Having a long day in any work environment may often cause your muscles to become tired, sore, and painful. When working all day, you may experience bodily pain. When this bodily pain is combined with fatigue, this may reduce your job productivity and your endurance throughout the day. Whether you work at a station or desk, or a physically diverse role, one of the easiest and quickest ways to avoid potential body pain is to stretch multiple times throughout the day. Although stretching is often associated as something to do before and after exercise, stretching is actually necessary in order for our body to protect our muscles, boost our energy, enhance our concentration and focus, and improve our mobility.
The Harvard Medical School has stated that low-grade inflammation from sitting or standing for long hours during the day may potentially become a silent killer that contributes to cardiovascular diseases, cancers, and other bodily conditions. When working for long periods throughout the workday, your body may become stiff, sore, and uncomfortable when you move, and you may find your body feeling weaker or in pain by the end of the day. Although the thought of stretching at work may be daunting, there are many benefits of adding stretching to your daily work routine, including:
Protect Your Body: When you hunch your body at work, this may cause tight muscles, which may increase the likelihood of straining your neck, shoulder, and back muscles. By regularly stretching, your body muscles are kept strong, lean, and flexible to safely endure physical activities and your workday.
Improve Your Posture: By taking a few one-to-two-minute breaks during your workday to stretch, you may improve your posture, balance your weight when sitting or standing, and realign your spine, as your body may slowly start to hunch or shift weight from one side of the body to another when sitting or standing for long periods.
Enhance Your Flexibility: Working all day may cause your body to have muscle weakness and loss of flexibility. By having a regular stretch break, you may counteract these potential bodily effects and may increase your muscle and joint elasticity, which may improve your body’s range of motion.
Energise Your Body: Whether you’re a white-collar worker at a desk, or a blue-collar worker with physical demanding activities, throughout the workday, your blood circulation may reduce by the lack of stretching, which may cause bodily fatigue. After having a stretching break, you may feel refreshed and rejuvenated, which may improve your workflow and productivity for the rest of your workday.
Calm Your Mind: When you may be experiencing workplace stress, your body may respond to the physical and emotional stress through tight and tense body muscles. Through regular stretching, this may calm your body and give your mind a mental break from what is happening around you.
By creating a stretching routine at work, you are making a healthy, buildable habit. When starting your stretching routine, begin by setting a timer at the beginning of the day to remind yourself when to stretch. If you’re short on time, these short stretching exercises will give you the energetic boost you need to increase your workplace productivity and strengthen your body muscles.
Slow Neck Stretch
Place your right hand on your left shoulder and your left arm behind your back. Gently hold your shoulder down while bending your head towards your right shoulder. Hold and repeat for the left side of your body.
Chin Tuck
Look straight ahead. Pull your chin in so that you can make a double chin. Do not drop your head forward. Hold for five seconds and repeat ten times.
Posture Stretch
Stand up straight with your feet shoulder-width apart. Tuck your chin and place your hands just below the hollow of your back. Push your back arch over your hands.
Forearm Flexor Stretch
Hold your right arm out at shoulder height with your palm out. With your left arm, gently pull on the fingers of your right hand, keeping your right elbow straight. Hold for ten seconds and repeat with your left arm.
Shoulder Stretch
Keeping your right arm straight and your shoulder relaxed, pull your arm across your body at shoulder height and hold for fifteen seconds. Repeat on the left side of your body.
Back Twist
While sitting down, plant your feet shoulder-width apart on the floor. Take your right arm and place it on your left knee. Twist towards the right side of your body. Hold for ten seconds and repeat on your left side.
While we believe in the healthy benefits of working, we also recognise that work can be taxing for your mind and your body. By setting apart time to stretch, whether it is one-minute or ten-minute stretching interval throughout the day, you may be counteracting the negative bodily effects that sitting for hours may do to your body, or supporting your body to manage physically demanding tasks. By stretching at work, you may reduce fatigue, increase the blood circulation throughout your body, provide nutrients to strengthen your muscles, and improve your flexibility. To stretch is to wake up your muscles and let them know you’re working hard to improve your body’s health and increase your workday productivity.
References:
Harvard Medical School. (2020). Fighting Inflammation. Harvard Medical School: https://www.health.harvard.edu/promotions/sumo/fighting-inflammation
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