. Complete 10-12 steps per leg. 3. Wall Push-Ups (Chest/Triceps)  Place your hands shoulder-width apart against a wall. Step back to form a slight incline. Lower your chest to the wall, keeping your body straight, and push back up. Complete 10-15 reps. 4. Bicep Curls (Arms)  Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, holding free weights. Curl the weights up toward your shoulders, keeping your elbows close to your body. Lower the weights and repeat for 12-15 reps. 5. Tricep Extensions (Arms)  Hold one free weight in both hands overhead. Lower the weight behind your head by bending your elbows, then straighten your arms to lift it back up. Do 10-12 reps. The truth is, you don’t need a gym to stay fit. These exercises can be done right in a conference room or at your desk during a lunch break. Give this quick routine a try the next time you’re short on time! ♻️ Repost to share with your network if you found this helpful. 🔔 Follow Rachael Resk for more quick workout tips. #RachaelReskStrategies #OfficeWorkouts #LunchBreakWorkouts #StayActive #QuickFitness

POV: You're in B2B meetings with no time for lunch or breaks but you know you need more movement. Here are 5 quick exercises you can do at your desk 👏 Does this sound like you? You're three Teams calls in, your Apple Watch is alerts you to stand up, but you have no time for breaks and still have a pile of your own work to do... I get it! There are some days/weeks/jobs, where the amount of work is always high. But we can't let that dictate your health. So the question is: How can you get in more movement throughout the *work* day? Here are 5 quick exercises you can do at your desk to wake up your brain, boost circulation, and keep you from turning into a human robot: 1️⃣ Calf raises – Lift your heels off the ground and squeeze at the top like you’re trying to show off your nonexistent high heels. This pumps blood back to your brain and keeps your feet from going numb. 2️⃣ Air squats – Stand up, squat down (pretend you’re dodging another email), and repeat. Engages your legs and glutes, gets circulation moving, and reminds you that your chair isn't a life sentence. 3️⃣ Shoulder shrugs – Lift your shoulders toward your ears as you take a deep breath. Loosens up your traps and reduces tension from hunching over your laptop like a medieval scribe. 4️⃣ Heel stomps – Stand up and lightly bounce your heels on the ground. This stimulates blood flow, lowers stress and helps prevent blood pooling in your legs. 5️⃣ Seated spinal twists – Sit up straight, place one hand on the opposite knee, and twist your torso side to side. Feels great, resets your posture, and gives you a reason to look away from your computer screen. Why This Matters: 💡 Movement increases focus & mental clarity – Even small movements improve blood flow to your brain, boosting concentration. 💡 Your body isn’t meant to be stagnant all day – We evolved to move, not to sit like statues in artificially lit rooms. 💡 High stress + low movement = a recipe for burnout – Stiff joints, poor circulation, and increased cortisol don’t exactly scream “high performance.” 💡 Exercise boosts energy, not drains it – The more you move, the more energy you actually have throughout the day. Sitting for 8+ hours in back-to-back meetings is one of the worst things you can do for your health. If you’re constantly exhausted, foggy, or stiff—this is your sign to move. 🚀 What’s your go-to desk movement? Drop it below 👇

How to stay fit when you have a desk job As working professionals, we spend a major chunk of our day in front of computer screens at our desk - often putting our physical health on the backburner. All this while lying to ourselves that I’ll excercise when I find the time. As David Goggins says - you won’t cause you just don’t want to. Sharing below a few simple, doable things I follow for my physical fitness, that are sustainable when you have a desk job - 1. Ditch the Elevator  - My office is on the 6th floor. I take the staircase every morning. Climbing those stairs feels like the psychological equivalent of already having accomplished something before I reach my desk. I won’t recommend this if you work on say the 23rd floor but you can map some of that distance in the stairs. 2. Walk the Talk - We all love a good chat at the lunchtime, don’t we? But consider saving up some of that small talk and taking a quick 15-20 minute stroll. Everyday after lunch/dinner, I take a walk - it is a non-negotiable. Only the time span of the walk is a negotiable, contingent on how much work there is. It can be as little as 7 minutes, but the habit is what counts. 3. Pause and Stretch - When you’ve been sitting for 3-4 hours at a stretch, get up and make a quick run to the cellar. Refill your water bottle, make a cup of coffee, or just stretch your arms and hamstrings. You can try Gaumukhansa on your seat for a quick stretch. And then, dive right back into work. 4. Bring Your Lunchbox - When you don’t carry your lunchbox to the office, it’s easy to find a wide range of junk when that’s what you want to eat. I carry my home cooked tiffin to the office, but not everyone is fortunate enough to live with their parents or be able to cook. If you can’t bring your lunchbox, then do the next best thing - eat simple Indian food: roti sabzi, rajma chawal, dosa, uttapam etc. And try to avoid munching chips throughout the day. 5. Well Begun is Half Done - Those who can’t find the time for exercise will have to find time for illness. I don’t know what time you wake up, but if you can dial back your alarm clock by just 30 minutes - you can find the time to do atleast 10 rounds of Surya namaskar before you set off for work. It’s an easy kill. And let’s be real - I’m not running a multi-million dollar business. I’m not a working mom who has to send two kids to school in the morning. It’s quite easy for me to impart this wisdom, coming from a place of little responsibility. But when your ‘WHY’ is strong enough, you will always work your ways around something by constantly adapting to your schedule.