When at my desk, I often find that my posture is very bad, resulting in preventable muscle strain. Actually, what I find is that after years of sitting in front of a computer, I’ve lost much of my flexiblity. The Faculty of Physical Education at University of Toronto released a series stretches for people spending time at a desk:
Try to hold each stretch for 15 to 30 seconds.
• Arm reaches. Raise your arms over your head and try to touch the ceiling. Then slowly bend forward and touch the floor, or beyond your toes.
• Side bends. While seated, gently bend to the left and reach for the floor with your left hand. Hold the position, then return to the centre and repeat for the right side.
• Shoulder rolls. Imagine there is a pencil attached to each of your shoulders. Draw big ‘O’s to open your chest. Do ten to the front, then ten to the back.
• Leg lifts and ankle flexes. Lift one or both legs off the floor and point and flex your toes. After flexing, you can also do ankle rolls, by drawing circles with your toes.
• Toe-point. Place both heels on floor, hip-width apart, and swing your toes in, then out.
• Knee lifts. Hold your right shin and lift your knee to your chest while curling your back bring forward (think nose to knee). Repeat on the left. This exercise opens the hips and back and is a good stretch for after you’ve gone on a walk.
• Forward bend. While seated, bend forward from the hips and let your hands fall to the floor. Relax into the stretch, which is good for the shoulders and back.
You can go to the original article here.