Recently I started going to a physical therapist to alleviate some nagging discomfort, and, in doing so, I've learned a couple of good stretches that I wanted to share. They are probably really good for anyone like me who spends 90 percent of their life behind a computer hunched over in a dark room.
The first is the Kneeling Thoracic Ball Roll Out.
At first I was a little skeptical of this one, but it has already made a huge difference in just a few days. I can feel my chest and back releasing a lot of pent-up stress, but more importantly there is the added benefit of toning my tricpes! No More Bingo Arms! (I may have learned about this rather rude term today, and I find it hilarious . . . I'm a bad person). I do this twice a day, 10 reps for 10 seconds each.
Its almost like a plank, so it engages your core too. Not bad for a pretty simple workout. I have a rolling chair at work that is a pretty good height for me, so I am able to get this exerices done in the office when no one is looking . . . or at least when I hope they aren't looking.
The second stretch is the Pectoralis Minor Stretch
This stretches out your shoulder blades and pectoral muscles, and I've found that it does a pretty good of loosening me up. It's probably a good exercise for runners, as we use our arms quite a bit.
My schedule is to do this stretch twice a day, 3 reps for 30 seconds each. As strange as it may be, I get my first session in during my morning shower because I figure it's as good a time as any to stretch out my back!
As I find more fun stretches, I'll post those too, because I'm sure everyone sitting behind a desk for any length of time could benefit from doing some of these.
Stretches to fight carpal tunnel! And stretching/moving/not crossing the legs! You should dig up some information on how desks, chairs, keyboards, etc. should be set up (such as having the proper distance from your torso to the keyboard so you’re not overstretching your arms). Being pretty much sedentary during the day freaks me out, so I’m trying to do the right things to avoid all the bad health issues caused by it. Like fidgeting, which I do pretty much all the time. I like to think that that still counts as some movement.