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5 Tricks to Lose Weight Just By Sitting at Your Desk

Oct 30, 2018
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The freshman fifteen when you first go to college, many people discover that when they start working in an office full-time, the pounds start accumulating. You might be confused at first – you haven't changed anything about your lifestyle. You still eat pretty healthy and exercise regularly. So why are you gaining weight? Easy: It's your job!

Americans who work a traditional desk job spend between 10-12 hours sitting every day. Considering that your metabolism slows by 90% within 30 minutes of sitting down and that sitting burns 50 fewer calories per hour than standing (or 400 calories over the course of the average workday!), it should be no surprise that pounds are harder to shake when you're working in an office.

Using a height-adjustable sit-stand desk is one way to break up the vicious cycle of extra pounds. Even incorporating more non-exercise activity thermogenesis (NEAT) activities – like walking to the printer, tapping your feet, or even fidgeting at your desk – can help burn extra calories.

But what if we told you that there was a way that you could lose weight even while sitting at your desk? Follow these five tricks to drop a few pounds just by sitting at your desk.



Toss the unhealthy snacks.

When you have a snack drawer full of unhealthy but tempting snacks, it's so easy to reach for a snack to curb your boredom or procrastinate on an unpleasant work assignment. Munching on a few chips here and there might not feel like a big deal, but it can add up faster than you think.

Ditch unhealthy snacks and replace them with better-for-you alternatives. Or, even better, store your snacks in the communal kitchen rather than your desk drawer so that you have to get up and move to access them. You'll probably find your snacking diminishes, and at the very least, you'll be walking more before you indulge.



Drink more water.

This advice is a broken record for a reason. When you get absorbed in your work, it can be easy to forget to drink water during the day – and to make matters worse, it can be easy to mistake dehydration for hunger, leading to you consuming more food than you need. Drinking water helps keep you full and flattens your belly. If you get sick of drinking plain water, try creating infusions with fruit or vegetables, like berries, citrus, or cucumber.



Activate your abs.

Many people sit at their desks with terrible postures. Not only is slouching badly for your back, but it also wreaks havoc on your internal organs and weakens your ab muscles. To activate your abs while you're sitting at your desk, sit up straight and contract your ab muscles, picturing that you're "zipping" them up by pulling everything tight in a vertical line from your belly button to your breastbone. Hold for a count of 10, then release. Repeat these exercises 10 reps at least three times. Activating your abs like this will help you maintain good posture and tone your stomach.



Tone your thighs.

Got a beach vacation coming up? You can tone your thighs while sitting at your desk with one simple exercise. Being careful to avoid any wires under the desk, slowly lift your left leg until it is level with your hip, perpendicular to your chair. Hold for a moment, then slowly lower. Repeat 10-15 times, then switch legs. Repeat the exercise throughout the day.



Purchase a desk bike.

A stationary bike is the best exercise you can get while sitting – and the FlexiSpot All-in-One V9 Desk Bike comes with an adjustable desktop so that you can get your exercise without interrupting your work! The V9 desk bike has a whisper-quiet pedal system so you can use your bike in the office without disrupting coworkers. There are 8 resistance levels, allowing you to customize the intensity of your workout. And the adjustable desktop converts easily from a desk bike to a standing desk, so you can alternate between sitting, cycling, and standing throughout the day for a full-body workout that will burn calories and help you lose weight at your desk.

Want a free desk bike? Sign up for our email newsletter and you could be one of three monthly winners to receive a free V9 desk bike!