Here are some tips on how to prevent and alleviate any aches and pains you may have while working from home.
http://www.galwaybayphysio.ie 5 Exercises For Those Working From Home. With the current working climate changing for many people around the world and a shift towards working from home on a regular basis occurring, there has never been a more important time to stay strong, healthy and mobile. Many people are now spending more time seated at home where previously they may have had more walking or general activity during their day to day work . With Zoom meetings and conference calls, emails and typing on a laptop for long periods of time, it is not uncommon to feel the need to have a good stretch throughout the day. With this in mind, the body may really benefit from some simple activities that can be done from the comfort of your own home with no equipment required. We're here to help with just that. In this blog post, you will find 5 simple exercises for anyone working from home, specifically tailored to address the prolonged postures and positions that accompany this working environment. Some exercises are geared towards flexibility through stretching, while others focus on maintaining mobility, range of motion and even strengthening. The following exercises are intended for everyone and anyone to be able to do. ** 1.Neck Mobility When working from home many people find themselves looking at a screen for prolonged periods of time. This often results in a forward head posture throughout the day with the neck working through a very limited range of motion. As a result, people may find some stiffness begin to appear by the end of the day. To mitigate this, try these simple neck range of motion exercises. Here we have: Extension - Looking up as the neck bends backwards Flexion - Tucking the chin and looking down Rotation - Looking over each shoulder Side Flexion - Left ear to left shoulder and right ear to right shoulder For each movement, move the neck as far as you can slowly, comfortably and pain free. Repeat as many times as you like throughout the day. Try starting with 5 in each direction, at the beginning and end of each day. The goal here is to mobilise the neck and get it moving through a full range of motion. ** 2.Pec Stretch If you spend a lot of time seated while working from home, chances are you may be finding yourself in a hunched position at the desk. What sometimes happens in this scenario is the muscles of the chest and front of the shoulders can become tight. Here is an easy stretch for the Pectoralis muscle in the chest. With your arms bent in the position shown above, step forward and lean into the corner of a wall until you feel a good stretch along the front of the chest. Alternatively this can be done in an open doorway along the doorframe. Try holding the stretch for 10 seconds to begin with and gradually work up to 30 second holds over time. ** 3.Upper Back Stretch Although the concept of 'sit up straight' has been instilled in most of us since our school going days, it is usually more appropriate to sit comfortably. Sitting bolt upright involves shortening of the muscles in the whole back, which can leave them fatigued and aching during long days at the (home) office. Below is a stretch to lengthen the tissues in the back and give them a chance to relax. The picture above shows the muscles of the back in a shortened position. The aim is to lengthen them through the stretch shown on the right. Take a deep breath followed by a long, slow, full exhale and allow your neck and upper back to round and relax. Your hands may be placed either side of your legs with your palms on the front of your knee caps. For an increased stretch - Leading with your hands, reach down towards the ground as far as you can, comfortably. Take a few slow, deep breaths, and return. 4.Side Flexion With Hip Deceleration: It's the classic side bend, with a twist. Well, not exactly a twist. It does however, involve the use of your hips to decelerate your bodyweight as you move into the side bend position. This basically means that your hip muscles will do more work, thereby offloading the spinal muscles. To do this, bend to one side while allowing your opposite hip to move to the other side, so that you make somewhat of a 'C' shape. You should feel a stretch on the outside of your hip in your Gluteus Medius as well as the outermost spinal muscles on the lengthened side. Most of your body weight you will find should rest on the opposite leg to the side you are bending to. In other words, if you are bending to your right, your body weight should lie on your left leg. Tip: This exercise will encourage you to challenge your base of support, in doing so your balance will be tested so be mindful. 5.Squat Finally, we have the squat and it's an exercise for strengthening. It's understandable that while working from home people may find themselves more sedentary than they once were. A lack of physical exercise typically results in a reduction in strength and power. Several studies have shown that skeletal muscle strength helps protect against excessive wear and tear in joints, improve physical functioning during day to day activities, increase muscle mass, improve sleep as well as many, many more benefits. The squat requires force to be produced from several muscles in the body, but you will primarily feel this one in the Quadriceps and Gluteal muscles in the leg. Try using a chair, seat or couch behind you as a gauge. With your feet shoulder width apart and arms in front of your body to assist your balance, lower yourself as if you were going to sit down until your bum touches the chair. From there, do not sit back into the chair or allow your bodyweight to rest on the chair, but rather squeeze your bum muscles and stand up again. Tip: As you progress with this one, don't allow your knees to lock out when you stand up and allow only the slightest touch from the chair before returning to standing. This will incorporate something called Time Under Tension which has been proven great for strengthening. So, there you have 5 simple exercises that can be done from home to break up the busy work day schedule. Although the are by no means the most advanced exercises out there, they are exercises that take the body through full ranges of motion while encouraging movement variability. As with all exercises, don't dive in! Begin slowly at first and gauge what feels comfortable to you. Even spending one minute on each exercise several times throughout the day may help to break up your work day and allow you to feel freer by the end of it. If you have any concerns or you would like to book an appointment then please contact us (http://www.galwaybayphysio.ie/) , or you can also book your appointment online here (https://galwaybayphysio.connect.tm3app.com/) ** Stephen Coleman Chartered Physiotherapist Galway Bay Physio http://www.galwaybayphysio.ie _______________________________________________ Leedslist mailing list Info and options: https://mailman.gn.apc.org/mailman/listinfo/leedslist To unsubscribe, email leedslist-unsubscr...@gn.apc.org Find us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/groups/leedslist/ Rest in Peace Guy, and wear your hat!
