5 Ways to Relieve Common Work-from-home Pains

Hey Angels and Alphas,

We often talk about male/female fitness in terms of how to get leaner, stronger, and healthier. But sometimes, we forget that there are so many people out there struggling with problems related to having a sedentary lifestyle.

In this age of constant digitalization and connectedness, many people spend the majority of their days sitting down and staring at phone screens and laptops.

This fact has only become more visible since the pandemic because the world quickly transitioned to a work-from-home culture that had us living and working in the same space while surrounded by all our devices.

While this way of working has brought certain freedom and convenience, it has also become a pain in the neck – literally.

According to one study done by the UN, women are more likely to lack the necessary physical activity.

That being said, male and female fitness experts all agree: if you sit for an extended period of time, you’re at a higher risk of developing bad posture (or something worse.)

Poor posture, such as slumping in your chair, will often lead to chronic neck, shoulder, and back pain.

Not to mention, the long-term effects of a lifestyle of prolonged sitting can cause more than pains and aches… it can even lead to blood clots and increasing your risk of certain cancers, diabetes, and heart disease. It will also cause you to gain weight and lose strength in certain muscle groups (specifically the glutes and legs.)

If you want to learn how you can avoid sitting too much, doctors and experts around the world have devised a couple of ways you can keep yourself from the negative effects of sitting for prolonged periods of time.

• If you’re talking on the phone, get up and move around.
• Get up from your desk for a short period of time and walk around for 3-5 minutes.
• Whenever you can, take the stairs instead of the elevator. Climbing the stairs is an awesome weight-bearing activity that benefits your bones, muscles, and heart.
• Park farther away from where you are going so you get in some extra steps in throughout the day.

If you’re feeling stiff or lacking mobility in some area of your body, chances are you have one of the ailments that come with living a sedentary lifestyle.

Let’s talk about the 5 most common ones and how you can relieve each of them with a simple stretch.

1. Relieve your wrists.

Excessive typing causes a lot of people to deal with cramp ups in their wrists. To relieve this, all you need is a standing shoulder stretch to alleviate the stiffness and ease tension. Stand up straight and cross your right arm across your chest, all while holding your left hand for about 15 seconds. Repeat with your left arm across your chest, and each time you should feel less and less tension.

2. Relieve your shoulders.

Your shoulders will become stiff after a few hours of sitting on a computer. With a simple standing shoulder stretch, you can alleviate some stiffness and tension. Stand up straight and then cross your right arm across your chest and hold that with your left hand for up to 30 seconds.

3. Relieve your neck.

Neck rolls are some of the most effective and easy stretches for loosening your neck muscles. Just start with your head tilted slightly to the right side and then roll your head front and to the right and the left side. Perform up to ten rolls for each side or until you feel the tension relieved.

4. Relieve your lower back.

If your lower back is taking the damage from all that sitting, it’s likely going to be tight. Sit on the floor with both your legs in front of you… with your shoulders back and back straight. Simply cross your left leg over your right and your left knee bent upward. Then place your right arm on the outside of your left leg and simply twist your upper body left/right. Hold this position for up to 30 seconds and repeat for both sides.

5. Relieve your entire body.

Use the child’s pose stretch as it is one of the most versatile exercises that stretches not only for the thighs, but also the shoulders, hips, and back. Simply kneel on the floor with your glutes touching the back of your calves. Press your legs together and spread apart in a V. Then lean forward with your arms stretched so your abdomen will lay across the top of your thighs. Then inhale through your nose for up to 10 seconds and exhale slowly. Repeat this for about a minute.

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