As we shared in our last post, working from home can wreak havoc on your back. Perhaps you’re not sitting at a desk or on an ergonomic chair like you do at work. After a couple weeks of working like this you’re going to start feeling some pain in your neck, shoulders and back (some of you are probably experiencing this already). So, working with Percko’s health expert, we’ve provided some quick and simple stretching exercises to help relax your back and reinforce your lumbar and shoulder muscles.
The exercises are designed to be done at home without any special equipment (though a thin mat might help). We advise you to do the exercises several times a week in order to feel the effects.
1) Back relaxation : Back stretching
Duration : 2 minutes
Action areas : neck, lower back and dorsal
Description:
- Sitting, put your hands on your knees
- Slightly pull your shoulders back
- Slightly tuck your chin in
- Try to make yourself taller pulling your head upwards and pulling your buttock back in the chair
- Hold the position like this for two minutes
2) Release lower back
Duration : 1 minute
Action areas : lower back, full back, dorsal, neck and lower back stretching
Description:
- Sitting straight at the tip of the chair, put your hands on your hips
- Tense up your stomach and lean your bust forward until you touch the floor with your hands
- The action takes place on the hips
- Hold this position for 1 minute
3) Lumbar rotation stretch
Duration : 1 minute
Action areas : lower back – Back muscle stretches, increases mobility of your back and helps relax muscle tensions
Description:
- Sitting straight on a chair
- Grab the chair’s backrest and rotate your bust to the right
- Maintain the rotation by pulling slowly on your knee
- Change sides after 30 seconds
4) Hip Stretch
Duration : 3 minutes
Action areas : lower back – Targeted stretching of the hip flexor muscles responsible for tensions in the lower back
Description:
- Forward lunge, the knee should form a right angle, the other should be touching the floor
- On the side of your knee touching the floor, raise your arm
- Stretch the leg back
- Hold this position keeping your back straight
- Change sides after 90 seconds
5) Hip Stretch Level 2
Duration : 2 minutes
Action areas : lower back – Targeted stretching of the hip flexor which is responsible for tensions in the lower back
Description:
- Forward lunge, the keen should form a right angle, the other should be touching the floor
- Put your hands on the ground
- Stretch your leg back
- Change sides after 1 minute
6) Lumbar Side Stretch
Duration : 1 minute
Action areas : lower back – Gentle stretching of back muscles, stretching by rotating lumbar muscles and lower dorsal
Description:
- Laying down on the floor and palms of your hands facing the floor, bend your legs at a right angle
- Turn slowly your legs to the right
- Gently let your knees and foot come down
- Change sides after 25 seconds
7) Pigeon
Duration : 1.5 minutes
Action areas : lower back – General stretching of your back and backside. Helps relax lower back tensions and works on hip mobility.
Description:
- On all fours, stretch one leg then cross it over the other leg at 45°.
- Put your hips on the heel of the bending leg
- Elbows on the ground
- Breath slowly holding this position
- Change sides after 30 seconds
8) Stand shoulder stretch
Duration : 50 seconds
Action areas : neck and shoulders – Opening of the thorax and pectorals stretching. Helps reducing stress, improves breathing and releases thorax muscles tensions.
Description:
- Grab your hands behind your back as the same level as your behind, cross your fingers
but keep your forefinger straight out. - Bring your shoulders back
- Pull your forefingers towards the floor
- Open your thorax and take deep breaths
- Hold this position
