7 Stretches While You Binge…I Mean Work From Home
Article by Lizzie West
Many of us around the country are doing a thing called “shelter in place” not only to keep ourselves healthy, but those that are elderly or with existing health problems. Some people are deemed essential and go to work at their place of employment, some are working from home, and others are not able to work at all. You may be over sitting on the couch and working on finishing up that new series you finally have time for – but now your body is aching from not practicing a little self-care. Or you are done with awkwardly smiling at your neighbors from 6+ feet away while walking the block for the 25th time trying to get a little activity and sunshine. Here are 7 stretches you can do each time Netflix asks “Are you still watching?”
1- Sphinx pose
Lying face-down, raise up your torso so your forearms are propping you up, with your palms against the floor. Hold for about 30 seconds and feel the stretch. You can lift your chin to extend the stretch. This one is excellent for those that don’t usually do many stretches and are new to this type of self-care. It helps to stretch the abdominal muscles, chest, and shoulders, as well as strengthen the spine.
2 – Lying side quad stretch
Laying on your left side, propping your head up with the hand of your left arm, use your right arm to bring your right foot back and up toward your rear. Hold for 10-30 seconds and feel the stretch. Push your hips forward to increase the stretch. Then, switch sides and repeat. If you aren’t flexible enough to grab your foot, try using a towel as shown above. Also, using your right arm to stretch your left leg can add the bonus of stretching your oblique abdominal muscles and back. The standard lying side quad stretch is perfect for not only stretching your quadricep muscles, but also your hip flexors, and releasing tension in your lower back.
3 – Upward Stretch
Many of you may naturally do this kind of stretch in the morning, as shown above. However, really focus on good posture with a straight back and neck when doing this stretch successfully. Hold for a 10 count and feel the benefits. You should feel it stretching and strengthening your arms, sides, armpits, shoulders, spine, and abdomen. Repeat this stretch many times throughout the day. Lift your chin to add in a little stretch to your neck and chest.
4 – Butterfly
Sit with your legs bent and the bottoms of your feet touching each other. Two ways to increase the benefits of this stretch are to pull your feet closer to your body or apply gentle pressure with the palms of your hands to bring your knees toward the floor while focusing on good posture. This is excellent for opening up the hips and improving flexibility in the inner thighs. It’s a great stretch for those that have been sitting…or binge-ing…for a while.
5 – Straddle Stretch
This stretch seems pretty straight forward but be sure to focus on stretching the legs open and keeping a straight back. Increase the stretch by either leaning forward toward the floor with a straight back and keeping the legs straight, or by reaching alternately from left to right to try touching your toes with straight back and legs, holding for several seconds. You should feel this in your core and back, as well as hips and hamstrings.
6 – Pigeon Pose
This stretch looks like you were sitting cross-legged and extended one leg behind you. Adjust the stretch by sliding the foot of your bent leg closer or further from your body. If you aren’t able to do this stretch, here are two modifications to the pigeon pose to get the same benefits. 1. Lie face-up with your knees bent, feet flat on the floor, arms at your sides. Bring your right ankle over your left knee, keeping the foot flexed. Increase the stretch by lacing your fingers behind the other leg and pulling gently toward your body. 2. While sitting, bring your right ankle over your left knee and press the right knee gently toward the floor with your right hand while holding your right knee stable with your left hand. Lean forward with a straight back to increase the stretch. With all of these methods, always switch and stretch both sides. This is great for opening up the hips, stretching the groin and glutes and can really help with sciatic pain or an impinged piriformis.
7 – Seated Neck Release
While sitting and focused on proper posture, take your right hand and wrap it over the top of your head to the left side just above your ear. While keeping your shoulders relaxed and leaning your head to the right, gently apply pressure with your hand to deepen the stretch. Hold for a 10 count and switch. Do this a few times on both sides and take deep breaths while you do it. Rotating your head slightly forward or backward can add more stretch. This really works on stretching your neck and shoulders, with the added benefits of the upper back and chest when rotating forward and backward.
If you do these stretches a few times through your workday at home or your next binge session, it should help to improve fatigue, soreness, and some people even felt improvement in anxiety and digestion. Some of these can even be done at your desk while contemplating the wording for that email you have to send before lunch. Yes, you’re working hard, but take a couple of minutes – a few times a day – to help relax those stressed out muscles and joints. Added bonus: All of these can easily be done in your living room from your couch or floor in front of your TV. You could call it your Netflix and stress-fix!