When you are spending nine to ten hours sitting at a desk, you rarely have any time to yourself as you must do essential chores and get ready for the next day as soon as your workday is over. In this schedule you can see a glaring lack of one of the biggest essentials a person needs, exercising. While you may have a normal weight, there are a barrage of medical problems you can run into when you are an office worker.

Imagine the strain your body is under when you are working for long stretches in a day. Your neck will be stiff and hurting, your back will also feel inflexible, and you will feel a burdening sense of fatigue no matter how much you sleep. This is where desk exercises come into play. While many people believe that doing desk exercises is just lazy, they are the most accessible forms of exercise that you can do anywhere, any time and with minimal or no equipment.

Desk Exercises You Can Do To Avoid Strain

Many studies have shown that being immobile for so long can cause you to develop several health issues and is really bad for your health. Sitting for long stretches is bad for your health because it slows down your metabolism, making it harder for your body to control things like blood sugar, blood pressure, and weight, which can increase your risk of diabetes, heart disease, and obesity. The poor circulation can also lead to different issues like ankle, neck and joint pain, even blood clots. Here are some exercises you can do, even while sitting.

Chair Squats

Stand with feet shoulder-width apart, facing away from your chair. Lower yourself like you're about to sit, lightly touching the chair, then stand back up. This strengthens your legs and glutes. Repeat 10-15 times.

Arm Circles

Extend your arms out to your sides at shoulder height. Make small circles forward for 15-20 seconds, then reverse the direction. This improves shoulder mobility and gets your blood flowing.

Seated Leg Extensions

Sit tall in your chair and slowly straighten one leg out in front of you. Hold for a few seconds, then lower it back down. Repeat with the other leg. Do 10-15 repetitions on each leg to work your quads.

Seated Neck Circles

Gently drop your chin to your chest and slowly roll your head in a circle, first clockwise, then counterclockwise. This helps relieve neck tension and improves neck mobility. Repeat 5-10 circles in each direction.

Seated Torso Twists

Sit up straight, place your hands on your shoulders, and gently twist your upper body to the left, then to the right. This helps improve spinal mobility and stretches your back muscles. Repeat 10-15 times on each side.

Chair Dips

Sit on the edge of your chair, place your hands on the seat beside you, and slide your hips forward. Lower your body by bending your elbows, then push back up. This strengthens your triceps and shoulders. Aim for 8-12 repetitions.

Desk Push-Ups

Place your hands shoulder-width apart on your desk. Step back so your body forms a straight line. Lower your chest towards the desk, then push back up. This strengthens your chest, shoulders, and triceps. Aim for 8-12 repetitions.

Standing Calf Raises

Stand with your feet hip-width apart. Rise up onto your toes, lifting your heels off the ground, then lower back down. This strengthens your calf muscles and improves ankle stability. Repeat 15-20 times.

Desk Plank

Place your forearms on your desk, shoulder-width apart, and step back until your body forms a straight line. Engage your core and hold this position for 30-60 seconds. This strengthens your core and improves posture.

Ankle Circles

While sitting, lift one foot off the ground and make circles with your ankle, first clockwise, then counterclockwise. This improves ankle flexibility and circulation in your lower legs. Repeat 10-15 circles in each direction per foot.

Walking is said to be one of the best exercises. Not only is it an easy and accessible exercise, but it can be done anywhere and also does not need a lot of equipment. Many people aim for 10,000 steps a day as a sign of good health. But should you take one long walk, or multiple short ones? A new study has answered this question.

New research suggests that a single, longer walk each day is better for your heart than breaking up your steps into many short strolls, especially if you don't exercise regularly.

The study, published in Annals of Internal Medicine, found that walking for at least 15 minutes without stopping is ideal. This longer, steady pace, which is about 1,500 continuous steps gives your heart a much better workout.

Longer Vs Shorter Walks: Which is Better?

Researchers tracked the walking habits of over 33,500 adults in the UK who walked less than 8,000 steps a day. After tracking their health for eight years, the findings were clear:

Lower Heart Risk

People who consistently walked in longer, uninterrupted stretches had a lower risk of heart problems compared to those who only took short, quick bursts of steps.

Why Are Longer Walks Better For Health?

Even among the least active group (those walking under 5,000 steps daily), taking longer walks made a major difference. Their risk of heart disease and early death dropped significantly.

The researchers explain that most people focus only on the number of steps they take, but not the patterns. They suggests that even inactive people can boost heart health by changing their habits to walk for at least 10–15 minutes at a time.

Should People Focus More On How They Walk Or How Much?

Many people aim for 10,000 steps a day, but that number actually came from an old pedometer advertisement, not science. While experts agree more steps are generally good, this study emphasizes that how you walk matters more than just the total step count.

The researchers suggest that simple changes, like setting aside time specifically for a long walk, could make a big impact on heart health.

The NHS still recommends getting 150 minutes of moderate activity like brisk walking, each week, and ideally it should be spread out. For older adults, moving every day, even with light activity around the house, is key.

It's important to know that while the study shows a strong link between longer walks and better health, it doesn't definitively prove that walking directly causes the improvement.

However, health experts agree exercise is vital. They explain that you might find it hard at first, but it will get easier as your body adjusts. Even small improvements contribute to a healthy heart.

What Are Some Safety Tips for Walkers?

