Simple Stretches: Stretches For Desk-Bound Employees

Your back is hunched over at your work desk as the sun beams through the window to your right. You’re using every fiber of your being to finish out a sentence in Microsoft Outlook and your fingers can’t keep up. Your neck is slouched like the spout of a bathroom sink and your eyes are like two bean bags. We’ve all been there; an 8 hour work day. By the end of them, it’s almost as if our bodies are mad at us. Mad for neglecting them. For letting them bend out of shape like a sunflower left away from the sun. Sitting in a work desk for long periods of time with bad posture can cause long term negative effects on our body. It is crucial to treat our bodies right and give them the healthy attention they need. It may seem far-fetched to heal this ailment if the one thing causing this detriment to your body is your nine to five schedule occuring every Monday through Friday. How can we balance our work schedules while maintaining our bodies in a healthy manner?

This is easy! There are a few simple stretches one can do at their desk!

Neck Stretches:

This first stretch is to get all that naughty tension out of your neck. It has two parts to it! The first step is to lower your head slowly so that your chin is near your chest. It does not have to touch, but it is important that you are stretching out the back of your neck. Fairly slowly, go back until you are facing the ceiling and then right to your chest where you started the stretch about 20 times. The next step is to attempt this same motion but instead stretching the sides of your neck instead of the front and back. To do this, tilt your head as if you are attempting to get your ear to touch your shoulder. Stretch back to a forward facing position, then stretch to the opposite side. You can hold this for 20 seconds at a time or as long as you feel suited.

Arm Crossover:

After, you’ve gotten the kinks out of your neck. It is time to now stretch those nice arms out! To do this you are going to start by reaching your left hand directly across your chest. Proceed to place your right arm stretching upwards over the left arm stretching horizontally across your chest. Once this is done, you will have enough of a grasp to hold your left arm in place with your right as you stretch it as much as you can. Feel free to hold this position for as many seconds necessary, and switch arms.

Back Stretch:

Since our backs are the parts of our body slouching over during a nine to five hour work day it is crucial to make sure it is all stretched out and relieved of pressure. To do this we have to get out of our chairs and stand in a space that gives you some room to move around a bit without getting hurt. A 3 by 3 foot space by your desk will do. All this stretch involves is slowly bending forward and touching your toes with your fingers. It is important to make sure that your feet are placed together and you are bending over slowly to try and touch them. If you can not reach your toes, that is okay! The point of this is stretch is to work out the kinks in your lower and upper back and not just to touch your toes. Once you have touched your toes and held the pose for a few seconds, it is time to slowly come back up. Everyone can go at their own pace, but it is crucial to slowly slide back upwards so you can feel your back erect to its original position. Some people mention feeling every vertebrae snapping back into place when they slide back up slowly.

Stretching Is Easy

You have just learned three new stretches to treat your body better amidst your wild work week. There should be no excuse as to why you can not do these stretches, or variations of these stretches at your work area. It is important to keep these easy stretches in mind, that way our bodies will not feel run down by the end of the work day. If we do stretch our bodies, even working throughout the day will feel better. It doesn’t take much to get your body in that relaxed and tension free mode. Just a few simple stretches!