8 Stress-Relieving Office Exercises
After a particularly stressful call, you can’t always leave and take a 10-minute walk because there’s
another customer waiting for your help. Here are 8 moves that can help you relieve some stress
without ever leaving your desk.
Shoulder rolls
 Sitting upright, lift your right shoulder to
your ear. Slowly roll your shoulder around
and back, dropping it away from your ear.
 Repeat with your left shoulder
 Alternative right and left shoulder rolls
several times
 Then do both shoulders at the same time five
times.
 Relax your shoulders.
Open Chest Stretch
 Sit near the edge of your chair. Intertwine
your fingers behind you, palms together and
facing your back.
 Lift your arms while leaning forward slightly
so that you feel the stretch I your chest.
 While staying in this position, take 10-15
slow breaths
 As you slowly breathe in, lift your chest.
 As you breathe out, relax your shoulders
away from your ears.
 Slowly release your hands and return them
to your sides.
©2016 ICMI | ICMI.com
Triceps Back
 March in place with your torso (from your
hips up) leaning forward at about a 45
degree angle. Breathe.
 Bend your arms in front of you, at the elbow
 Straighten your arms to your sides and then
extend them behind you.
 Bend arms back to in front of you and repeat
several times, making sure to keep up the
marching and breathing.
Chair Twist
 Sit near the edge of your chair, but turn your
thighs toward the right side so that you are
sitting diagonally.
 Move your arm to the back of the chair on
the opposite side, taking hold of the chair
back with your right hand. With your left
hand, take hold of your right knee or the
chair armrest.
 Twist to the right, pressing your right hand
against the back of the chair to deepen the
stretch. Focus on keeping your shoulder
blades down and lengthening your spine
while breathing deeply.
 Breathe deeply, completely filling and
emptying your lungs. Hold the pose for 10-
16 breaths.
 Return to the center
 Repeat on your left side.
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8 Stress-Relieving Office Exercises
Raise the Roof
 While marching in place, place your hands
near your shoulders with the palms up and
thumbs almost touching your shoulders.
 As you continue to march, raise your arms
straight up and push your palms as high as
possible and making sure to breathe.
 Bring your hands back to shoulder-height
 Repeat several times, taking deep breathes
throughout.
Neck Stretch
 Sit upright without letting your back touch
the back of the chair.
 Hold your head directly over your spine, as if
there is a string lifting he crown of your head
up.
 Drop your right ear toward your right
shoulder without lifting your right shoulder
or turning your head.
 Take several breaths in and out, feeling the
stretch on the left side of your neck.
 Repeat on your left side.
©2016 ICMI | ICMI.com
Hamstring Curl
 Stand straight with your weight comfortably
distributed and your hands at your sides.
 Raise your hands in front of you, bending
your arms at the elbow.
 As you bring your hands back down to your
sides, raise one foot towards your rear,
bending your leg at the knee.
 Repeat while alternating feet. Your arms
should be raised while both feet are on the
ground, and when your arms are at your
side, one foot should be raised.
Punching
 Stand straight with your weight comfortably
distributed and your feet approximately
lined up with your shoulders.
 As you rock from foot to foot, push out with
the opposite arm as if punching the air. (To
reduce elbow stress, try not to fully
straighten your arm as you punch).
 Make sure you breathe throughout, and take
care not to really hit anything!
 After 30-60 seconds, relax.
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