Do these stretches every day if you sit for a living!

Jane Arlow • May 14, 2021

Do you sit or stand in the same position all day?

If you’re nodding right now, you’ll know how uncomfortable it can be when you don’t move around.

We all know that this is because the human body is designed to move and not to spend extended hours sitting in chairs!

Our man, Joseph Pilates said “modern furniture is the primary cause of acquiring harmful postural habits.”

And after the last year, where we've all be sitting more than ever, many of us are feeling slumped and slow.

Why's it bad for us to sit for long periods of time?

It’s pretty simple - sitting on chairs and couches for long periods of time is bad because they support your body weight. With a chair holding you up, your ankles, knees, and hips stiffen, your muscles get weaker, your shoulders round forward, your back hunches and your spine becomes compressed.

Your circulation also slows down, depressing your metabolism.

That’s a jolly little read isn’t it?

What can I do to improve my posture and health even though I sit all day?

It doesn’t have to be complicated. Firstly, set your alarm to get up at least once an hour!

Secondly, while seated on all of those long web calls, why not incorporate some simple stretches into your day? Switch your camera off for five minutes if you feel that your colleagues don’t need to see your stretches!

Where should I focus first?

Be sure to stretch the parts of your body that take the most strain such as shoulders, neck, mid-section and forearms. Check out this quick three minute video of upper body stretches

You’d be surprised by the amount of strain that your lower body also takes from sitting all day. Do you find that you’re fidgeting because you’re uncomfortable in your calf muscles, hips, hamstrings or glutes? Check out this l ower body stretches video to see how you can make those feel more comfortable.

And of course, let's not forget your trusty hard ball that I know you're keeping under your desk! Get rolling!

(By the way, fidgeting is good for your health if you sit all day. A study over 12 years, that compared low, medium and high fidgeting among sedentary women concluded that the high fidgeting group had the lowest health risks from being sedentary).

If you do nothing else, do these three stretches every day and feel better!

When stretching, remember to hold for about 20 to 30 seconds in each stretch; don't forget to breathe; and if your muscles start shaking, ease off!

Wrists & Fingers

Why? Fingers and wrists take strain from working on computers typing or using a computer mouse.

Stretching and exercising the fingers and wrists can prevent carpel tunnel syndrome and discomfort from overuse of these muscles.

How? Rotate or circle your wrists inwards, while curling your fingers inwards one at a time, starting with your little finger and finishing with your thumb.

Do a few of these rotations before reversing the wrist circle. This time, rotate or circle the wrists outwards, while curling the fingers outwards, one at a time, starting with the thumb.

Spine Extension

Extending your spine helps improve your posture and supports the muscles that stabilize your spine. It also opens your chest and shoulder muscles.

Why? Bending backward to extend your spine helps improve posture and supports the muscles that stabilize your spine.

How? Stand facing away from a wall, with your heels a couple of cm away from the wall. Stand with your arms over your head, elbows bent backward and palms facing the wall.

Place the palms of your hands against the wall and slowly lean back towards the wall. Catch your body weight with your hands.

Walk your hands down the wall until you begin to feel a stretch. (You may need to step farther away from the wall as your spine extends).

Neck stretch

Why? Sitting in front of a computer screen causes your chin to protrude forward and the muscles along the back of your neck to get tight as you try to hold your head level. This simple stretch returns length to the back and sides of your neck.

How? Sit or stand upright with your spine straight, shoulders relaxed, and neck centre in a neutral position.

Tuck in your chin towards your chest and let gravity gently pull your head down to stretch the back of your neck. Hold this position for 15 to 30 seconds.

Lift your head, then tip your right ear towards your right shoulder, while keeping the right shoulder pulled away from the ear.

Extend your left arm away from you to deepen the stretch. If you want to make it even deeper, gently place your right hand on the right hand of your head for a little extra weight (as per the picture).

Now release the right hand from the head and rotate the head so that the chin comes into the armpit.

Hold each of these positions for 15 to 30 seconds, then repeat on the other side.

Variation: From this position, once you’ve warmed up the neck with a few of these stretches, you can also loosen any more tightness by gently circling the neck once or twice clockwise and anti-clockwise, but be very careful to not over- extend the neck backwards when circling towards the back.

Looking for more stretch stuff? Grab your free twenty minute resistance band workout here

If you enjoyed these, join my online Strength and Stretch class (Fridays 7.45am) for a full body workout followed by a really good stretch! Book a class with us for free here

* This blog contains Amazon affiliate links which mean that if you buy, I may receive a teeny, tiny commission at some unspecified point in the future. It won't cost you anything.

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