16 Mar 2012 BY Katrina Tarrant POSTED IN Exercise Tweet 5 Easy Strategies for Exercising at work! As we spend so much of our time sitting at our desk mostly staring at a computer screen it is very easy to become stiff and sore. Here are 5 easy ways to exercise while at work to reduce your stiffness and pain:1. Seated Twisting: Move forward so you are sitting on the edge of your chair and sit up tall. Reach around towards the back of the chair with your right hand and place your left hand on the back of your right knee. Staying up tall, hold here for 20 seconds to feel a stretch around the middle of your back. Repeat to the left side.2. Neck rotations: Your neck joints like to be moved to try and avoid stiffness. Sitting up tall turn your head to the left, like you are looking over your shoulder hold for 1 second then look to the right. Repeat 5 times to each side.3. Wrist stretching: Straightening your right arm out in front of you towards your screen with your palm facing the ceiling. Gently let your fingers fall towards your desk and pull towards you with your left hand to give an extra stretch. Hold for 20 seconds and repeat on the left. This can help stretch the wrists especially if you are using the mouse for long periods of time.4. Hamstring stretch: Standing up beside your chair. Place your right foot on the chair, making sure your hips and your left foot are facing the chair. Hold your body up tall and fold at your hips bringing your chest towards your knee. If you have your body tall you will not need to bend forward as much before feeling the stretch in the back of the thigh. Keep both legs straight and try not to reach for your toes. Hold for 20 seconds and repeat on the left. There is a high correlation with tight hamstrings and back pain so it is always great for your body to do hamstring stretches.5. Move: Moving every hour is the best exercise you can do for your body at work. Go and get a drink or put your printer further away so you can walk and move for a few minutes every hour. Our bodies were not designed to sit for 8 hours straight.Melanie PlattB.App.Sc(Sports Studies), M.PhtyPrincipal Physiotherapist for The Fix Program. Tweet
As we spend so much of our time sitting at our desk mostly staring at a computer screen it is very easy to become stiff and sore. Here are 5 easy ways to exercise while at work to reduce your stiffness and pain:1. Seated Twisting: Move forward so you are sitting on the edge of your chair and sit up tall. Reach around towards the back of the chair with your right hand and place your left hand on the back of your right knee. Staying up tall, hold here for 20 seconds to feel a stretch around the middle of your back. Repeat to the left side.2. Neck rotations: Your neck joints like to be moved to try and avoid stiffness. Sitting up tall turn your head to the left, like you are looking over your shoulder hold for 1 second then look to the right. Repeat 5 times to each side.3. Wrist stretching: Straightening your right arm out in front of you towards your screen with your palm facing the ceiling. Gently let your fingers fall towards your desk and pull towards you with your left hand to give an extra stretch. Hold for 20 seconds and repeat on the left. This can help stretch the wrists especially if you are using the mouse for long periods of time.4. Hamstring stretch: Standing up beside your chair. Place your right foot on the chair, making sure your hips and your left foot are facing the chair. Hold your body up tall and fold at your hips bringing your chest towards your knee. If you have your body tall you will not need to bend forward as much before feeling the stretch in the back of the thigh. Keep both legs straight and try not to reach for your toes. Hold for 20 seconds and repeat on the left. There is a high correlation with tight hamstrings and back pain so it is always great for your body to do hamstring stretches.5. Move: Moving every hour is the best exercise you can do for your body at work. Go and get a drink or put your printer further away so you can walk and move for a few minutes every hour. Our bodies were not designed to sit for 8 hours straight.Melanie PlattB.App.Sc(Sports Studies), M.PhtyPrincipal Physiotherapist for The Fix Program.