The Fitness Adviser

More people than ever are spending a significant amount of time during the day using the computer. While this means that more people have access to an incredible amount of information with the Internet , it also means that you have to lookout for your eyesight, and that it’s getting more difficult to squeeze in a workout during the day. That being said, to every problem, there’s a solution. Here are 5 fitness tips to help you stay in shape and maintain your eyesight while using the computer:

[I'm always curious how people are able to use their laptops outside during the daytime. Doesn't the glare from the sun make it impossible to see the screen?]

Do Fast, Explosive Exercises While a Program is Loading

You don’t need 40 minutes of time to get in a workout. In fact, you don’t even need 40 seconds! Next time you’re waiting for your computer or a program to load, drop to the ground and do push ups as fast as you can. With each push up, you should be pushing your hands off the floor and then landing again. (This is also called the “clapping” push up, where you push off and clap, but there’s no need to clap and there’s also a risk of injury from falling on your hands when they’re in “clap position.”) This is an amazing exercise that you can keep doing every time a program starts loading until you’re fatigued.

Stand Up and Do Half-Way One Legged Squats

Not only are one legged squats amazing for increasing your leg strength, but you can also do them while continuing to work on the computer if you only do them half way. Just stand up, and let your leg bend until your knee reaches your foot and then stand up straight again.

Here’s a video of how to do it (you don’t need the board or the backpack):

Stretch

When you sit down all day, your muscles are constantly contracting. Help relax and energize your body by doing the stretches shown in this video:

Move Your Legs in a Bicycle Motion

While sitting and using the computer, lean back a little and start moving your legs in a circular motion (straight out, bending, and then coming back) like you’re riding a bicycle.

Amazingly, the only video I could find of this exercise is an interview with fitness legend Jack Lalanne at age 94. Skip to the end to see how to do the bicycle kicking in a chair:

To Maintain Your Eyesight, Every 10 Minutes, Focus on a Distant Object For 10 Seconds

I once had to wear glasses, but after doing a series of eye exercises I was actually able to bring down my prescription to the point that my vision was good enough to qualify to be a fighter pilot! If there’s enough interest about how I did that, I’ll discuss it in another post.

Anyway, this is one of the exercises I learned that helps maintain your eyesight. Every 10 minutes, look away from the computer at a distant object (like the title of a book that’s on a shelf at the opposite side of the room) and try to bring that object into focus. It’s an extremely easy but extremely potent exercise to maintain your eyesight despite using the computer.

As a side note, a good way to relax your eyes after a long day of looking at the computer is to sit in front of the sun with your eyes closed and try to let your eyes absorb the sunlight. Not only is this relaxing, but 20 minutes a day of sunlight is good for helping your body create Vitamin D, which a lot of people are deficient in. (Here’s another article on Vitamin D levels.)

There you have the 5 fitness tips you need to stay in shape and maintain your eyesight while using the computer. Do these and watch as you’re able to both keep in shape, maintain your eyesight, and use the computer at the same time!

P.S. I have a really exciting blog post coming out tomorrow, so make sure to stay tuned!

P.S.S. Follow me on twitter already!

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Miscellaneous by Rafi