Do you often have neck or shoulder pain after a full day of desk work? Or do you feel that your productivity fluctuates throughout the day and your motivation drops? Then you better make time for a short sporting break. How and what, you’ll discover in this article.
Taking time to focus on your physical health while at work will help improve overall productivity and mental health. Even if it is only for a few minutes a day, a short work out or light stretch is recommended.
This routine will already help you through the workday, so you feel more mentally and physically in optimal shape:
Start with stretching exercises
#1 Against tension in the neck:
Lower your chin, roll your head around, roll your shoulders in both directions, and extend your arms to the left and right (hold the top with your other hand). Stop immediately if you feel pain.
#2 Against tension in the wrists:
Lift your palms, stretch your arms, press your palms together, shake your hands to release tension. You can also try some wrist curls with water bottles as weights.
#3 Against tension in the shoulders:
Sit on the edge of your (desk) chair, place both hands behind the lower part of the neck, rounding this position with your elbows slowly inward, keeping the chin down. Then open your chest and arms while holding your head high and squeezing your shoulder blades together, and repeat. Do 5 to 10 repetitions.
Add some short body-improving workouts
#4 Leg day at the office:
– Sit upright in your office chair. Straighten your left leg so that it is parallel to the floor and hold it in place for 10 seconds. Now, do the same thing with your right leg. You can add weights progressively if you need more effort the next week. Do this 2-3 sets of 15 times.
– Have your hands by your side, lift up to the balls of your feet, go down, lift up again, and repeat this process while keeping your core tight. Stay nice and tall without rounding. Maintain all positions for two or three seconds. Do this 2-3 sets of 12 to 15 times.
– Stand with your feet halfway apart at shoulder-width length. Bring one leg to the front, and extend the other towards the back, standing on your toes.This is your starting position. Slowly bend the knee of your front leg, forming a 90-degree angle (the knee shouldn’t extend past the toes), and slowly lunge, while also bending the other leg. Bring your whole body down, until your back knee touches the ground. Do 5 to 15 reps, and then switch legs.
#5 For pretty arms:
– Scoot up to the very front edge of your chair, place your legs out in front of you, and place your hands on either side of your hips, fingers pointing towards your desk. Grasp the edges of the chair with both hands, and use your core and arms to raise your body up off the chair and then down so that your rear goes down toward the floor. Push yourself back up, and repeat this 15 times. Do three cycles of 15.
– Raise your fists up in front of your face in a boxing position — while you’re sitting a safe distance away from your computer, of course. Punch your fists forward in the air as if you are using a punching bag, switching back and forth from right arm to left. Do this for 30 seconds. Pause. Repeat for 30 seconds.
– Even if you don’t have time for a workout (or just don’t feel like it), you can still actively work on your physical health. For example, you can replace your desk with one that allows you to work standing up. Or you can exchange your desk chair for a yoga ball for a few minutes every day. Make sure it is not too high so that you work in a healthy position. The yoga ball must ensure that your knees do not rise above your hips.
Be sure to keep an eye on Blogzine this month for even more tips. During the entire month of September we will be bringing you articles about healthy living and working, but also fun extras so you can stay fit and happy.
