Don’t quit! There are many sit down exercises that you can do and still derive the health benefits. Here are some exercises that you can do while sitting at your desk:

Ab exercise - Sit on the edge of your chair as straight as you can with your feet firmly planted on the floor. Raise your arms out straight in front of you and slowly lean back toward the back of the chair. When you get as far back as you can, slowly raise yourself back to a normal sitting position. Keep your abdominal muscles pulled in while you do these exercises.

Bicep curls - You can use the same drinking water bottle and raise your arm out to your side so that it’s shoulder level. Slowly bend your elbow in, bringing the water bottle towards you as if you were doing bicep curls in a gym. Do a few repetitions with that arm and then switch to the other arm.

Chair pull and chair stretches – Watch these videos… 

Front raise for arms - Sit as straight as you can in a chair. Hold a water bottle in one hand for a little extra added weight if you choose. With that arm straight out in front of you, raise it up shoulder level. Hold it there a little bit and release. If you choose, you can raise the arm higher as if you were raising your hand in the classroom. Repeat with the other arm.

Hip flexion - Sit in a chair with your feet planted firmly on the floor (or on the footrests of a wheelchair, if you’re wheelchair-bound). Raise one leg up – keeping your knee bent and foot down. Raise the leg up a couple of inches and hold it there for a few seconds. This is good for your hip muscles.

Inner thigh adduction exercise - Place a small object like a drinking water bottle between your inner thighs. Bring your inner thighs in to gently squeeze the bottle. These are good for your inner and outer thigh muscles.

Leg extensions - Keep your feet flat on the floor. Raise one leg up until you get it as straight as you can and hold it there for a few seconds. If you can, flex your foot up while you raise the leg. These are good for your thigh and calf muscles. Repeat with the other leg. Do this exercise in a slow and controlled motion. Don’t rush it.

These are just some of the many sit down exercises for you to try. Not everyone will be able to do all of these exercises, so know what your limits are and talk to your physician first to make sure they are okay for you to do. Remember that just because you have some limitations, it doesn’t mean that an exercise program isn’t available for you.

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Learning to do easy muscle toning exercises is not the problem, the challenge is finding the time to do them.

Here are five easy toning exercises that you can do anywhere and whenever you have time. At home, at the office, or on vacation, you can do these easy yet extremely effective exercises for general fitness.

1. Squats: This is probably the most common toning exercise known to everyone. They work the butt, the hamstring muscles and the quadriceps. If you not sure of the proper form, you can use a chair to assist you.

Step 1: Stand with feet shoulder width apart and feet firmly planted.

Step 2: Push your butt back as if you were preparing to sit in a chair. Keep your abs tight and your upper body straight.

Step 3: Once you reach chair level stop and hold the position for a count of two to five and release.

Step 4: At the lowest point, place all of your weight on your heels for balance and maximum toning.

2. Lunges: Lunges work the quadriceps muscles. They can be hard for people with knee problems.

Step 1: Stand with feet together and arms at your sides.

Step 2: Take one leg and move it forwards until you are in lunge position: back leg bent at a 90-degree angle and front leg extended until you are on the ball of your foot.

Step 3: From this position lower yourself down until the back knee almost touches the floor.

Step 4: Hold for a count of two and return to starting position.

3. Bridge Butt Lift: No, I’m not talking about a complicated cosmetic surgery here, instead it is an easy way to tone your buttocks.

Step 1: Lay down with feet flat on the floor, legs shoulder width apart.

Step 2: Place your hands, palm side down, on either side of your body.

Step 3: Pushing with your feet, squeeze your gluteal muscles and lift your butt off the floor.

Step 4: Hold the position for a count of five to ten and release down to the floor.

4. Push-ups: This is an evergreen toning exercise that works every part of your arms and your chest muscles.

Step 1: If you aren’t comfortable or strong enough to perform a push-up on your toes, lower your body to your knees.

Step 2: Be sure your arms are tucked into the body and your back straight as you lower and lift your body.

5. Crunches: Abdominal muscles can be worked every day to build strength and muscle tone.

Step 1: Lying on the floor in sit up position, lace your fingers behind your head.

Step 2: Squeezing your abdominal muscles, lift your upper body until your lower back is about to come off the floor.

Step 3: Hold for two to five counts and return to starting position.

These five toning exercise can be done whenever you have the time. The best part is that the effects are cumulative, even if you have only five or ten minutes to do toning exercises.

