Tired of sitting for hours in the office? Go outdoors, catch some fresh air and don’t forget to stretch while you clear your mind.
1. Calves stretch
- Find a wall or railing
- Bring your right foot to the back and bend the left knee forwards
- You should be able to feel a stretch in the right lower part of the leg towards the ankle
- Breathe in and out fully and feel the muscle relax for 30 secs to 1min.
2. Stretching the quads (front of the thigh)
This can be beneficial for people who sit a lot daily. Tight quads can cause lower back pain.
- Find something stationary for balance purposes as your aim is to stretch not balance
- Lift your left feet with your left hand aiming to get your heel to touch your butt
- Breathe in through your nose and out through the mouth and feel the front of the thigh muscle relax
3. Hip Flexors Stretch
Ever feel pain in the front of your hips after sitting for long hours? Try this stretch to open up your hip flexors muscle which shortened from the prolonged sitting.
- Bring your right leg forward and get into a half lunge position
- Squeeze your left butt muscle while you lift your left arm up. Slowly tilt to your right
- Hold on to something stationary if you have trouble balancing
- Hold in this position and breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth
- Feel the stretch in the left front of the hip and the left lats (side of the body).
4. Glutes Stretch
Is your lower back hurting from sitting for too long? Try giving your glutes (butt muscles) some TLC!
- Hold onto something stationary
- Bring your left leg in front of the right in a 90 degree angle and sit back onto your right leg
- You should feel a stretch in your left glutes
- Breathe in through the nose and out through the mouth. Feel the muscle relax
- Hold this position for at least 30secs to 1min before switching sides.
5. Mid Back, Chest, Abs and Lats Stretch
Does sitting at the desk for over 6hrs a day, hunched over rushing work sound like you? Try this stretch to open up your mid back and muscles at the front of the body which may have shortened due to your bad posture.
- Find something stationary
- Bend forward, using your hips as the hinge, and reach for the stationary object in front of you
- Continue pressing your body down towards the floor without holding your breath
- Hold at the max position and breathe in through the nose and out through the mouth for 30secs to 1min
- Muscles that you will feel will be the mid back, chest, abs, and lats.
6. Shoulder and Neck Stretch
The levator scapular gets stiff and tight due various reasons. It may cause shoulder tightness or neck tightness.
- Place your right hand behind your back
- Turn your head towards the left and slowly look down towards the left pocket
- For added resistance you can use your left hand to push your head down slightly
- Hold in the position for at least 30secs to 1min and feel the muscle slowly relax. Do it for both sides by switching sides and hands.
We hope these exercises help! If you suffer from chronic pain, you may have explored options such as pain medication and even surgery. That is not necessary!
The key to proper treatment is finding the root cause of the issue, instead of simply treating the pain.
At MovementRight, we do that through detailed assessment of the movement that triggers pain. From there, we can pinpoint muscle dysfunction (muscles that are not working properly).
Contact us today to see how we can help you lead a pain-free lifestyle!