It is a well-known fact that regular exercise has innumerable health benefits, from keeping your body weight in check to ensuring sounder sleep, circulation and more even moods. Unfortunately, modern professionals often work such long hours that there is little time left over for exercise at the end of the work day. Professionals who are also parents have duties before and after work that make fitting in exercise even trickier. Luckily, however, there are great 5-minute exercises that you can do at your desk:

1. Neck Stretches

While this isn’t the kind of exercise that gets your whole body moving, stiff muscles add to stress which in turn has a negative impact on health and wellbeing. Tilting your head, touch your right ear to your right shoulder and hold there for a few seconds. Repeat on the other side with your left and repeat the cycle three times. This is especially useful if you sit behind a screen for most of the day.

2. ‘Plank Leg’

If stretching your neck feels a little too conspicuous, the ‘Plank Leg’ is one of the 5-minute exercises you can perform under your desk – nobody need know. Extend one leg out straight in front of you. Keep it in this position for two seconds, then raise it as high as possible and hold for a further two seconds. Repeat with each leg 15 times. This will help build lower body strength.

3. Chair tricep dips

This one is best to perform in a private or home office! Place your hands on your chair arms and slowly lift your bottom out of the chair. Lower yourself back down but stop short of the seat and hold for a few seconds. Repeat for 15 dips. This must be done on a fixed, reasonably heavy chair to avoid injury, as opposed to wheeled office chair.

How do you juggle the exercise you need for health and wellbeing and a busy work schedule?