If you haven’t already, pop back and read through Part 1 – where our Physio talks you through all things home office set-up.
If you’re reading this at home at your perfectly aligned work station – WELL DONE! We are proud of you, and your body is feeling very thankful. But now we’re at Part 2, and you’ve got some more homework to do.
No matter how perfect our office set-up is, if we remain stationary in any position for too long throughout the day stiffness will start to redevelop. There’s one thing we all know though, which makes those feelings subside, but it’s a word we all tend to shy away from:
STRETCH!!!
Here’s a collection of stretches our Physio recommends to help offset all of that sitting and staring…
Note: ONLY give these a go if you don’t have a pre-existing injury and you’re only feeling general stiffness in your spine. If any of the stretches hurt – stop, and seek professional advice!
1) Upper Trapezius / Neck Stretch
- start in a seated position
- keeping your shoulders down, drop one ear down towards your shoulder
- feel a stretch down your neck on the opposite side
- to increase the stretch: place your hand on top of your head and gently apply more pressure down
- to increase further: place the hand on the opposite side under your chair
- Hold for: 30 seconds
- Repeat: 2 times on each side
2) Upper Spine Rotation
- lie on your side with both knees bent, knees and ankles together
- reach your arms out in front of you with your hands one on top of the other
- open out the upper arm, keeping your back on the floor
- hold your knees on the floor and keep your pelvis still
- at the end of the rotation, breathe out and hold
- Hold for: 5 seconds
- Repeat: 4 times each side
3) Lower Spine Rotation
- lie on your back with your knees bent, feet on the ground and your arms stretched out to the side in a “T” position
- keep your head in contact with the mat for the duration of the exercise and perform at a slow controlled pace
- drop both knees down towards the floor on one side
- to increase the stretch: straighten the top leg and drop down further
- to further increase: drop your top leg fully to the ground, reach across and gently apply more pressure downwards with your hand
- repeat for the opposite side
- Hold for: 30 seconds
- Repeat: 2 times on each side
DO: Try to break up any sitting or standing time into half hour intervals.
See if you can put these stretches together into a 3-5 minute routine and complete periodically throughout the day.
DON’T: Try to complete all of your work in 5 hours without a break for some movement.
Remember that ‘Motion is Lotion’ – for both our joints and our brains!
For both your mental and physical health, continuing to exercise and finding ways to adapt to home exercise programs is super important! If you need some help to know how to exercise the right way for your body, make sure you seek help from an exercise professional.
