By Jenny Stevens, Certified Personal Trainer
Five Stretches to Reduce Stiffness from Sitting
Working from home has many benefits, but sitting hunched over a computer all day does not. It is so important to move multiple times a day to keep our bodies from getting stiff and sore. Here are a few easy stretches you can do at home or in the office:
Chest Stretch:
Stand in the door frame with your forearms resting against the door frame and lean in slightly until you feel a stretch in your chest and shoulders. Hold for a count of 30 seconds. The shoulders start to round in after sitting at the computer all day and this will help open them up and relieve upper back pain.
Hip Flexor Stretch:
Stand in a lunge position with one hand balancing on your desk while you drive the back hip down and feel a stretch in your hip flexor. This area gets tight from sitting all day and will also relieve lower back pain from opening up the hips. Hold the stretch for 30 seconds on each leg.
Piriformis Stretch:
Lay on your back with your knees bent. Cross one ankle over the opposite knee and pull that leg in towards your chest using the figure four stretch. You can also stand behind your desk chair and cross one leg over your knee and squat down into the figure four position. Sitting all day keeps your glutes from firing properly and the piriformis will take over and can shorten and put pressure on the sciatic nerve. Hold each side for 30 seconds.
Wall Slides:
Standing against the wall with your arms and back pressed up against it, slide your arms up into a W postition and back down for 10-15 reps. This mobility stretch will also help open up your chest, shoulders and lats.
Alternating toe touches:
Stand on one leg resting on your heel with your toes up and reach across in a twisting motion with the opposite arm until you feel a stretch in your hamstrings. This will help open up your hamstrings and lower back that can cause major back pain from sitting all day. Hold the stretch for each leg as you alternate legs for 20 reps.
If you are interested in learning more stretches or need help stretching, Club Greenwood’s Personal Training