Don't Just Sit There! How to Get Fit at Your Desk

Squat Before You Sit

We all know sitting for hours leads to weight gain (one study found that obese people sit 2.5 hours more per day than lean folks), but it can also put us at risk for cardiovascular disease, diabetes and bowel cancer. We asked a few experts to help us make the most of our time at our desks. Shirley Archer, a personal trainer and fitness expert, developed this easy move for her book Fitness 9 to 5: Easy Exercises for the Working Week. Stand about one inch in front of your chair, holding in your abdominals. Squat as if you're going to sit, but just as your backside touches the chair, stand back up and squeeze the glutes. Archer says that doing this for one minute each day will burn approximately 50 calories over the course of a workweek.