Stretches That Make You Feel Good in Five Minutes

If you’re reading this, you’re probably sitting at a computer. I don’t know how long you’ve been sitting there, but if it’s for more than 30 minutes, you’re neck, back and hip muscles haven’t been getting a lot of blood flow. It’s commonly known that inactivity can lead to muscles stiffness, knotting and in the long run, muscle atrophy; the old “use it or loose it” concept.

I sit at the computer a lot. If I’m not traveling, I’m at the screen five to six hours a day and I don’t even have “a desk job”. The most advantageous thing I’ve noticed about computer activity is that my mind is getting sharper. Thinking is a great passive exercise! But as we get older we become more flexibly challenged. I know, that if I don’t get up and stretch at least every 45 minutes, I’m in trouble. Plain old stretching is good, but yoga stretching, i.e. the moves typically practiced at the beginning and end of a yoga class, is better because it no only targets the right muscle groups, it tones the internal organs and clears your head.

I’ve been practicing yoga for about 10 years. I learned these particular stretches in yoga class and I'm happy to demonstrate them here.

1- Get up! Take a few deep breaths through your nose. Continue to breathe slowly and deeply as you reach your arms up over your head. If you don’t have neck issues, you can look up as you breathe. Now, take hold of your left wrist with your right hand and slowly, gently bend sideways at the waist, towards the right while pulling your left arm. Do not go to pain; do not over-stretch; just go to where it feels good! This may be only be an inch. Take at least 2 more deep breaths in and out through your nose while you hold the pose, then slowly return to the center, your arms still overhead. Lower your arms. Repeat the same breathing, stretching exercise on the left side by floating your arms up, grabbing your right wrist, and gently stretching over to the left. Hold the stretch for at least 2 breaths and return to the center. Lower your arms.

2- Loosen up those tight neck muscles! In this simple exercise, you just move your shoulders. Still standing with arms at your sides, stretch your hands towards the floor, pressing your shoulders away from your ears. Breathe slowly, deeply, in and out through your nose, 2 times, expanding and contracting your belly with each breath. Next, lift your shoulders up towards your ears and take 2 deep, slow breaths in and out through your nose. On the next inhalation, press your shoulders forward and hold, while you take 2 deep slow breaths. Return to a standing, resting position. Next, press both shoulders back as if you were trying to connect your shoulder blades. Open your chest as you take your next two deep breaths. Return to a relaxed standing position. Lastly, move your shoulders forward as if you were trying to connect them in front. This expands the area between your shoulder blades. Relax.

3- Both neck and shoulders benefit from this next move. Still standing, roll your chin to your chest as you press your shoulders down away from your ears. That's the key. Keep breathing slowly and deeply for at least 2 breaths. Keeping your shoulders down, move your chin to the left and then to the right. Go only to the point where the stretch feels good. Never go to pain. Return your head to the center breathe deeply expanding your belly, in an out.

4- Here’s a good move for stretching out your back and hamstrings. From a relaxed standing pose, take a few deep breaths. Bend over so your back is 90 degrees from your legs, resting your hands on your thighs or shins. Stretch your upper torso forward, feeling the stretch in your back and along the back of your legs. Again, only go to where the stretch feels good and remember to take a few long slow breaths in and out through your nose as you enjoy the stretch. If you are more limber, you can fold over at the waist, letting your arms touch your toes, or you can grab your elbows and just hang there. Feel the gentle stretch in the back of your legs while you extend your spine. It’s ok to bend your knees if it’s more comfortable. Breathe into your back, expanding your belly. Slowly, gently return to a standing position. Use your stomach muscles as you come up and imagine that you are stacking your spine’s vertebrae one by one on top of one another as you return to standing.

It’s smart to stretch out your quadriceps too. Sitting, allows these powerful leg muscles to shorten, and creates stress on the lower back muscles. Here’s an easy move to counteract computer quad atrophy!

It’s really a simple lunge. If you’ve ever seen yoga warrior poses, you’ll notice that this is modified version, because we’re doing yoga stretches, not poses.

Concentrate on taking at least 2 slow, deep breaths in and out through your nose as you do these moves. From a standing position, move your right foot 3-4 feet in from of your left, and slightly to the right of your center so you maintain balance. You can also hold onto a chair to stay stable. Bend your right forward leg at the knee and adjust your stance so you are comfortably lunging. Keep your upper body upright and straight. Make sure (and this is very important!) your right knee is not bent beyond your ankle or you’ll create a nasty strain on the knee. Now tilt your pelvis forward while you hold the lunge. You should feel a nice stretch in your left quad (front of the left thigh). You should also feel a strengthening stretch in your back all the way up your lower torso. Hold the position for 2-3 breaths to start. Return to standing and repeat the same lunge with the other leg.

Ok, now you can go back to the computer for another hour.

Please note: This hub is meant for informative purposes only and does not claim to be medically correct. Not all exercise is suitable for everyone, and this or any exercise program may result in injury. To reduce the risk of injury, never force or strain yourself during exercise. If you feel pain, stop and seek medical attention if necessary.

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