Disability claims adjudication and support is very sedentary work. Add to that the time we spend driving and watching TV, and it’s no wonder that disability examiners across the nation lament the ‘freshman fifteen:’ the weight new examiners gain in their first year of employ with DDS.

Countless studies over the years have proven that sitting for hours at a time slows our metabolism and increases our risk for diabetes, heart disease and early death.

But this study shows that even small changes in our sedentary days can reap big rewards: “Breaks in sedentary time have beneficial associations with waist circumference and BMI.”

The Complete Job Fitness Guide has tons of good advice about nutrition and squeezing more activity into our daily lives, but these exercises and stretches you can perform while sitting are our favorites. Try doing some while you’re on the phone, waiting on hold.

1. Figure Fours: Sitting in your chair, sit up very tall. Cross one leg so your ankle is on your mid thigh. Keeping your back straight, bend forward only at your waist. You should feel this stretch in your bottom.
2. Kicks: Straighten each leg one at a time. Perform 3 sets of 10 repetitions on each leg.
3. Marches: Lift each knee up like you are marching in place. Perform 3 sets of 10 on each leg.
4. Heel-toes: Raise your heels up and then rock backwards to bring your toes up. Perform 30 of these. This exercise helps prevent deadly blood clots associated with prolonged sitting, so do them every chance you get!