Get more relaxed in the office with short exercises
Are you sometimes tense after a long day of work in front of the computer? That doesn't have to be the case, despite a heavy workload! Read here how you can easely move and loosen your neck, arms and back between two online meetings.
People doing intellectual work usually hardly move their bodies at the workplace. In the home office, they move even less because there is no longer any need to walk from the desk to the meeting room or the cafeteria. As an unpleasant consequence, the neck is stiff and the back hurts.
It’s possible to chance that by using four simple exercises to loosen up your muscles, tendons and joints, enabling you to get through everyday office life in a more relaxed way. The exercises can be done either standing (feet hip-width apart, knees slightly bent) or sitting (sitting upright on the front edge of the chair, legs bent at 90 degrees) – in your work clothes and without the need for special equipment.
People doing intellectual work usually hardly move their bodies at the workplace. In the home office, they move even less because there is no longer any need to walk from the desk to the meeting room or the cafeteria. As an unpleasant consequence, the neck is stiff and the back hurts.
It’s possible to chance that by using four simple exercises to loosen up your muscles, tendons and joints, enabling you to get through everyday office life in a more relaxed way. The exercises can be done either standing (feet hip-width apart, knees slightly bent) or sitting (sitting upright on the front edge of the chair, legs bent at 90 degrees) – in your work clothes and without the need for special equipment.
Exercise 1
Put your hands on each side of your head and bring the elbows together while tilting the head downwards. Then pull the elbows out and back while raising the upper body back into an upright position. Repeat five to ten times.Exercise 2
Adopt the "double-chin pose" and lengthen your neck as if a string is pulling upwards from the back of your head. The jaw remains relaxed. Hold this position for up to ten seconds, then slowly bring the head forward again. Repeat three to five times.Extra tip: When working at a PC, use the «double-chin pose» repeatedly to ensure that your neck stays long.
Exercise 3
Tilt the head to the left and stretch the right arm down towards the floor until you feel a pulling sensation. Hold this position for 20-30 seconds, then switch sides. Repeat three times per side.Exercise 4
Rotate your shoulders forwards. Repeat five to ten times. Then rotate your shoulders backwards. Repeat five to ten times.As a rule you should try to keep moving. Change your position while at the desk as often as possible. It's already a help if you stand up and briefly loosen up while talking on the phone, for example.
