Stretch To Stress Away

Are you one of the many individuals who is sitting at a desk staring at computer monitors all day? Do you leave the office at night feeling stiff and tired? Are you aware that sitting is the new smoking?! Sitting at a desk all day does a have an effect on your body, and we want to help combat that. Below is a stretching routine you can do to help eliminate some of the stiffness you may be feeling after a hard day’s work.

Perform each stretch three times, gently easing into the stretch. Slowly go as far as you can without causing discomfort or pain. Be careful not to go beyond your limit and avoid bouncing up and down or jerky movements. Hold each stretch for up to 10 seconds. Be sure to breathe normally; do not hold your breath.

Stretches for your Legs:

If you feel like your leg muscles are tight, you may benefit from working with a physical therapist to improve your flexibility. Your PT can show you the right exercises that you can do to help improve your overall lower extremity mobility and flexibility.

Many people suffer from tight leg muscles. A very common cause of leg tightness is due to the amount of time we spend sitting throughout the work day. As our knees are bent in this position, the muscles that flex the knee joint become used to being in this shortened position. We also tend to get a little tighter as we age and our muscles lose a bit of water content and extensibility.

Stretches for your Arms & Neck

Whether you slept in a funky position last night or you have been sitting and staring tensely at your computer for hours on end, neck pain happens. And a crick in the neck is not only annoying and painful, but it can also lead to headaches and upper back pain. To help reduce the aches and pains try a few of these satisfying stretches.

After taking a long, hot shower to help loosen the muscles, try a few (or all) of them for a little instant relief. You'll feel better and maybe you’ll even stand a bit taller.

Stretches for your Back

You want to maximize your performance and feel your best — but if you’ve got debilitating back pain, it can be hard to focus on anything else. The good news is, back pain relief is often just a few simple back stretches and exercises away.

There are a few back pain causes (like spasms, muscle strains, or disk issues), but the end result is the same — chronic pain that keeps you from living your best life.

Stretches for your Hips

 It doesn’t matter if you’re desk-bound, vying for a marathon finishes line, or consider yourself a cyclist or Cross Fitter — you’ve probably got tight hips.

The more than 20 muscles that make up your hips are responsible for stabilizing your pelvis, moving your legs from side to side, and shortening to draw your knees toward your chest every time you sit down, run, jump or pedal, explains Kelly Moore, a certified yoga instructor and co-founder of Mindful Wellness, which brings health and wellness initiatives to companies throughout Chicago.

Basically, your hips do a lot of work and that takes a toll. Short, tight hip muscles can reduce your range of motion throughout the joint, weaken your glutes, and tilt your pelvis, causing excessive curvature in your spine as well as low backaches, she says. Plus, tight hip muscles just hurt.