Five Stretches to Get Yourself Moving in the Office

Stretching is beneficial to keep your muscles moving throughout the day. Many of us have office jobs and find ourselves sitting from 8-10 hours per day at work. This can cause muscle tightness and joint stiffness. In addition to seeing your massage therapist and chiropractor, here are some great stretches that you can do at your desk to keep yourself moving throughout the day!
 

1. Neck and Shoulders.

Hunching over keyboards strains the neck and causes our shoulders to drift up and forward. Every 45 minutes to an hour, give yourself a 30 second break, stretch both arms out, thumbs up, and tilt your head from side to side slowly. This pulls the shoulders back in a nice stretch and gives your neck a break from that forward pull.

2. Hip Flexors & Iliopsoas.

If you are spending the majority of your day sitting, these muscles are at risk of tightening up and causing pain. An easy way to get these muscles moving again is to take periodic breaks, by standing! While standing, doing very gentle lunges next to your desk or down the hallway can get these muscles moving again.

3. Abdominals & Obliques.

These muscles also tighten up if you spend the majority of your day sitting. Reach your arms above you and lean slightly back so your chest and throat point towards the sky. If you have difficulty balancing, keep your gaze forward or down to the floor. Tilt slightly to the right and slightly to the left to get more of a stretch in the oblique muscles. Hold this stretch for about 15 seconds and you’ll notice a change in the stomach muscles. Make sure you keep breathing!

4. Lower Back & Lats.

Sitting for too long rounds out your spine in the low back, which can cause muscle tightness and joint strain. The muscles surrounding the lumbar spine get particularly weak while the hamstrings can go slack. While sitting at your desk, give yourself a little bit of room from the edge of the desk and then reach forward and slightly to the side. Repeat on the other side. This gentle stretch can relax those muscles that have been overworked throughout the day.

5. Whole Back/Spine, Glutes & Hamstrings.

Even if you are sitting the whole day, a nice stretch to do while at your desk is the Figure 4 stretch. Bend one knee and lay your ankle over your opposite knee. Sit up straight and very gently lean forward. You should feel a nice stretch in your low back and glutes. Hold for about 15 seconds and then switch sides. This can help loosen up muscles that have tightened up during the day.