Fit fitness into your workday

After a long workday you're probably too tired to hit the gym for your recommended 30 minutes of daily exercise. And who can blame you? Sure, you're not on a treadmill but you've been running around the practice all day, raising the bar on veterinary medicine, and crunching numbers. By the time you punch out, you're mentally exhausted. Lucky for you, there's a way to fit in exercise while you're on the clock and in between appointments. The Loyola Center for Fitness in Chicago recently released quick tricks to getting your recommended daily workout-at work. Courtesy of Newswise Web site, here are the center's suggested straightforward exercises, broken down into the three main fitness categories-cardiovascular, strength and flexibility.

Cardiovascular

1. Stand whenever possible. Standing opens the front of the hips.

2. Take the stairs. Five to seven times a day is a good goal.

3. March in place or take a brief walk around your office to increase your energy and blood flow.

4. Increase your heart rate:

• Pretend you have a jump rope and jump on both legs or try alternating legs.

• Do jumping jacks. Lower-impact version: raise your right arm out to the side while tapping your left toe out to the side, then switch sides.

• Bring your knees toward hip level and transfer your weight quickly to take marching in place to the next level.

• Do the football shuffle. With feet shoulder width apart, slightly bend your knees and take quick steps with your feet.

Strength

1. Strengthen legs by standing feet hip width apart. Sink your hips back as if sitting in a chair. Lower slightly, return to standing.

2. Strengthen your arms, shoulders, and chest. Sit in a chair without wheels and place your hand on the arms. Use your arms to lift your bottom off the chair seat and lower yourself back down. Aim for 15 repetitions.

3. Work your knees by sitting tall in chair. Lift one leg and straighten, hold for two seconds and lower. Repeat with other leg.

4. Stretch your back and shoulders by squeezing your shoulder blades together and away from your ears, hold for three seconds and release. Repeat 15 times.

Flexibility

1. Sit in a chair and reach both arms overhead, stretching them back. Hold for 10 seconds. Grab your right wrist with left hand and stretch deeper through your right side. Hold for 10 seconds, repeat opposite side.

2. Hold your arms in front of you and gently circle your wrists in both a clockwise and counterclockwise motion. Stretch your hands by making fists then opening them as wide as you can.

3. Sit tall in a chair keeping your weight even in both hips. Gently turn your body to the right. Deepen the stretch by using your left hand to hold the right chair arm. Hold for 15 seconds, switch sides.

4. Release neck tension by sitting tall in your chair. Release your right shoulder down-you can even sit on your right hand-and tilt your head so your left ear is going toward your left shoulder. Hold for 15 seconds, switch sides.