Get rid of aches and pains at work with desk stretches
10 office exercises to promote a healthier workplace
Picture this, it’s 3.15pm on a Thursday afternoon and you feel as if you’ve just had the week punched out of you by Tyson Fury. Your shoulders are tight, you’ve got an ache in your lower back, cramps in your leg, you feel sluggish, your head’s heavy. Maybe you reach for the ibuprofen, start googling ‘massage guns’ or promise yourself a long soak in the bath.
We’d like to suggest you try something else – desk exercises. Humans are not designed to sit for long periods of time (we’re arguably designed to run around chasing Woolly Mammoths). Unsurprisingly, spending upwards of seven hours at a desk, five days a week, takes its toll on our bodies. We need to move.
Whether you’re going into the office, working from home or a combination of the two, there are plenty of simple exercises you can do at your desk throughout the day to ward off aches and pains. Trust us your shoulders, neck and back will thank you.
We’ll start with some stretches you can do while sitting at your desk.
1. Shoulder shrugs
Raise your shoulders gently towards your ears.
Let them gradually drop and feel the release of tension as your shoulders fall.
2. Neck rotations
Keeping your head straight, gently turn your head to the left, back to centre and then to the right (trying to look as far over each shoulder as possible to increase the stretch).
3. Posterior shoulder stretches
Reach one arm across your body.
Pull your elbow in with your other arm or hand.
Repeat on the other side.
4. Spinal rotations
Cross your arms over your chest, holding your shoulders (making an X shape).
Slowly turn the top half of your body (and your head) as far as possible to the right, before turning to the left.
You should feel a stretch on both sides of your lower back.
5. Shoulder extension
Raise both your arms above your head, linking your hands with your palms facing upwards.
Push your palms up towards the ceiling and feel your shoulders stretching. If you struggle to find time to be active during your working day you could try doing a short work out at your desk. Even five minutes of activity will help with your overall fitness … as well as giving you a boost when you need to get over the mid-afternoon slump.
Okay, you might get some curious looks from your colleagues when you first do this … why not encourage them to join you and make it a regular fitness ‘meeting’. (And if you’re wearing heels, make sure to take them off first).
Do at least 10 repetitions of each exercise … and then challenge yourself to increase this to 15, 20, 25, 30 …
6. Calf raises
Standing up tall (holding your desk/chair for balance if necessary) rise up onto your toes.
Hold for a few moments before slowly lowering your heels back to the floor.
7. Desk push-ups
Facing your desk, place your hands slightly wider than shoulder width apart on the edge, keeping your arms straight, take a couple of steps back before leaning forward.
Lower yourself until your chest is almost touching your desk, then slowly push yourself back upwards.
8. Triceps dips
(Don’t do this with a chair on wheels)
Standing with your chair behind you, place your palms on the edge of the chair so you can support your weight. Position your legs straight out in front of you and keep your heels on the floor.
Slowly start to lower yourself downwards until your upper arms are almost parallel with the floor.
Slowly push yourself back upwards.
9. Squats
Standing tall with your chair behind you, keep your feet shoulder-width apart with your arms stretch out in front of you.
Slowly lower yourself down until your bum almost touches your chair, and keep your knees in line with your toes.
Slowly return to the starting position and concentrate on squeezing your bum when you finish this move.
10. Wall sits
Standing with your back to a wall, slide down until your hips and knees are at about a 90 degree angle.
Hold your position for at least 30 seconds (and feel the burn).
If you found this helpful check out our recent article about other ways you can improve your office health and wellbeing.
Office Space in Town are specialists in the flexible office space market, providing serviced offices in London, Cardiff and Edinburgh.