Nowadays, most of us spend our days in front of a computer, tapping away on our keyboard and barely moving as we have tons of work that we need to complete within the day. Although our dedication to our work is quite admirable, our body isn’t exactly happy with what we are doing it. For sure there were days when your body just won’t respond well to your orders because your muscles have already become stiff and tired from that hunched pose in front of your computer. And what about your wrists and fingers? They probably feel the same way after all the hard work that you had put them through.
Fortunately, there are some pretty good stretches that you can do to help open up your stiff muscles especially on those days when your body just can’t move any more. Try these easy stretches out today.
- Scapular retractions. Most likely your shoulders are feeling stiff at the moment because of poor sitting position. We tend to become hunched because the scapula doesn’t want to go into the other direction. This causes restricted movements which can hinder your mobility. Try this exercise to help open your scapula. Stand straight then squeeze your shoulder blades together as hard as you can manage. Hold this pose for 3 counts then release. Repeat this exercise 12 times.
- Forearm stretch. For this exercise, you should extend both arms in front of you with your left fingers pointing down and your palms facing away from you. Grab your left fingers with your right hand and pull them backwards gently. Turn your left palm over until it is pointing towards you and repeat. You should do the same steps with your other hand.
- Standing extension. Just imagine how your lower back and spine feels after sitting for hours on end. For sure, you have felt a certain stiffness in your movements after spending most of the day working on your computer. If your back feels a bit stiff, a good stretch that you can give is to do a standing extension. To do this exercise, you should stand straight with your feet at hip-width apart and your hands at your hips. Lean backwards slowly until you feel a nice stretch on your lower back. Hold this pose for three seconds then go back to your first position. Repeat this 12 times.
- Neck tilt. Stiff neck when you wake up? Probably you slept in an uncomfortable position last night. To relieve this problem, you should do the neck tilt. Stand straight with your left hand overhead. Tilt your head to your left shoulder then place your right palm on your head. Press your head down gently to help stretch your stiff neck. You can even do this stretch when you feel that your neck is stiff after working in front of your computer.
These are just a few examples of stretches that you really need to do to get your muscles flexible once more. This way, you won’t feel any discomfort especially spending hours working on your computer.
