Jul 272011
Here in the office, we can get so busy that we forget to take a minute and breathe! It is important to take a few moments to keep your body in tip-top shape and keep it performing at its best. Sitting at your desk all day without enough breaks can cause problems that affect your body in the future. It’s good to get in a little exercise, even at your desk, to get your blood flowing and to give you that little boost of energy to keep you going. Here are some things I practice to help me stay alert and refreshed throughout the day:
- Roll both shoulders forward 10 times; repeat backward 20 times. This helps relieve tension in the shoulders and neck from slouching.
- Get up every hour or so to fill up your water bottle, get a document from a printer, or anything that requires walking to get the blood flowing to the arms and legs.
- To help prevent carpel tunnel, roll your wrists and your ankles counterclockwise, then clockwise, 10 times each, once every hour.
- Reach your left arm up, extending fully all the way down to the shoulder. Then, bring the hand down to meet your right shoulder blade. Breathe in deeply through the nose and breathe out through the mouth three times. Repeat with the right hand, touching the left shoulder blade. This practice stretches out the shoulders to combat typical slumping positions during typing, and this breathing technique pumps oxygen into the bloodstream.
- While a file is downloading or a program is rebooting, stand up with your legs a shoulders-width apart. Bend down at the waist, extending the arms as close to the ground as you can. Lowering the head below the heart brings blood flow to the brain, which acts as a quick rejuvenation.