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2. Easy Belly Fat Exercises for a Flat Tummy
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There are some who strongly believe in the idea that a lot of exercise is the perfect solution to weight loss. Eat whatever you want and as long as you exercise you will be able to maintain a healthy weight.

While there is a lot of truth to the above statement, just as many people in our society claim that they sometimes find it impossible to exercise enough to make sure that they are maintaining a healthy weight let alone drop any extra pounds.

So does this mean that we are all going to end up overweight because we cannot spend hours in the gym each week? Of course not, but if you do not watch the amount of calories you are taking in you could very well end up dealing with some serious weight issues.

If you are already looking to shed some unwanted pounds and feel that you are never going to be able to accomplish that because you are unable to find enough time to exercise, you no longer have to worry. Studies have shown that a low calorie diet along with drinking at least eight glasses of water a day can help a person drop the weight even without the exercise we were originally programmed to believe we must have to achieve our goals. Whenever you find yourself with a spare moment though, it is in your physical best interest to get some exercise. Go for a walk or jump on the treadmill. Anything and everything helps so do not completely forget about good old-fashioned exercise.

Of course, exercising on a daily basis is ideal and if a person could at least get to the gym a couple times a week that would be great. However, if you are not someone who has the time for that right now, you can still lose the weight. There is no need to continue to put off dropping those extra pounds because with a controlled diet you can finally achieve your dream weight goal. You can continue living the daily routine you are used to, eat so that you are not starving, and lose weight without even really trying too hard.

A great way to make sure that you are getting a reduced calorie diet but yet still getting enough nutrition to keep you healthy is to plan out your meals and snacks. By making sure that you are getting in enough whole grains, vegetables, and fruits you are getting a lot of nutrition you need all while maintaining a healthy low calorie diet. Try to avoid things such as cheese, sugar, calorie-packed meats, and foods high in unhealthy fat.

By taking such simple steps, you will soon see that you are on your way to a much healthier lifestyle. This of course, will be accompanied by weight loss, which is something that is great when it is done the right way. Just make sure that even after you have achieved your ideal weight, you continue with your new healthy way of eating to maintain that weight.

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Exercise and fitness are important because they help you maintain or lose weight. An added benefit of regular exercise is that it helps to keep your stress level down and provides a sense of well-being. People who exercise tend to be healthier, happier and live longer than those who do not. Who doesn’t want that?

Take a close look at your current lifestyle and work habits. Consider the following tips to squeezing some exercise into your day. Not only will you feel better, but you will be a good role model for your kids to start exercising too.

1. Use your lunch hour to go for a brisk walk. You may find a great route around your office that you can take. Fresh air and your walking shoes are all that’s required. If the weather doesn’t cooperate, try walking at a nearby mall or up and down the stairs in your office building.

2. If you have an errand to run, like going to the bank or the post office and that’s a short distance away, try walking instead of driving. If it is farther away, park at the back of the parking lot and walk from there. It takes a little getting used to as you’re probably accustomed to looking for the closest parking spot, but make it a new habit to park as far away from the entrance as you can.

3. Make healthy choices with your food so you’re not feeling forced to do more exercise than you have time. That super-sized fast food lunch is going to take a lot more exercise to burn off than a chicken salad and apple will.

4. Sometimes people don’t feel like exercising after work because they have no energy left. This can be due to poor eating habits, like eating lots of refined sugar in the afternoon, which causes an energy crash. Have a snack in the afternoon that fills up your energy tank.

5. If you don’t feel you have any time to exercise during your busy day, wake up 15-20 minutes earlier in the morning and get your exercise in then. Need your sleep? Then cut your TV viewing time down in the evening and go to bed earlier. A short but effective exercise video in the morning or a fast walk with hand weights can leave you feeling good the rest of the day.

6. If you find yourself watching TV in the evening, don’t sit down on the couch. Instead, use a resistance band that you can pick up cheap at a sporting goods store. It’s a rubber tubing with handles on each end and you can exercise both your upper and lower body… while watching TV or even when helping kids with their homework.

7. Instead of trying to exercise after the kids are in bed, include your kids in your exercise plans. Instead of watching them play at the park, play with them. Chasing them around, lifting them up to the monkey bars, playing tag, hiking, biking, chasing a Frisbee, playing tennis, and shooting baskets are all activities best enjoyed with someone else.

It might require a little work, but there are ways you can sneak some exercise into your daily routine. Pick activities you enjoy, otherwise you won’t stick with them. Exercise does not have to be two hours of lifting weights at the gym. Get creative and start moving.

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