Back pains and neck pains are common among people working by a desk and on a computer. Long hours by the computer can sometimes get dragging that you find yourself fighting off sleepiness and needing a bit of activity or exercise to perk you up and relieve you of the huge pain right across your upper back.
Exercise can help relieve the tension in our neck and upper back
It’s not always easy to leave your computer’s side especially when there’s a lot of reading and researching that you need to do. Plus, offices can get cramped with too many cubicles thrown in to accommodate employees of different department.
The thing is, if you let space and schedules limit you from doing some exercises to get your blood circulating, chances are your productivity will go down because you are trying to fight off your drowsiness and your back pain will constantly bother you.
So, here are 5 exercises for your neck and upper back that you can do right at your desk.
5 Desk Exercises That Help Relieve Neck And Upper Body Pain
1. Mid-back Stretch
To do a mid-back stretch, sit forward in your chair, feet flat on the floor. Keep your back straight and check that the neck is aligned with our body.
Cross your arms in front of you and put your hands on the side of each knee. Slowly roll your head forward while keeping your back straight. You will feel a stretch from your neck down to your spine. Slightly push your legs apart creating a resistance between the arms and the legs. This maximizes the stretch on your back.
2. Side Stretch
Keep the same position on the chair with your back straight and your neck aligned with your body. Place your right hand on the side of the chair. Lift your left arm straight up and slowly bend to the right. Do the other side afterwards.
This exercise relieves the stress on your arm, shoulders and sides of the back.
3. Chair Twist
Keep the same start position of the first two exercises discussed. Twist your body to the right, gripping the back chair with your right hand while placing your left hand on the opposite knee. Twist your neck along with your body and make sure that your head is not bowed down. Do the exercise on both sides.
4. Open-mouthed Chin Up
With both hands resting on your knees and our back straight, slowly roll your head backwards with your mouth open. While still looking up, slowly close your mouth and open it again. This will give the front of your neck a bit of stretching.
5. Back Stroke
Back stroke is like back stroke in swimming, only that you’re sitting on a chair and your head twists to the direction of the arms.
Here’s a video demonstrating these 5 exercises and more:
Desk Exercises That Relieve Neck and Upper Body Pain
All these desk exercises help relieve back tension and neck and upper back pain. They also help in your circulation and provide the boost of energy you need to keep being effective at what you do.
Exercise can help you improve on your productivity and effectiveness at work. Be a member of Dangerously fit! Join our boot camps and see the huge difference it makes in your fitness and in your life.
