By mid afternoon when you’ve been standing or sitting at the office all day, it can begin to wear on you. That tuckered feeling might hit you sooner and it’s good to take some time to stretch, breath, and generally revitalize yourself. You won’t be wasting time at work, you will actually be making yourself more productive.

So today (or right now) when you start to feel tired, stop what you are working on, sit up tall at your desk–like you would in a Pilates class–and begin taking deep breaths. Fill your lungs with air. Practice the Pilates accordion breath, breathing into the sides and lower lobes of your lungs, trying to keep the breath out of your shoulders, chest, and stomach. Fueling your body with oxygen may be all you need to help wake you up a little bit.

Next try a little forward flexion and extension. Exhale: Try not to let you hips move, but let your head and shoulders drop forward so that your gaze is at your thighs. Take and inhale here. Exhale to sit back up nice and tall. Pause for an inhale. Exhale while you tip your head back, pull you shoulders back and down, and extend your breast bone forward. Again, try not to move your hips. Just move from the ribcage up, keeping your neck in line with your spine. (It’s like doing a Breast Stroke Prep from class, only you are sitting up instead of lying down. The range of motion should be small.) Hold in extension for a deep breath and then exhale to come forward. Repeat two or three times.

Then stand up and just rotate the body. Try it different ways. Start by rotating in a way that feels easy and comfortable. Then maybe try rotating the torso without letting the hips move.

There are a lot of options for subtle office stretches that won’t make you look like you’ve lost your mind and will help you stay focused throughout the day. Try it. It’s bound to make you feel better and maybe make you chuckle.