Do you spend much time each day working behind a desk? Especially if fixated to a computer screen your lack of physical activity can lead to tight joints and muscles that lead to bad posture.
If this sounds like you, I recommend around 20-30 minutes of stretching every day. You can find some video examples when you click on the button to the side.
Figure of 4 Stretch, Buttock & Lower Back
How to perform this stretch:
• Begin by placing one ankle over the opposite knee
• Gently push the knee down with one hand
• Lean forward with the body taking slow, deep breaths
• With every exhale, see if you can go further forward with the body
What if my ankle can’t reach the knee?
Don’t worry; this might not be the right stretch for you now, but you may need to do different stretches/ exercises in order to be able to do this. (We can discuss that together)
What if I’m feeling pain in the knee?
This may occur due to 1) inflammation, or, 2) wear and tear in the knee. However, doing this stretch in the long term will reduce stiffness, which is often the cause of pain.
Spinal Twist Stretch
How to perform this stretch:
• Begin by placing one ankle over the opposite knee
• Gently push the knee down with one hand
• Lean forward with the body taking slow, deep breaths
• With every exhale, see if you can go further forward with the body
What if my ankle can’t reach the knee?
Don’t worry! This might not be the right stretch for you now, but you may need to do different stretches/ exercises in order to be able to do this. (We can discuss that together)
What if I’m feeling pain in the knee? This may occur due to 1) inflammation, or, 2) wear and tear in the knee. However, doing this stretch in the long term will reduce stiffness, which is often the cause of pain.
Cat Cow Stretch
How to perform this stretch:
• Begin by slowly exhaling into a ‘bad’ posture, reaching the arm in front to slouch the upper back
• Hold this position for one second
• Slowly exhale into a ‘good’ posture, lifting the chest up and bringing the arms back
What to remember in a ‘good’ posture:
• Don’t over-arch the neck
• Squeeze the shoulder blades together by squeezing the back muscles in between
• If you feel a stretch in the front of the chest, that’s good!
Child Pose Stretch
How to perform this stretch:
• Begin by placing your hands on something stable. In the video, I have used a desk
• Keeping your hands still, move away so you have increased the space between you and your hands
• Lower the body down so that the shoulders, head and hands are in line while trying to keep the back arches as much as possible
• Keeping the arms straight you should feel like they are being pulled.
Alternatives:
• Standing and kneeling options can be seen on my social media videos.