Being stuck at a desk sucks. Not only is it proven to be bad for your health, but it’s often unavoidable at work (even in a work-from-home setting) or at school.
I’m sharing some easy ways to counter the effects of sitting sedentary for a long period of time, as well as add some movement to your “sit time” to avoid both that yawn-fest half way through work or class, and that stiffness after a long day spent studying or working.
I’ve written a lot about good posture, but the jist of it is keeping your joints stacked. Another thing to keep in mind is to change your position often, even if you’re sitting. This means find reasons to stand up and move around is the best thing you can do. But if you can’t do that (ie: long lectures) then at least move your legs (straighten and bend) and do the same with your arms and neck. Here are some arm and neck exercises to try.
- Rotations: This exercise is great for supporting good posture and relieving stiffness. Squeeze your shoulders together with your arms (as shown in the video) and slowly rotate your shoulders. If you’re too shy to do this in your lecture hall, another option is to simply retract the shoulder blades together (squeeze them towards your spine), hold for 5 seconds and relax. Make sure that in either movement you are sitting tall with your head stacked over your shoulders!
- Chin Tucks: This is excellent relief for neck tension. Sit tall and retract your neck and chin towards your back. Make sure not just to look down while doing so. You want to give yourself a double chin here! Your head moves straight back, you hold this position for a few seconds, and then relax forwards. You may feel a stretch at the base of your skull. This is normal and it means that you’re doing it right.
- Chest Opener: This is another exercise for the shoulders and upper back. Similar to the wall slides that I’m so very fond of, start with the same activation in the shoulder blades as the first exercise. Then, keeping the activation throughout, move your arms back to open the chest (you may get a stretch here) and forwards, being careful not to slouch or lose your good posture.
- Seated Twist: This exercise is a great way to mobilize the back muscles when sitting for a long time. Take one arm across the body and grab the armrest or base of the chair on the opposite side and open up. If you’re grabbing the right side with the left arm, you’re opening to the right with the right arm. Take a few deep breaths here before switching sides.
Hopefully these exercises make the day a little more mobile. If you work in an office, use your desk to do push-ups, plank variations and find a place to do some wall slides, down-dogs and chest openers. All of these handy exercises are easy to do wherever you are and will certainly make the end of the day feel a lot better. Good luck!