Stretch a Little While Working from Home

You need to Stretch a Little While Working from Home! Working From Home has become the new normal. It’s only logical considering the current pandemic for people capable of switching from the office to work-based work.

In a time where staying Home can save lives, this is the best move you can do to avoid unknowingly transmitting the virus and infecting those around you.

However, the big problem that you encounter when switching from your office setup to a couch coffee table, or God forbid your bed is back and neck pain. Considering that your eyes are glued to the screen for hours upon hours as you do your job, experiencing again and neck pain not only slows down your ability to work, but also has long-term repercussions.

To help with that, we’re here to show you a few stretches that you can do while working to avoid getting a stiff and a crooked back!

Stretching — Is It Important?

A lot of people tend to undermine how proper stretching is for their bodies. Most people stretch after they’re finished with hours of work, and by that point, it’s already too late! What stretching does is it relaxes tensed up muscles and essentially resets it before it can get sore.

If your job requires you to sit on a chair for hours with your eyes glued to the screen, regardless of whether you have proper posture or not, you’re going to end up having sores all over your body. We recommend stretching every 1-2 hours or even 30 minutes if it doesn’t hurt your productivity much.

It takes less than 5 minutes or so to do the stretches that we listed below, so give them a try!

Neck Stretches

These stretches should relieve a stiff neck or prevent you from getting a stiff neck altogether.

While sitting straight on a chair or standing up, put your chin all the way down to your chest. Stay like that for 5 seconds and then slowly look up to the ceiling. Once again, hold that for 5 seconds and repeat until you feel slight relief.
Slowly turn your head to the left, maintain that position for a few seconds, and do the same for the right side.
Put your ear to your left shoulder (or as close to your left shoulder as you can while keeping your body straight), then place your right ear to your right shoulder. Once again, hold those positions for a few seconds and repeat until you feel relief.

Avoid doing the head rotation that people usually do to relieve neck pain as it’s inefficient and rarely works.

Arm And Back Stretches

These stretches aim to relieve shoulder, arm, and back pain that typically occurs when you don’t have proper posture or arch your back a lot while sitting down.

Link your fingers outwards in front of you and stretch forward. Breathing in while you do this and pulling suddenly or dynamically might work better than just doing it slowly. You can repeat this if you want, but try to do it 15 seconds apart.
Link your fingers straight behind your back, and then stretch backward. This should help soothe your lower and middle back if you’re feeling any soreness from there.
Stand straight with your feet hip-width apart. Place both of your hands in the shape of a fist on the lower-middle back. Inhale and exhale slowly and at the end of your exhale slowly and at the end of your exhale, stretch your back forward, supporting it pressing on your lower back using your fists. Do this in one swift motion, and you should hear a satisfying crack!

Our bodies were designed to move, and although having stretch breaks to help with back and neck pain is crucial, fixing your posture, and your setup can ease just as much as stretching can.

Having proper posture and avoiding the dreaded c-shaped slouch will help you with your back pain. And a decent desk and office chair with elbow rests can help you with any discomfort you may feel around your arms, shoulders, and even your back (since you’re not lounging around on your couch).

Keeping your body pain-free also means that your work efficiency skyrockets. So make sure to stretch regularly, have proper posture, and be safe in the pandemic! And be sure to check out more Local NYC health & fitness guides!

Stretch a Little While Working from Home