Could you get a quick but effective workout at your desk?

A desk job is a wonderful thing — except when it comes to exercise routines. It often feels like no amount of fidgeting will settle my feet. They want to walk and run and jump and squat. I nip away for a quick walk during my lunch break, but when four o’clock hits, there’s that familiar minor burn in my shoulders from alternatively scrunching them up and hunching them over the keyboard.

As you can imagine, I was excited to see the research on micro-exercise reported by Alex Hutchinson at The Globe and Mail. Apparently four bursts of exercise, lasting 10 minutes, can have health benefits similar to a 40-minute workout session.

Could my fidgeting be incorporated into a little daily desk-ercise? Maybe a quick 10-minute break here and there could actually help me up my game.

But jumping jacks are difficult in a cubicle space, and I look ridiculous trying to lunge in office attire. I knew if I looked hard enough, however, I could find a gadget solution to suit my fitness challenge.

Allow me to introduce BodyWorksBand. It immediately caught my eye because its design is unlike any other resistance band out there. Printed onto the band are exercises that you can do anywhere – cubicle included.

Created by celebrity trainer Estelle Underwood, the band lets me get a full-body workout without ever leaving my desk. In the time since I’ve used it, I’ve experienced a positive increase in strength, flexibility and, most noticeably, good posture. I whip out my band and the exercises printed across it help remind me what to do. My heart rate jumps as I stretch my arms overhead and out to the side. Then I’m doing some great rowing moves. With all this fresh blood flow in my veins, and the burst of oxygen throughout my body, my brain gets the jumpstart it was looking for.

The BodyWorksBand is great because of its portability. It’s lightweight and barely takes up any room in your purse. I’m imagining future vacations with BodyWorksBand. Instead of hitting up a stuffy hotel gym, it’ll be nice to workout in the privacy of my own room.

Earlier this year, I blogged about my love for the Ugi ball — a complete gym in single medicine ball/bean bag hybrid, which offers fantastic weight resistance. The BodyWorksBand builds off the complete-gym idea and makes it even more compact and convenient. It’s the perfect fitness supplement for a quick desk-ercise routine.