Stretching Is Good
Jul 10th, 2008 by squizzmaster
I along with many people spend a great deal of my day in an office in front of a computer. I’ve never had back, neck issues or the like but I’m still aware that this sedentary lifestyle isn’t good for my muscles, bones and well being in general. This contributes to us being tired, sore and generally lethargic. So my friends and I in the office stretch sporadically throughout the day, maybe once or twice, and what a massive difference it makes.
It takes 5 minutes and afterwards we feel refreshed, relaxed yet more energetic and awake. The stretches we do put strain on our muscles (not too much) and the best way to describe the feeling to me is like I’ve given all my muscles a good dose of oxygen.
The well known Benefits of Stretching
- Reduce muscle tension
- Improve circulation
- Reduce anxiety, stress, and fatigue
- Improve mental alertness
- Decrease the risk of injury
- Make your work easier
- Tune your mind into your body
- Make you feel better!
Never
- Stretch till it hurts. Feel the squeeze but not the pain
- Bounce with your stretch. Just push till you feel a bit of tension
Do it
It’s a great habit to fall into; you’ll spend more of your day feeling better then worse.
Next time you’re feeling a little under pressure, a bit sore, tired and lethargic. Take 5 and do some stretches. Unless you do it wrong and break a leg, you won’t regret it.
I used to work in a customer site who’s company always have people walking around every 2 hours telling each employee to do some stretching and it made a huge difference because it forces you to take break. After that 1 min/2 stretches and ocassional break, you feel recharge. I tend to solve problems that I encounter at work straight after I take a short break (get a glass of water or go to the toilet) but stretching definetely helps. The people at work get to be social more as well as they stretch they tend to smile and talk to each other