It happens to so many of us – we don’t even notice – after sitting for long periods of time (at our desks mostly), we get up, and our shoulders are hunched, necks are in pain, and the whole upper body is just tight. Without even realizing it, sitting and bending to sit and stare at a computer screen all day can cause more tightness than you would ever realize, but once you’re able to identify where that tightness is coming from, it’s easy to help fix. For those of us who don’t spend all day at a desk, but still experience these same symptoms of tightness – it can be caused by anything – housework, folding laundry, carrying kiddos around or even hauling around a heavy computer bag or purse. Stretching your shoulders and neck is one of the best and most important things you can do to help get everything in line and feeling loose again. Not sure where to start? Here are my favorite stretches to get your whole upper body back in alignment.
Stretches to Align Your Shoulders
Simply stand up to realign and then, sit up straight. This is more challenging than you think, especially if you’re used to hunching over at your desk on the daily. When you find yourself sinking further and further down into your chair, just stand up, tall and sit back down with the intent to have better posture while sitting. If you think you won’t remember to do this every once-in-a-while, set a timer for every 30 minutes. The change of position will also feel rejuvenating and help you refocus.
Rotate your shoulders. Again, this sounds so simple, but sometimes simplicity is the best. Stand up, let your arms hang loosely by your side and roll your shoulders for a few minutes in reverse (toward your back) and then switch directions and rotate forward (toward your chest). Do this for a few minutes, and you’ll instantly feel some shoulder relief, and the tension starts to leave you.
Stretch your arms across the body. This feels good especially after a long day of typing or doing tasks around the house. Simply reach your right arm across your body (up by your chest) and use your left arm to pull it in close. Do the same on the other side. Repeat and hold for just a few minutes, shake out your arms and you’re good to go.
Arm circles. These are my absolute favorite after a long day. It’s not only a good stretch for the shoulders and arms, but it’s also completely rejuvenating and wakes me up when I’m starting to drift off and lose focus in the late afternoon. Just stand up tall for this one, hold your arms out straight and make big circles (go slow!) with each arm. I like to repeat this one 10-20 times on each side for the best stretch possible.
Touch your toes. This is one of the best ways to let your neck, shoulders, and arms relax and stretch as far as possible. It can be as much or as little of a stretch as you want. Stand up, bend at the waist and slowly reach down toward the floor to touch your toes. Let your head, neck, and arms dangle with your natural body weight giving your upper body that great relaxing stretch. If you can touch your toes, great! If not, just let your body hang. It feels so good.
Do you find yourself constantly feeling tight and hunched at the end of a long day? Could you start incorporating stretching into a daily routine to help loosen things up just a bit?
