For many of us it has been nearly a year since the pandemic changed our work routine. New year resolutions or not, many do not stay active enough when most of the day is spent at home in front of a computer screen. Depending on the details of one’s workday requirements, some may find themselves sedentary for long stretches of time.
The dangers of staying frozen are twofold: insufficient oxygenation, and stress on hip joints and backs. Then, there is the repetitive motion of typing. With only a little effort, the prolonged immobility and repetitive motion effects may be remedied, and there are several ways to go about it.
Recently, KEZI 9 posted a simply-to-use routine to take a few minutes to take care of yourself.
Move Your Body
- Standing up and changing position – this brings awareness to your body, wakes you up a little. Repeated standing and sitting will result in a “chair assisted box squat” which, with practice, may progress to an unassisted squat.
- Lean over to the side – this lateral movement, sort of like picking a pen off the floor when it’s dropped to one side, activates the hips and waist. Don’t forget to lean to both sides to keep the stretches equal.
- Stand up and jog in place – we don’t need to tell you that this gets your heart beating and can be followed by jumping jacks or alternating side steps.
- Sit up straight – combined with gentle stretches and twists will open up the chest wall and help counteract hunching at the desk.
- Now, roll you head – stretch the neck, clockwise and counter-clockwise, and side-to-side, bringing the ear towards the shoulder to help release pressure on the neck and shoulders.
Exercise Your Hands
Shoulder tension often starts as tension in the hands. A set of simple exercises performed with the elbow supported on the desk, one hand at a time, will help loosen the tightness of the palms:
- Closing your hand into a tight fist and then opening the palm while stretching the fingers.
- Gentle rotate the wrist in each direction.
- Using the opposite hand, press on your fingers to stretch the palm and wrist.
- While stabilizing the wrist with the other palm, make circles clockwise and counter-clockwise with each of the fingers separately.
- Interlace your fingers and lift to stretch hands palms up over the head, then to in front, and then behind the body.
- Now start over with the other hand.
Don’t Forget Your Feet
Feet, so stagnant during a day of sitting, will benefit from the following:
- Ankle rotation while one leg is crossed over the other in a sitting position.
- Stretching the foot and pointing the toes like a ballerina.
- Moving each tow independently.
- Stand up, shift your weight from outer edges of the feet to inner edges – back and forth.
- Stretch you calves by lifting the heels slowly while shifting the body weight onto the balls of the feet – holding a chair for balance may be of help.
- Don’t forget to exercise each foot equally to keep your body balanced.
If You Can Get Away From the Desk
- Dance. Any song that elevates the mood will do formovement to the music.
- On a Zoom meeting? An alternative to sitting may be walking in place. This activity can become a routine for all the meeting participants.
- Walking at least ten minutes, outside if possible, is always a good idea.
- A yoga routine would be another form of revitalizing the body during the workday. The gentle stretches bring awareness to the body. This fourteen-minute practice accommodates an office surrounding and needs no change of clothing.
- This nitric oxide dump is known as an all-beneficial short workout. It takes about 4 minutes and it consists of 3 repetitions of 4 sets. It activates 16 major muscle groups, and as the body runs out of oxygen during the routine, nitrous oxide is being released. This process improves circulation and allows delivery of nutrients and oxygen to the muscles. It is also known for lowering blood pressure and feeling good afterwards.
In general, taking care of yourself will keep you healthy and sharp as you navigate through to the end of this year.
By Joanna Rosinska
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