Essential Stretches for a Deskbound Body
Do you find yourself becoming stiff or having aches and pains at the end of the day, especially while working from home? Daily stretching and movement can help to decrease these ailments and your stress levels, increase your overall energy and ease your mind.
Static stretching is the easiest form of stretching to practice from your workstation in a short amount of time. These stretches are prolonged holds; hold each stretch anywhere from 15 seconds to two minutes.
Try adding the stretches below to your daily routine to increase your range of motion in five key areas. Warm up briefly by walking or marching in place for two to three minutes for best results.
Hamstrings are located in the back of your legs and can be stretched in many ways. These muscles are important for your posture and can become tight very easily, especially from sitting. Having tight hamstrings can contribute to back pain and hip misalignment.
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- Single Leg Hamstring Stretch: Stand up, pointing your toes to the sky and digging your heel into the ground, and then reach down and grab your toes to feel a stretch in your calf and hamstring; repeat on the other side
- Hamstring Stretch: Stand tall, reach up high with your hands and let yourself fall forward, trying to get your hands as close to the ground as you can
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Quadriceps Stretches
These muscles are located in the front of the leg and help extend your knee and hip. While in a seated position for a long period of time, they become tight from being flexed.
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- Quadriceps Stretch: Stand tall next to your workstation (you may need to hold onto something for balance), pull your foot/ankle toward your butt and, with the same hand, hold your foot to feel a stretch down the front of your leg; repeat on the other side
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Rotational Movement
It’s important to keep movement throughout your thoracic chain during the day. You can achieve this by practicing some rotational movements in a standing or seated position.
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- Standing Rotation: Stand up tall and actively twist, from your hips, side to side
- Seated option: From a seated position, turn to one side, hold that position and then turn to the other side
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Back Stretches
Your back will naturally stretch during some of the above movements, but there are more specific ways to stretch and move your back that are especially important to realign your discs and prevent excessive forward curvature from sitting.
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- Lower Body Rotation: Lie on your back, straighten one leg, bring the opposite leg across your body, and allow your lower body to slightly rotate; repeat on the other side
- Cat and Cow: From a tabletop position, on all fours, perform cat-cow movements; arch your back on the inhale and round it on the exhale
- Child’s Pose: Directly from the tabletop position, sit back into a child pose; allow yourself to relax and reach your fingertips as far forward as you can
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Neck stiffness and tension tend to come from poor posture and tight back muscles. The above back stretches and rotational movements will help alleviate neck tension, but the stretches below can help relive tightness directly. While sitting at your desk, always remember to sit tall and relax your shoulders, and try not to sit hunched over.
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- Lateral Neck Stretch: Actively tilt your head to one side to pull your ear toward your shoulder; hold for a few seconds and then repeat on the other side
- Chin Tuck: Lower your head, and tuck your chin to your chest; make sure to relax your shoulders to get the most out of this stretch
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Though these stretches seem pretty easy, the more frequently you perform them, the better you will feel on a daily basis. Whether you start your day with these stretches or use them as a midday break, make sure to fully relax and take this time for yourself.
About the author
Ms. Alexandra Bollinger is a Health and Wellness Coach on the Slainte Fitness team at USLI. She enjoys staying active by strength training and going for daily walks and runs. Ms. Bollinger also enjoys working one-on-one with community members and customers to ensure they are on the right track to living a healthy lifestyle!