I was recently chatting to Sahar from Fat Fighter TV about blogging and asked if she could come up with some ways for us bloggers (read that as ME) to keep fit. Sahar went beyond what I expected and came back with 10 exercises for us to do WHILE STILL BLOGGING!
As bloggers, we tend to do a lot of sitting as we write, Tweet, Stumble, etc. By the end of the day it’s easy to feel tense, sore and sedentary. But since this is just so unhealthy, I’ve come up with some things we can all do to help us get fit as we blog – exercises to get our heart rate up, help us tone up and de-stress. All at the comfort of our blogging desk… or close by.
1. Cyber Squats – Who says you have to sit when you’re online? Set your chair aside for a few minutes and instead do squats as you write your next blog post, comment, or when you cruise around the Web. I’m squatting as I write this post – ouch!
2. RSS Raises – As you’re sitting at your desk, straighten your knees and lift your legs out in front of you. Do this as you catch up on your favorite blogs on your RSS reader.
3. 10 Minute Move it! Break #1 – Alternate jogging in place with jumping jacks – do a minute of each and repeat 5 times.
4. Twitter Tummy Tone – Tighten your abs for 30 seconds and then release. Do this as you tweet.
5. Social Squeezes – Tighten your glutes for 30 seconds and then release. (Good thing noone can see you at this social, right?) Repeat as you Stumble, Digg, or Friend on Facebook.
6. 10 Minute Move it! Break #2 – Grab a step stool and climb up and down – get creative if you like and alternate knee lifts at the top of the step.
7. Inbox Incline – While you’re sitting with your feet on the floor, raise your heels so you are on the balls of your feet and lower them. make sure you can feel it in your calves. Do this as you read and reply to your emails.
8. 10 Minute Move it! Break #3 – Do walking lunges around the house. Want to make it more challenging? Add some weights and do bicep curls at the same time.
9. Blogger Breather – Grab a quick minute to just close your eyes and focus on your breath. Count to 10 as you slowly inhale through your nose, thinking positive thoughts. Exhale through your mouth, again counting to 10. This time release all the tension and stress out of your body. Repeat if you have a few more seconds.
10. Sign Off Stretches – Your neck and shoulders can get pretty tense when you sit at a computer too long. So loosen them up throughout the day with:
- Shoulder shrugs – with your head at your chest, shrug your shoulders up and down.
- Neck Rolls – relax your shoulders and let your head roll forward. Slowly rotate your head in a circle. Repeat five times.
Do these exercises throughout the day to avoid blogger booty! You’ll feel better which could help you blog better.
Anyone else have some blogger exercises to share?
Read more of Sahar’s work at Fat Fighter TV.
Get a balance ball and replace your chair with it for a few hours each day! It’ll improve balance, work your core, and it’s kind of fun to bounce up and down on.
Oh, I do like the set up of her computer.
wow, this is good information. My 2c: try stretch your leg and don’t bend your knee to less than 90 degree. That will save your knee a lot.
Haha – this is a great article – I like the take on this. It’s an extremely relevant but much overlooked topic.
great tip, i am sure these ideas will make me fit when i am blogging..
thanks for this post darren…
Be mindful of good posture plus ergonomics when it comes to your wrists – you’ll save yourself from carpal tunnel! Believe me, the corrective surgery isn’t fun.
Wow! You really are amazing Darren. You don’t only give blogging advices but you also care for your dear readers! Exercise a bit while blogging. This is helpful! Thanks!
“Blogger Booty”… I’ve gotta avoid that!
I like to exercise before I start blogging to get my heart started. I find that exercise increases my productivity and helps me to feel good about sitting in front of a computer all day! Great idea Darren to get health tips!
