The 10-Minute Desk Workout Soldiers Use to Stay Fit
While active-duty military members aren't exactly sedentary on the job, they face the same challenge we do when they're back home: finding simple ways to stay moving. That's where the Army's Holistic Health and Fitness (H2F) system comes in. As part of its 'All You' video series, Army Reserve Lt. Col. Jason Barber, PA-C, CSCS, TSAC-F, put together a quick, effective, 10-minute workout you can do right from your desk—no gym, no excuses."I'm actually doing this job as the health and wellness coordinator in the Army Reserve for their H2F system, and I am in a two-by-two cubicle working," Barber says. "So I'm noticing that I need to get up more. You notice that your tissue becomes stiffer the longer you sit. All these aches and pains come even though you're not doing anything because it's not motion, and so it's important for us to just be moving as much as we can."
According to Barber, little movements throughout the day can make a big difference. For him, it's as simple as taking the stairs to a different floor to grab coffee or stopping by a colleague's desk to catch up—just to move his body and give his mind a break. It's a little trickier if you work from home, but the same principle applies. A walking pad under your desk or a quick walk outside during your lunch break can go a long way.
"Quite frankly, if you've ever done any rehab for an injury before, you know that little bits more often during the day are actually better for you than a big chunk once during the day," Barber says. "So they've talked about one hour of sitting can almost debunk like 20 straight minutes of running, so that's just really an uphill battle and fight."
To help you get movement more often when you're typically sitting all day, Barber created a quick 10-minute workout you can do right at your desk—no equipment needed. Repeat for 5 to 10 reps per exercise, trying to get 2 to 3 rounds in during a 10-minute work break.
Stand with feet shoulder width apart and toes turned out slightly, to start.
Sit back with your hips and lower your body as far as you can without rounding your lower back.
Push your knees out as you descend and keep your chest up.
Rise to standing and repeat.
Start in a high plank position, stacking your shoulders directly over your wrists.
Keeping your spine straight and elbows veering out slightly, drop down toward the floor.
Touch your chest to the ground or a few inches away, making sure your elbows are bent at least 90 degrees.
Rise to starting position and repeat.Stand with a dumbbell in both hands and step back with your left foot, to start.
Lower your body until your front thigh is parallel to the floor and your rear knee nearly touches the floor.
Keep your torso upright.
Step forward to return to the starting position.
Complete all reps on one leg, then switch legs.
Stand holding a medicine ball or another weighted object in front of your body with your arms bent.
Your feet should be shoulder-width apart and knees slightly bent.
Rotate your torso, keep your feet planted, and your eyes straight ahead.
Rotate to the opposite side and repeat.
Jump your right foot to the right, bringing your left foot diagonally behind you, left arm across the front of your body, and right arm behind you as you land.
Don't touch the other foot to the ground.
Repeat on the other side; try not to stop once you start.The 10-Minute Desk Workout Soldiers Use to Stay Fit first appeared on Men's Journal on Jun 25, 2025
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Within a month, he was on a plane back to Guatemala, recounted Briana, who requested use of a pseudonym due to concerns about retaliation. The life they had built together – modest but steady – fell apart overnight. Suddenly alone with no income, no transportation and no family nearby, Briana began taking whatever work she could find — selling ice cream on the street, cleaning homes. Her toddler missed his father so much he refused to eat, pushing away food for days afterwards, she told CNN. And Briana lived with a gnawing fear: that she, too, could be detained by ICE, leaving her US-born baby boy alone. So when her pediatrician – who has cared for the boy since birth – gently suggested she create a legal guardianship plan, Briana listened. The doctor explained Briana could draft a simple document allowing a trusted friend to care for her son if she were detained. She connected Briana with a local nonprofit that helps immigrant families prepare guardianship paperwork – a legal arrangement to ensure her son wouldn't end up in foster care if she were also detained. Briana made an appointment, determined to put something in writing. But the only person she could think to name as guardian was an undocumented friend she'd met just months earlier. It was a choice made out of desperation. She fought back tears as she explained, 'I'm worried, I'm scared because they (ICE) keep grabbing people outside. But I have a lot of faith in God.' Briana's predicament is far from unique. She is one of millions of parents facing the possibility of sudden separation from their children. Briana's son is one of an estimated 4.7 million US citizen children living with at least one undocumented parent, according to a 2025 Brookings Institution report. And about 4% of all citizen children in the US are at risk of losing both parents to deportation – sometimes without a chance to say goodbye. Mass deportations under President Donald Trump's second term have created an unlikely new responsibility for pediatricians — protectors of those children's futures. Long trusted by parents to safeguard children and trained to navigate sensitive topics, pediatricians are quietly initiating some of the hardest conversations of their careers: If you're detained, who will care for your child? Many of the people who spoke with CNN for this story requested use of pseudonyms out of concern for their safety and privacy amid widespread immigration raids. In exam rooms from California to Tennessee to New York, pediatricians shared with CNN how they are privately helping parents think through guardianship options – sometimes in hushed tones after the children have left the room. 