Desk Job Tips:
5 Simple Steps to Prevent Upper Body Pain
I see far too many people who are in pain or experiencing other issues because of their Desk Job. Whilst I'd always advise getting up to stretch your legs too, this post is specifically for the upper body.
Please follow these 5 simple steps to get a really important stretch without leaving your desk chair:
1. Sit up straight but relaxed and put your arms out to each side of you. Yes, like you're pretending to be an aeroplane!
2. Turn your palms up, so your thumbs point backwards
3. Pull both of your arms slowly backwards, allowing them to come down slightly, so your shoulder blades come closer together
4. Gently bring your head back (like the start of a Mick Jagger or chicken impression) just to a comfortable position
5. Hold that position for 10 seconds, relax and repeat 2 or 3 times - and set a reminder to do this every hour.
Remember to never stretch past the point of any pain.
If you're feeling self-conscious, everyone around you is probably too busy to notice anyway, but if they spot you, good! Get them involved and make it a team thing for fun. Mental stress goes hand in hand with physical stress, so even a momentary laugh will help. And trust me, they will be thanking you in the long run.
This will help prevent or ease headaches, rounded shoulders, neck, shoulder and chest pains that could become a problem if sitting at a desk for long periods.
The physical issues that a lot of people experience from long hours in their Desk Job are increasing rapidly and it's important to remember that no matter how active you might be outside of your day job, long periods of inactivity will do you as much harm as anyone else.
If you do manage to persuade your team, boss, or employees to join you in this, please send me your success stories with the photos to prove it!