While walking is generally a safe activity, accidents can happen, especially if you like to walk alone. To stay safe while walking,

Be Visible

Wear bright, reflective clothing or carry a flashlight after dark or in dim light so drivers and others can easily spot you.

Stay Alert

Focus on your immediate surroundings; avoid distractions like your phone or headphones to always know what's happening around you, especially traffic.

Use Paths

Walk or bike only on marked paths, lanes, or sidewalks, and cross streets at designated crosswalks where vehicles are expecting pedestrians.

Donald Trump health has become a heated topic of debate and the concerns around his health has resurfaced after a photo from his Kuala Lumpur visit on Sunday, October 26, went viral. He was spotted with swollen ankles. The photo that went viral is from a meting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), which kicked off his six-day trip.

The pictures of his swollen ankle have flooded on social media and people are saying that his ankle is seen to be extremely swollen. As per experts, this happens due to chronic venous insufficiency, which is a condition Trump had earlier announced to be suffering from.

Chronic venous insufficiency occurs when the veins in the legs have trouble sending back to the heart. This causes blood to pool and creating high pressure. This is usually caused by damaged or weakened valves in the veins and is characterized by symptoms like leg swelling, aching, and heaviness, which improves with elevation. Risk factors include age, a history of deep vein thrombosis, and prolonged periods of sitting or standing.

However, Trump's latest physical test says something else. The White House physician Sean P Barbabella declared that the president "remains in exceptional health, exhibiting strong cardiovascular, pulmonary, neurological, and physical performance". Barbabella also stated that his "cardiac age was found to be approximately 14 years younger than his chronological age".

Trump's Legs Could Also Reveal That He Had A Stroke

As per a "Physical Therapist", who posts videos on Instagram by the username @epistemiccrisis with 74.2k followers, Trump also had his peroneal nerve paralyzed. He explains, "The deep branch of common peroneal nerve, which supplies a muscle known as the tibialis anterior, which blends your foot up toward your head when you walk. This is known as dorsiflexion. If this nerve is paralyzed, you would get a foot drop."

However, he notes that this can be easily remedied with a brace, called ankle foot orthosis or AFO. He said that the president was most likely wearing it as the outline of the posterior portion of "what looks like an AFO" could be seen through his pants.

Concerns On Trump's Health

Previously, the same "Physical Therapist" claimed that President Trump had a stroke. This is because he had difficulty walking in a straight line. In fact, a 2021 study published in journal Healthcare notes that stroke is a major cause of disability worldwide and balance impairments are common disabling factors in patients with stroke, which could lead to falls.

However, as per the official medical records of the president, no such strokes were mentioned. His medical report pronounced him in "excellent health". The examination was done at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. The report also emphasized that Trump maintains a "demanding daily schedule without restriction". Not only that, the report has gone so far to declare Trump's cardiac age as 14 years younger than his actual age after an electrocardiogram.

Dr Peter Attia, physician, and researcher known for his work in longevity medicine believes that there is a correlation between your grip strength and dementia onset risk and dementia mortality.

Dr Attia says, "My best explanation for this is that grip strength is itself a proxy for overall strength. The type of strength we are talking about here is acquired, not inherited. You had to do a bunch of work to get it, and it is the work you did that is actually what's protect your brain."

He says that women who are over 40, must be able to hand on a bar for a minute and a half, and for men, it is two minutes. The key is that you are supposed to be able to carry 75% of your weight, he says, in an interview with CBS News' 60 minutes.

Is There Any Truth In The Claim That Grip Strength Has A Correlation With Dementia?

As per a 2021 study published in journal Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience, titled Grip Strength and the Risk of Cognitive Decline and Dementia: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Longitudinal Cohort Studies, loss of grip strength and cognitive impairment are prevalent in the elderly, and they may share the pathogenesis in common.

The study found that poorer grip strength was in fact associated with more risk of cognitive decline and dementia. The subgroup analysis within the study also indicated that people with poorer strength had more risk of Alzheimer's disease and non-AD dementia.

But why does this happen? Lower grip strength is a marker for overall muscle mass, general health, and is linked to the health of the brain and its blood vessels. This link is also connected to other factors like vascular health, cognitive decline, and physical activity, as low grip strength can be a symptom of poor overall physical and metabolic health.

How Is Lower Grip Strength Is Linked To Dementia?

Indicator Of Overall Health: Grip strength reflects the health of entire body, this is why a lower grip strength is an indicate of lower muscle mass, and general poor health.

Vascular and brain health: Since there is a connection between muscle strength, blood flow, and brain health, thus lower grip strength is associated with a higher risk of vascular dementia and a greater volume of white matter hyperintensities in the brain.

Also Read: What Home Gym Tools Can Help You Stay Fit Without Hitting The Gym?

Poorer grip strength is associated with lower cognitive function, such as fluid intelligence and prospective memory. This suggest a link between the body's physical capabilities and the brain's cognitive abilities.

A different study published in 2022, where 40,000 participants from the UK Biobank were studied found that greater grip strength was associated with better cognitive functioning, higher life satisfaction, greater subjective well-being, and reduced depression and anxiety symptoms while controlling for numerous demographic, anthropometric, and socioeconomic cofounders.

The study also found that grey matter volume of subcortical region also correlated with better mental health and considerably mediated their relationship with grip strength.