The 60-Second Desk Stretch
Your desk job causes more stress on your body than you know!
Today’s offices are not the sad sea of cubicles that once fried creativity and productivity under fluorescent lights. We are moving away from that thanks to a more modern “Richard Branson” approach to work life.
Managers understand that productivity comes out of a positive working environment. Work spaces today benefit from an investment in atmosphere and in the employees who work there. Concierge services, stocked fridges, and wellness spaces are now the norm. One step further, “the work place” is shifting away from downtown cores toward home offices. Work-from-home incentives now outrank in-office perks!
But whether your downtown office looks like it was decorated by West Elm, or your home office looks like the den you just converted because child #3 went off to college, one fact remains:
Your desk job causes more stress on your body than you know! Sitting for too long puts abnormal stress on spinal joints, muscles, and nerves. Over time, this can lead to a chronic problem.
But it’s not all doom and gloom! There are ways to minimize sitting stress.
Here are a few simple exercises that can be done in 60 seconds to reverse gravity’s heyday on our spine:..
60 sec every 60 min
Get up from your desk every hour and do 1 minute of simple stretching (This works well with the Pomodoro method).
Reach for the sky
Stand up, interlace your fingers, and reach for the ceiling. Palms facing up!
Forward fold
Bend forward at the waist. Take it slow and try to touch your toes. Slowly rise up.
Chin down
Do your best to touch your chin towards your chest.
Look around
Keep your shoulders facing forward. Turn your head to the right and look over your shoulder. Repeat on the left side.
Shoulder rolls
Rotate your shoulders forward and backward. Once is enough.
Knee bends
Finish with a deep knee bend.
Now sit back down and get to work!
While seated, move your legs and feet to promote circulation.
The problem with sitting is...you don’t move!
The human body is meant to move. It was designed that way. If you don’t move, you lose range of movement. We sit too much. So fight back! Stretch every hour throughout your day. Your spine will thank you.
And if you can’t do these stretches, call me—You have a bigger problem!