Simple desk-based stretches for people working from home

The Coronavirus crisis has led to an unprecedented number of home workers, many of whom don’t benefit from having a properly set up home office. Spending day after day hunched over a laptop, coupled with the absence of a proper office chair, inevitably could cause poor posture and lead to stiff and achy muscles in the neck and shoulders.

To help remedy this discomfort, we have put together some simple, yet very effective, stretches you can do^* to ease the tension of working from home:

Sitting:

1. Tilt your head toward one shoulder until you feel the stretch on the opposite side. Using your hand gently pull your head further to the side. Hold for approximately 20 seconds. Repeat on the other side.

[Repeat 3 times]

2. Turn your head to one side until you feel a stretch. Using your hand gently push your head further round. Hold for approximately 20 seconds. Repeat on the other side.

[Repeat 3 times]

3. Clasp your arms to your chest, crossed over. Gently twist from side to side from your waist.

[Repeat 10 times]

Sit or stand:

1. Place your hands behind your neck, elbows pointing forward. Move your elbows out to the side. Hold for approximately 20 seconds.

[Repeat 3 times]

2. Push shoulders forward, stretch the arms diagonally forwards and down keeping your chin tucked in. You should feel a stretch between your shoulder blades. Hold for approximately 20 seconds.

[Repeat 3 times]

Bent over:

• Stand with feet hip-width apart or slightly wider and bend forward from the hips. Keep your pelvis still and your lower back in neutral position. Rotate your upper back/trunk by swinging your arms from side to side.

[Repeat 10 times]

Crawling position:

• Let your arms slide along the floor in front of you as far as possible. Push your bottom back and down and the chest towards the floor. Breathe deeply and hold for approximately 20 seconds. This stretch is also known as Child’s Pose in Yoga.

[Repeat 5 times]

At Challenger the majority of our team have moved to home working, along with many of our customers. We hope that by sharing small tips like this, we can ease the pressure of the change from your daily routine!

Get in touch with Challenger today for more information on how you and your employees can work from home efficiently.

*Although sourced from a medical professional, the above stretches are guidelines only. Please take your own physical health into consideration before attempting.