Dance! Dance! Dance! Just pick a favorite YouTube video (one of mine is “Jump” by Madonna) and go crazy like Tom Cruise in Risky Business! It’s lots more fun than most forms of exercise, you can do it in a very small space with no equipment required, and studies show it actually extends life. See “Wanna Live Longer? Dance!” at http://shanelyang.com/2008/05/22/wanna-live-longer-dance/
This is the most creative exercise program for people that sit at computers all day that I’ve ever seen!
But I’m on the computer for 15 hours a day. So I make time to get up and run for 30 minutes of that time.
I know it seems like we don’t have the time for exercise, but if we manage the time we do have better and realize that you don’t spend all of those hours on the computer doing something productive, that’s when you’ll realize you can take the time for exercise.
Besides, what good is making lots of money online if you won’t be around long enough to spend it? :)
I was also going to suggest the balance ball idea, I’m looking into getting one myself and I’ve seen several bloggers raving about them!
Hey all you iPhone developers – we need a quick blogger/tweeter to make it really easy while you walk, jog, play golf, whatever. Or is there one already?
Hi Darren,
Thanks for that post! Good info! I’m constantly worried about getting the blogger booty. I’ve actually moved by laptop to my kitchen island and worked standing up for at least half of the day. And while standing, add some leg lifts and some booty squeezes…It’s better than sitting.
I’d love to link to this post one day, if okay with you. I’ve got alot of food blogger friends that would probably enjoy reading your post.
It is funny but that photo is pretty much the exact type of setup I would like to make but instead of a keyboard I’d use Dragon Naturally Speaking. I’d use a real recumbent bike though. I have the PC gamer bike and that thing just is no good for that sort of thing. It looks like that woman would also hit her knees.
I love the names you came up with! Really good ideas too :)
Haha! When someone first mentioned this to me and sent me link… I was laughing. After reading the exercises, they are actually well balanced and will lend to much more ‘computer endurance’ if you ask me.
I would add some dips using your computer chair. Long as it won’t go rolling away, placing your hands on the front of your chair seat, some simple dips will work out triceps very nicely.
And if you consider your office as your gym, there are lots of chest stretches and stuff you can do with a doorway. I like to stretch out chest by standing pretty much in the doorway extending your forearms against the sides, i don’t even know how to describe it. Another way is standing in the door way and pushing your arms out into the doorway.
If you were really cool, you could roll your office chair outside and do some power cleans. Just lift your chair over your head a few times until failure.
A laptop case filled with your laptop makes a really good dumbell for doing curls. Plus, you can add each weeks bills to steadily increase your weight.
I like the idea of associating certain exercises with different online activities. I can see how doing one particular thing while twittering , and another while blog commenting would work for me… almost becoming a habit.
These are awesome! I really want an exercise ball chair actually. It engages your abs all day and prevents you from slouching.
This has to be the corniest post ever written on problogger.
Finally, an excercise routine I can stick with :)
Great Article!.. But Gym, Steam & Blogging would be great idea!.. relaxed and lighter body, fresh mind and fresh thoughts!..
Thanks for the comments – I had a lot of fun coming up with the names for these. :)
The best part is that we can use our brain in different aspects which keeps it in proper shape… It is rightly said that unused brain causes it to rotten up..But while blogging new ideas always keep comming resulting in constant brain exercise keeping us Mentally fit which is the best part.
The best part is that we can use our brain in different aspects which keeps it in proper shape… It is rightly said that unused brain causes it to rotten up..But while blogging new ideas always keep comming resulting in constant brain exercise keeping us Mentally fit which is the best part.[www.techfreakstuff.com]
In addition to step 10….
ADD give yourself a hug. Wrap your arms as far as you can around your shoulder blades an twist back and forth.
It’s a great way to thank yourself for all the effort you put into your business today.
Cindy McAsey
888.272.6701
Barefoot in the Garden
Talk about an attention grabbing headline… another great feature of your ideas is that they are related to other habits & behaviors…so all we need to do is LINK the signoff with the stretch, the tightening with the twitter…. we’re gonna twitter anyway so why not attach these good habits! less twitter guilt,even
Now I can blog more and remove those keep fit too. Thanks for the post
Hmm. And what a quality post I might come up with while doing all that!