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'Health care workers are in a very unique and opportune position … to support families in guidance, to do it with compassion and to really advocate for safeguarding children and to help families navigate this uncertainty,' Gutierrez said. Often, these conversations begin when a parent's anxiety surfaces during a routine screening. Like other pediatricians who see families regularly and know their histories, Gutierrez has built relationships with parents who will share details they would never tell a stranger – like fears about applying for food assistance or hesitation to run daily errands during weeks of raids. His process is methodical – he walks parents through a step-by-step handout from the Immigrant Legal Resource Center and asks direct but sensitive questions: Who are the trusted people around you? What kinds of decisions do you want to make about your child? Will they stay here in the US, or join you if you're deported? How can we ensure you're reunited? 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And efforts by doctors to advocate more broadly – such as distributing 'know your rights' cards, mailing supportive letters to families or hosting informational sessions – are sometimes blocked by hospital leadership wary of political backlash, some pediatricians told CNN. Still, pediatricians persist – some after witnessing the consequences of family separation firsthand. Shapiro shared a case involving one of his patients during Trump's first term. He said an 8-year-old boy with a severe learning disability was placed in foster care after his mother was deported to Guatemala. When he called her for her son's medical history, she broke down, unsure if she'd ever see her son again. 'It was probably one of the most heartbreaking moments in my 35-year career as a pediatrician,' he said. The boy was eventually reunited with extended family in the Midwest, Shapiro said, but he worries about the long-term impact on both mother and child. 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But don't comment on their bodies. Bottom line: As I've often said, if it's curiosity that's driving you, curb it. Matt Hughes, a town commissioner in Hillsborough, North Carolina, told me he's hesitant to make the disclosure about using a GLP-1 because 'it's almost as if someone worked less hard to lose the weight,' he said. Even if that's not your intention, asking people if they are taking a GLP-1 might be mistaken for 'Ozempic shaming,' which is when people are criticized or judged for taking a drug to lose weight rather than relying on diet and exercise, even though lifestyle changes don't work for the vast majority of people. 'Weight stigma is deeply ingrained and almost unconscious,' said Caroline Apovian, co-director of the Center for Weight Management and Wellness at Brigham and Women's Hospital. She reminded me that GLP-1s are treatments for medical conditions — just like those for high blood pressure, cancer or anything else — which can empower those to reply to intrusive queries by being direct, humorous or just deflecting the question. Some snappy responses I've heard include: Bottom line: It's no one's business but your own, and you don't need to discuss your prescriptions with anyone but your doctor. People who start taking GLP-1s often experience major changes in appetite or have side effects like nausea, which can limit how much they want to eat. Some people find they are less interested in drinking alcohol as well. That means in social situations, you may not be able to eat or drink like you have in the past. If you're dining at a friend's house and can't eat as much as you used to, a simple 'no, thank you' should suffice — and a considerate host won't press the issue. When dining out, there's the age-old dilemma about splitting the check: 'I only had a salad. You had a steak.' Or, 'I don't drink alcohol, and you had three cocktails.' When someone is having smaller portions or fewer courses, splitting a check can be even more difficult. Hax reminds people 'to be mindful of fairness and not hide behind expediency to get the 'sober dieting vegans' to cover their champagne and lobster.' She also suggests 'reading the room,' which means sometimes you can get separate checks, or take half of your meal home, and sometimes you just overpay, for the pleasure of everyone's company. Post also has some specific strategies, like telling friends you dine with regularly: 'Hey guys, I'm eating a lot less these days. Is it okay if I get my own check?' Or offer to use check-sharing apps like Billr or Divvy so that all diners pay what they owe. When I host, I've started asking guests not only if they have any food allergies or preferences, but also: 'Is there anything else I need to know in preparing dinner?' That allows room for someone to let me know either that they're on a GLP-1, or simply that they're only able to eat certain amounts or types of food these days. For that reason, I'm also inclined to serve buffet style, letting everyone decide how much they want on their plate. Bottom line: Be prepared to communicate your needs ahead of time and don't pry for details if a friend's eating habits change. I've faced many well-meaning but intrusive questions myself, which is why I smiled when Hax told me: 'Too bad there isn't a GLP-1 for ignorance.'
