Stretches for people who sit all day

Duration matters more than posture

Changing position frequently does more for your body than holding a good posture for a long time. However correct the posture, an hour without moving means the same muscles work continuously while the rest stiffen. Standing up every 30–60 minutes makes a bigger real difference than finding the perfect chair. Giving each break a reason, such as getting water or going to the bathroom, helps it become a habit, and a timer or reminder works too. If you use a standing desk, do not lock yourself into standing for too long either; alternate between sitting and standing.

What you can do without leaving your desk

Movements you can do seated already help. The trick is to hold slowly for 20–30 seconds without bouncing. Moves that load the lower back, such as bending to touch the floor, are safer once your body is warm rather than at your desk.

• Neck: pull your head sideways with one hand, hold 20 seconds
• Shoulders: open the chest and draw the shoulder blades together
• Wrists: press the back of one hand downward with the other
• Back: seated, rotate your upper body slowly

The front of the hips tightens most

Sitting keeps the front of the hips folded, and over time they shorten. Left long enough, that pulls the lower back forward when you stand and can turn into back pain. Standing, stepping one leg back and pushing the hips forward a few times a day helps. On the other side, the glutes and hamstrings are squashed while you sit and tend to weaken, so add a few gentle glute squeezes while you are standing to keep things balanced.

Eyes and neck move together

Long screen sessions tire the eyes, and when things are hard to see you push your head forward without noticing. That is why fixing neck posture alone rarely works. Adjusting screen brightness and text size, and looking at something distant for about 20 seconds every 20 minutes, helps the neck too. With two monitors, put the one you use most directly in front of you so your head is not turned to one side for hours, which keeps one side of the neck from stiffening.

How to stretch properly

Stretching harder does not mean stretching better. A muscle that is pulled suddenly tends to contract to resist, so forcing a painful stretch or bouncing makes it stretch less and raises the risk of injury. Stop just before the line between a pleasant pull and pain, keep breathing and exhale slowly, and hold for 20 to 30 seconds. Repeat each move two or three times, alternating sides; from the second round you will usually feel it give a little more easily. Stop immediately if you feel sharp pain or tingling.

Fitting it into your day

Stretching slips easily when you try to set aside separate time for it. Attach it to things you already do and it repeats without needing to be remembered.

• While your computer starts up: neck and shoulder rolls
• After each meeting or call: stand and stretch the front of the hips
• When fetching water: hands on a wall, open the chest
• After lunch: a five-minute walk to warm up the whole body
• Before leaving work: calves and backs of the thighs

Common mistakes

The most common mistake is stretching only the part that hurts. Stretching a stiff neck feels good for a moment, but the rounded back and the screen sitting too far forward, which caused it, remain. The second is doing one long session a day. Thirty minutes of stretching in the evening does little against eight hours in one position during the day; short and frequent beats long and rare. The third is holding long stretches with a cold body right before exercise, when gentle movement to warm up is the better choice.

When stretching is not the answer

Tingling or electric sensations, pain travelling down one arm or leg, or pain that is worse in the morning can be something other than tight muscles. People lose time trying to stretch through these. If symptoms persist for weeks, get them looked at. Pain after a fall or knock, or pain with swelling or warmth, needs rest and a check-up before any stretching.