Sounds like an oxymoron, right? Active relaxation — is it possible to have one with the other? Try these gentle exercises to help beat stress and increase flexibility. If you spend most of your day sitting at a desk or in front of a computer, these stretches are for you!
- Wrist stretches. The dreaded carpal tunnel syndrome or repetitive strain injury are big fears for folks who spend a lot of time at the keyboard. Give your hands and wrists a break with a quick prayer stretch: place your palms together, fingers straight and push. All you need is a thumb and forefinger to give yourself a forearm massage: use each hand to squeeze your way up the opposite forearm. Do a few wrist circles in each direction, then a quick shake to finish up.
- Seated neck stretch. This one you can do at your desk without attracting too much attention. Sit up tall in a chair with your feet on the floor. Slowly lower your ear towards your shoulder and hold for a few breaths. Do both sides, so you don’t feel loose on one side and tight on the other. Slowly drop your chin towards your chest and feel the back of your neck stretch. Don’t strain; you want to gently stretch your neck muscles, not injure yourself.
- Seated twist stretch. Sit up tall in a chair with your feet on the floor. Cross your legs with your right ankle on your left thigh and turn to the right. Hold for a few breaths, then repeat with your left ankle on your right thigh, turning to the left.
- Sloppy belly breathing. This is a great one if you have to do any public speaking (without a microphone). Sit up tall in a chair with your feet on the floor, or stand up with your knees shoulder width apart and unlocked. Put your hands on your belly and relax. Yeah, let your belly stick out as far as it wants to for once. Breathe in through your nose and let your belly expand — don’t breathe into your shoulders. Exhale through your mouth and feel your belly shrink back. Repeat 20 times. Not only will the deep breathing help relax you, you’ll feel like you have extra breath for that big presentation.