Why seated exercises are worth it

Most of us sit a lot: at a desk, on the sofa, on a train. Public health guidance keeps coming back to the same simple advice. The NHS, for example, asks adults to reduce time spent sitting or lying down and to break up long periods of not moving with some activity. It does not have to be intense; it has to be regular.

Seated exercises are the easiest way to do that when standing up is not practical: in a meeting, with a laptop on your knees, on a low-energy day, or when your knees or back are asking for a gentler option. They are also discreet, which matters in an open-plan office.

This guide is about everyday movement, not rehabilitation. If you have an injury or a health condition, ask a professional which movements suit you, and stop anything that hurts.

13 seated exercises, a minute or less

Sit towards the front of a stable chair, feet flat, back tall.

  1. Sit-to-stands (seated version of 10 squats): stand up from the chair and sit back down, 10 times, without using your hands if you can.
  2. Seated jacks (from 20 jumping jacks): arms up and feet out, then back, 20 times. All the rhythm, none of the noise.
  3. Thigh squeeze (from the wall sit): squeeze your thighs together and hold for 30 seconds.
  4. Leg extensions (from 10 lunges): straighten one knee until the leg is level, lower slowly, 10 times.
  5. Heel raises (from 20 calf raises): lift your heels, keep your toes down, 20 times.
  6. Seated knee lifts (from high knees): lift one knee, then the other, for 30 seconds.
  7. Glute squeezes (from glute bridges): squeeze your glutes for 3 seconds, release, 10 times.
  8. Seated marching (from marching in place): march your feet and swing your arms for 45 seconds.
  9. Seated dance (from the dance break): arms and shoulders only, 30 seconds, favourite song optional.
  10. Seated heel lifts (from one-leg balance): 20 seconds each side.
  11. Seated crunches (from 10 slow crunches): lean back slightly, then come back up, 10 times.
  12. Seated arm circles (from arm circles): 15 seconds forward, 15 seconds back.
  13. Seated punches (from shadow boxing): jab and cross from your chair for 30 seconds.

2 desk-side exercises

Two Body Moves have a gentle version that uses your desk or a wall instead of the floor:

  1. Table plank (from the 20-second plank): hands on the edge of a sturdy desk, body straight, hold for 20 seconds.
  2. Wall push-ups (from 5 push-ups): hands on a wall at shoulder height, lower your chest towards it, push back, 5 times.

A seated routine for long meetings or long drives as a passenger

If you want more than one exercise at a time, chain four of them. It takes about two minutes and nobody needs to know:

  1. 20 heel raises, feet flat, slow on the way down.
  2. 30 seconds of seated marching, arms swinging only if there is room.
  3. A thigh squeeze held for 30 seconds, then release.
  4. A posture reset to finish: feet flat, chin back, shoulders down, one slow breath.

Repeat it every hour or so, or split it up and do one exercise each time you reach for your phone.

Which Moves have no seated version

Five Body Moves need your feet or the floor, so they have no seated version: chair dips, 100 steps, one flight of stairs, burpees and small jumps. MiniMove's seated mode simply leaves them out.

Bonus: seated Care Moves for desk days

Most Breathe, Mind and Care Moves work from a chair too, though a few Care Moves, like "Stand up & stretch tall" or the window break, ask you to stand up. At your desk, try a posture reset (feet flat, chin back, shoulders down, one breath), a neck and shoulder stretch or a wrist and hand stretch for scrolling thumbs. Our guide to desk micro-breaks has ten of these, sorted by what your body has been doing.

How to fit them into your day

The hardest part of seated exercise is remembering it. Two approaches work well:

  • Anchor them to a habit. "Before I open Instagram, I do 10 sit-to-stands" gives you dozens of reminders a day. Our guide to exercise snacks explains why that works.
  • Let your phone ask. In MiniMove, turn on seated mode and every Body Move it suggests comes in its seated version. Tap a guarded app, do the Move, and the app opens for the window you chose. Everything goes into your Bank.

If you are "I can't do this" tired, that is fine too: tap it, and MiniMove swaps in another Move and stops suggesting that one.

Walking apps versus seated Moves

Some unlock apps only accept steps, which is great for walkers but not much help on a desk-bound or low-energy day. We compare the two approaches in MiniMove vs Steppin.

Sources

  • NHS, "Physical activity guidelines for adults aged 19 to 64". nhs.uk