Many of us have jobs that require us to sit behind desks all day, which can lead to having tight hamstrings and other negative health complications. The hamstrings make up the muscles at the back of the thigh, and if strained, can be really painful or cause damage to some tendons in that region. You may not have the luxury of time to exercise your hamstrings, and the nature of your job may not always permit you to get off your desk for some time to exercise, but you can always stretch your legs right there behind your desk. Below are some ideas of how you can productively exercise while at your place of work.
1. Seated hamstring stretch
To do this, turn your chair to either side and move your butt to the edge of the chair. Now, stretch your legs out and place your heels on the floor, with your hands on top of your thighs or behind your knees. Once that is done, lean your torso forward in order to stretch your hamstrings, and maintain the stretch for some seconds before you relax and repeat the process.
2. Seated twist
Sit upright on your chair, with your spine kept upright. Now, place your right hand on the outside of your right knee and use the same hand as leverage to twist to your right. Try to stretch your right hand far to the left as much as you can and hold on to something while you twist. Do this between breaths. Exhale; move into your twist, and inhale while you relax back. Repeat this process on the left side and keep switching sides.
3. Crossed leg stretch
From your sitting position, lift your left leg and cross your ankle over your right thigh. Now, bend forward till your chest comes in contact with your thigh, and you feel a stretch along the back of your thigh and also your hip muscles. Maintain this pose for about 5 seconds; return to the original position.
4. Wall stretch
Roll over your chair to the nearest wall, and place your feet flat against the baseboard and then, straighten out your knees till your legs are straight and your chair has rolled a bit from the wall. Plant your heels on the wall while you hinge forward at the hips; at this point, you will feel a stretch along your hamstrings. Maintain it for some seconds and repeat over again.
Your nature of work shouldn’t be an excuse for unnecessary cramps that may leave you with a little damage. Above are four interesting stretches you can do.
Image courtesy of: trainer.ae.
