5 Stretches To Do At Work For Body Pain

Stop ruining your health by sitting all day! Here are 5 stretches to do at work that will help your body regain its lost fitness.

We have become a slave to our modern lifestyle that needs us to sit for long hours at work. Most office jobs require 5-7 hours of sitting in front of a computer. This not only makes us lazy, it ruins our overall health too. Studies show that sitting at one place for more than 2 hours can have serious impacts on your health.

This side effects of a sedentary lifestyle as given by health experts:

Back muscles face a lot of stress due to which people get lower back pain.
Frontal body muscles start tightening which results in poor body posture.
The digestive system starts to alter, causing issues with sleep.
Abdominal muscles also get weak with time.
A study from the Public Library of Sciences shows that continuous sitting can affect your ability to think and remember things.

We are sure you don’t want to get these symptoms in your body. Hence, we have a list of 5 stretches to do at work that will help you fight back the consequences. These stretches can be done at the workplace itself and are pretty easy. The knowledge comes from verified physicians so that you don’t have to worry about it.

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Chest Stretch

You can do the chest stretch using any unused office doorway. The stretch requires you to pull the muscles in the frontal torso of your body.

Posture: Rest your forearms against the edges of the doorway. Stand in the axis of the door frame and bend one of your knees. Make sure your elbows and shoulder joints are horizontally aligned to the floor.

Stretch: Start dipping your knee until you feel some tension in your chest. You will feel the tension in your shoulders as well. Hold the stretch for at least 30 seconds to 1 minute of time. Don’t overdo it and stop if you feel the tension is beginning to cause pain.

Frequency: 3 times a day.

Back Stretch

The stretch just requires a wall and maybe an empty room. You will be bending your back as you touch your feet while your hips rest against the wall. It’s one of the most important of the 5 stretches to do at work.

Posture: Rest your back and hips against the wall with your legs at a feet’s distance from the wall. Your legs should be parallel to each other and your stomach flat initially. Let your arms hang freely downwards.

Stretch: Maintain the posture and start curling your back forward slowly. Inhale as you do so. Curl to a point where you can get as close as to touch your feet. Give your knees a little freedom while bending your back. Now, go back to the original posture while inhaling again.

Frequency: 3 – 5 times a day.

Hip Stretch

The hip stretch would give a nice pull to your legs and help you stand straight.

Posture: Kneel down on the floor and move your right foot forward till your calf is vertically aligned with the floor. Move your left foot back from your body and rest your knee facing downwards on the floor.

Stretch: Now put some pressure on your right thigh and let it sync downwards. Repeat the drill by alternating between right and left legs.

Frequency: 3 – 5 times a day.

Neck Stretch

Neck stretch is another essential stretch for office goers and holds great importance in our list of 5 stretches to do at work.

Posture: Sit on a chair with your back aligned to the back of the chair. Grab the edge of the seat of the chair with your right hand. Take your left hand all the way to the right side of your head. Keep your shoulders back.

Stretch: Start pulling your neck with your left hand slowly to a point where you feel a little tension. Don’t overdo the stretch and stop at the slightest sensations of pain. Take a 30-second break between stretches. Repeat the stretch with your right hand.

Frequency: 1 -3 times a day.

Side Bend

The side bend stretch will target your neck, shoulders and back unanimously. The posture is also used in Yoga asanas, but this office-friendly version is easy to do.

Posture: Sit on the office chair and grab the edge of the seat with your right hand. Lift your left arm and take it for a flight over your head towards the right section of your body. Keep your shoulders fixes against the chair.

Stretch: Once your left arm is in the air, start bending your upper body towards your right. Do it until you feel your back, neck and shoulder being gently pulled. This is a compound stretch which means we won’t be going overboard. Just a little.

Frequency: Twice a day, 5 times each side.