(1) Squat Before You Sit:

Fact: sitting for hours leads to weight gain. One study shows that obese people sit 2.5 hours more per day than those who are leaner. This can put us at risk for heart disease, diabetes, and even bowel cancer. So, here’s what you can do to continue to stay on a healthy path even while on the job. Stand about 1 inch in fornt of your chair, holding in your abs. Squat as if you’re going to sit, but right before your bottom touches the chair stand back up and squeeze your glutes. You will burn 50 calories over the course of a workweek, if you perform this for 1 minute each day!

(2) Stretch Your Hips While You Type:

When we sit we fold our legs at the hip and shorten our hip flexors-this leads to stiffness and causes pain in the lower back. Try sitting at your desk with your knees bent and feet on the floor. Place 1 ankle on the opposite thigh so that your lower body forms the number 4. Exhale as you lean forward over the legs, and keep your back straight. Hold for 3 deep breaths. Switch legs, and repeat the process 3 times. What a relief!

(3) Tone Your Arms in the Ladies’ Room:

I know it sounds odd but a bathroom stall workout has results. Doing push-ups with your hands on the wall instead of on the floor makes them easier. A bathroom stall is a good choice, usually the end stalls have more room (as well as a sturdy floor-to-ceiling side wall). Just doing 10-15 a day will show noticeable improvement in the arms over a short period of time!

(4) Take the Stairs:

For all the obvious reasons! It works the lower body and gets your heart rate up to burn those calories. The simple action of getting your body moving keeps you from being stiff. Doing this regularly will result in weight loss and increased energy, in combination with a healthy balanced diet of course.

(5) Write Off Injuries with a Lower-Leg Stretch:

We love our heels, but the reality is they are not good to us! Research has shown that the ankle is not supported for the best mobility, which leads to knee problems. It is suggested that you do a move that stretches both your ankle and your shin: imagine your toe is the tip of a pencil and “draw out” the letters of the alphabet. This motion will impact the lower leg muscles, aiding in relief. You should try this 3-5 times each day…

For more workout tips at your desk, visit Oprah!

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VIA: www.primusweb.com/fitnesspartner/calculat.htm

We visited the Fitness Partner website to calculate how many calories a 160-lb. person could burn doing some super-common holiday-time activities. (Click here to figure out the exact numbers for your body weight!)

Spending all your time cleaning in preparation for houseguests, party-goers, and annoying neighbors who just want to re-gift a fruitcake? Half an hour of general house cleaning burns about 110 calories, and the same amount of time spent vacuuming burns around 130 cals. And if you have trouble convincing yourself to shovel the driveway, know that a half-hour of that will burn about 220 calories. (Don’t forget your snow boots!)

Running around prepping a meal? Food shopping will burn about 85 calories in half an hour. And once you get home, moving around the kitchen and cooking will burn around 140 calories an hour. Yet another reason to do the work yourself.

Got a house of buzzing kids “full of holiday cheer”? Consider this: A half-hour of high-energy playing with the kids will burn about 180 calories, the same amount as a half-hour of low-impact aerobics. Going sledding or ice skating for 30 minutes burns the same 255 calories or so as 30 minutes of moderate cycling on a stationary bike. Reading, watching TV, or sleeping, however, won’t burn more than about 35 calories per half-hour.

Think about all those extra calories you are taking in, and how to burn them off!