FUNFUNFUN!
Love Sahar! & adore FatFighterTV.
I do the isometric ab contraction as I wait for my editors to get back to me. Expel air, hold abs TAUT, feel the muscles working & your editor loving YOUR work, slowly inhale again.
Jumping rope also burns up to 12 calories a minute (I know!) & is perfect for burning cal/reducing stress when a commenter gets your blood boiling.
:)
dont get me started on all the things you can do with your Toddler to stay BlogginFit….
Great tips. I always forgot to get exercise while blogging and I got a small stomach now.
I love this post! I have been looking for ideas and nothing is really aimed tward bloggers. I spend a lot of time on the computer and need to feel like I’m doing something.
The Twitter Tummy Tone is great I did it reading this post and am still going and I can feel it. Thanks for the post!
This cracks me up! The gym is about the only time I get away from the computer! I’ll stick to that.
I think you’d be a lot better off walking away from the computer and hitting the gym for an hour. :-)
But finding ways to move around when you are working is a great idea.
The cool thing about this post is that I can do these exercises while at work too. Thanks for the post!
I think I’d prefer the break from the computer and get some fresh air for my exercise (I speak as if I actually do it!)
You definitely need an upper body exercise in the rotation – try doing pushups at your desk, just slide your keyboard back a bit, place your hands on your desk and your feet about 3-4 ft behind you so your body is in a push up position and lower yourself to your desk. Perfect for killing time while watching the latest YouTube video.
Yes, it’s great to get away from the computer to exercise but I like the idea of these to give my body a break from the stress of sitting still in one place for long periods of time.
These are great ideas not only for my body but my brain too and I will definitely work them in!
Exercise for me is more about getting out and getting some fresh air than staying at the computer. I think most people can allow some time during their day to get away from the pc!
I find myself going for the odd toilet break or coffee break. Think that counts as a way to counter writer’s blog- oops, block. What works for me is to switch on WII Fit :)
Or if it is really serious writer’s block, I go for a 20 minute jog,
Actually when blogging, i find my fingers and eyes exercising the most :)
Great Post!
60 : 10, means after 60 minutes in front of computer, we have to rest 10 minutes after that.
thx for the tips :)
Hi there,
This is unbelieveable, I’m definitely gonna try some of ‘em today while blogging.
Cheers,
Eddie Gear
This is fun and all, but how about we take an hour break and head to the gym?
Great and timely post! I’ve been wondering about exercises I can do while at my computer, especially for my abs.
I do another exercise that can’t be done while typing, but I do while reading online: I hold my arms out to the side in the belly dance arm position. Probably not something most people are interested in, but I’m learning to belly dance, and I want to strengthen my arms so I can hold them up the whole time!
Yes I like all these tips… but I also like to go out to the gym and get away from all of it.
Bought running shoes last week. Starting tonight?
Good tips!
I strongly feel one should get away from the computer and take a break by working out at a gym, walking in the open air or doing yoga. Yoga and deep breathing exercises keep me sane and help me function better.
Those who find it hard to find time to step out of their blogging space, maybe you could keep a yoga mat close to your computer table or work place and take short breaks to do some deep breathing exercises or yoga postures. Its really helps.
Cute article. :) I stand up to use my computer now. Instead of taking breaks to get up and move around, I need to take breaks to sit down and rest my feet! I have a tendency to be on the computer for many hours at a time, so standing at my desk stops me from doing that (for the most part). It also seems to help my posture and my slight RSI/carpal tunnel syndrome.
You’re joking right?
I love it! Good tips and cute names, I actually have a laptop strapped to my stairmaster like a fruitcake, but I must do what I must do do avoid being a fat blogger!
I would just suggest for #10 NOT rolling your head in a full circle. Just go for a half and keep it to the front. I’ve been told often that doing a full circle can cause damage.