The following suggestions will help you keep your body alert at the office instead of slumped and ineffective.
I’m sure you have heard this multiple times, but the most important “exercise†that you can practice at your desk job is to sit with the proper posture. A good chair is worth the expense. Your back should be straight, your feet should rest flat on the floor or on a step stool, your shoulders should be back and relaxed, and the height of your monitor/chair should be adjusted so that the top of the monitor is level with your eyes. Having to continuously look up or down will strain your eyes. Your wrists should not be lying flat on your mouse pad  or desk and should be supported.
Throughout the day, keep your neck loose by slowly stretching it from side to side and front to back. Stretch your arms and roll your shoulders. Roll your wrists as well as ankles to prevent Carpal Tunnel Syndrome and pins and needles (respectively). Make sure to do the exercises counter-clockwise and clockwise. Stretch your chest as well by opening up your arms and pulling your shoulders back.
Get some squats in! Your co-workers don’t have to know that you’re not sitting on your chair, and that you’re really doing squats! Even putting some of your weight on your feet and supporting yourself through your thighs will do the trick. Also, don’t forget to stand up and walk around every half hour or so. You really want to keep the blood flowing through your arms and legs. Getting away from your screen is one of the best things that you can do for yourself. If you have to wait for a large file download or for a program to finish running, walk away and do something else.
Stress balls are also a way to exercise. While you’re reading, work on your forearm muscles by squeezing a hand gripper or a stress ball. Another great idea is to use a big stability ball for a chair. That will certainly help in burning calories while you work on your core. Even better, you can bounce on it or do other simple exercises that will help to tone your body.
