5 Simple Leg and Foot Exercises for Desk Workers

Staying shackled to your desk for a better part of your workday is indeed bad for your health. It’s tough to give your body the necessary exercise it needs, if you don’t have a company gym membership, or can’t go to fitness classes in the morning or evening. Your leg and gluteal muscles go unused for long hours every day, if you are a desk worker, glued to your chair.

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As a result, they become tight, weakened and even atrophied over a period. You can end up suffering from one or more of several leg and foot issues – from decreased hip mobility, weak bones, poor circulation in legs (causing blood clots, swelling in ankles, varicose veins, etc.) to problems with stability and poor power of your stride when you jump or walk (due to restricted range of motion of the leg muscles).

However, the happy news is that with a few proven and easy legs and foot exercises, you can ward off many of these problems prevalent among desk workers. Top five such exercises are listed below for your benefit.

          1.  Get up and walk: Stand up and walk every 20-30 minutes – to bring a glass of water, share some office info with a colleague, or simply file a paper. This will bring the otherwise unused leg muscles into use and improve blood circulation. Even when you can’t walk around the office frequently, take a break to stand up and simply stretch your legs and feet for a few minutes.

         2.  Spot jogging: Find an empty stairwell or conference room and jog in place for 60 seconds, bringing your knees as high up as possible. Take rest for 30 seconds and follow it up with a repeat to give your static legs some welcome and beneficial action.

       3.Leg extensions: Simple exercises would be to extend your left leg in front, hold for ten seconds, lower it down and stop short of touching the floor; hold the position again for 10 seconds. After doing 15 reps, you should switch legs and repeat the same workout with your right leg.

        4. Circling the feet: Raise your left foot slightly from the ground, and make circling movements  – five times clockwise, and five times anticlockwise. Bring your left foot to rest and repeat the exercise with your right foot.

       5  One-legged squat: With the support of a desk or wall, balance your weight on your left leg with the right leg extended straight in front, as high as possible. Next, squat down as far as you can. Hold the position for ten counts, come back to the normal position and repeat after switching legs. 

If you are interested in more exercises, you may even walk up and down a flight of stairs once or twice flexing and extending the toes and feet. Even with a desk job, therefore, you can care for your leg and foot health by following a simple workout routine as outlined above.