Hey, how does your back feel after a long day at the office or school?
What about your neck after you’ve been looking down at your phone for hours?
We can’t live without our gadgets and gizmos, but they can wreak havoc on our bodies if
we’re not careful.
And even if your eyes aren’t constantly glued to a screen, this short stretching routine
can still help anyone who’s dealing with neck, shoulder, and back pain!
So, let’s start off with a couple stretches for your neck:
- The Owl Exercise Sit down in a chair with your back straight
and your chest open.
Now turn your head all the way around like an owl (no, I’m just kidding, don’t do
that.)
Make sure your shoulders are relaxed and your neck is centered.
Slowly and carefully turn your head to the right as far as you can.
Don’t let your torso twist – keep it locked in place.
Stay in this position for a couple of seconds, and then tip your chin down toward your shoulder.
To increase the stretch, gently press on the back of your head with your right hand.
Hold it for half a minute, then switch sides.
The Owl exercise stretches the muscles that go from your collarbone and breastbone to
behind your ears.
They can get pretty overworked holding your head up all day, but they usually do a good
job as long as you’re always looking straight ahead.
Since most of us spend a lot of time looking down at a computer or phone, that’s when
we really get a literal pain in the neck!
- Forward Neck Bend Again, sit up straight with your chest out
and your shoulders back.
Next, place your palms on the back of your head and interlock your fingers.
You’re now under arrest!
No, I’m kidding.
Ok, from this position, start to lower your chin toward your chest.
You should do this movement slowly and carefully.
Avoid sharp or sudden moves at all costs!
You don’t wanna end up hurting yourself.
To increase the effectiveness of this stretch, you can apply some pressure to your head by
pulling it down with your palms.
Just don't push yourself too hard.
Tuck your chin down as far as it’ll comfortably go.
Hold your head in this position for about half a minute, and then slowly go back up
to where you started.
This exercise helps stretch the muscles on the back and sides of your neck as well as
your upper back muscles.
They tend to get strained from poor posture as well.
Now let’s move on to those shoulders.
- The Eagle Pose While standing or sitting up straight, spread
your arms out to the sides and then cross them in front of your face so that your left
elbow is over the right one.
Your fingers should point up toward the ceiling.
If you're flexible enough, make your palms meet by crossing your wrists as well.
If you can’t do that, then just rest your hands together back-to-back.
The most important thing is that you feel a stretch along your upper back and shoulders.
Now, slowly lower your chin down toward your chest.
This will stretch more muscles in your neck and back.
Hold this position for about half a minute, then change sides, with your right elbow crossed
over the left one this time.
The Eagle pose not only stretches the muscles in your shoulders, neck, and upper back, but
it also improves blood circulation in your upper body.
- The 90/90 Stretch Stand in a doorway and hold your arms up so
that both your elbows and armpits make 90-degree angles, hence the name of the stretch.
Put both arms on the sides of the doorframe and move one foot forward.
At the same time, you should stand straight with your neck aligned with your spine.
Then lean a bit forward while bracing yourself against the doorframe.
Stay in this position for about half a minute, then step back to where you started.
Do 2 to 3 reps.
This exercise will really stretch the front part of your deltoids as well as your pecs.
Those are the main muscles in your shoulders and chest.
And moving on to some upper back stretches…
- Pat on the Back Lift your right arm over your head and bend
it at the elbow so that your right hand rests between your shoulder blades, almost as if
you’re giving yourself a pat on the back for a job well done.
(Go ahead and sneak one in for doing these stretches correctly!
Yeah you!)
Put your left hand on your right elbow and carefully pull your right arm to the left.
Make sure you do everything very gently and slowly so that you don’t pull anything and
end up with a nasty injury!
While you're pulling your right elbow, bend your upper body to the left as well.
Avoid leaning backward or forward.
Stay in this position for about half a minute, then repeat the same movement on the other
side.
You can do this exercise while sitting or standing.
The main thing is to keep your chest raised and your spine elongated.
By doing this exercise, you stretch not only the large flat back and neck muscles like
your traps and lats, but also the muscles located under your arms.
- Butterfly Wings You know the drill by now: sit or stand up
straight with your chest out.
Don’t you look good!
Touch your fingers to your shoulders while keeping your elbows pointed out to the sides.
From there, pull your elbows as far back as they'll go.
Imagine you’re trying to touch them together behind your back.
As soon as you feel a good stretch in your upper back, hold this position for about 10
seconds.
After that, move your elbows forward and touch them in front of your body.
Hold them there for another 10 seconds and return to the starting position.
Do 8 to 10 reps.
This exercise effectively stretches your chest muscles as well as your entire upper back.
And finally let’s go down to your lower back for some pain-relieving stretches.
- Wall Sits Stand with your back leaning on a wall.
Now, you’ll slowly move your feet away from it while sliding down into a seated position,
almost like you’re sitting in an invisible chair.
Your spine should be straight, while your knees will make 90-degree angles.
Keep pressing into the wall with your lower back.
Stay in this position for about 10 seconds, then, just as slowly, slide up the wall to
the starting position.
Do 8 to 12 reps.
This exercise will not only stretch your lower back, it’s also a nice workout for your
abs and leg muscles!
- Rotation Stretches Sit down in a chair (a real chair this time)
with your feet flat on the floor and your hands placed on the back of your head with
your fingers interlocked.
While keeping your spine straight and your hips squared, carefully twist your upper body
to the right.
Remember to avoid any sharp movements – they’re Enemy #1 when it comes to any kind of stretching.
Stay in this position for 10 seconds, then carefully turn your body to the left.
Do 3 to 5 reps on each side with this one.
Rotation stretches help relieve lower back pain by strengthening the core and lower back
muscles.
- Superman Stretch!
Ooh.
Lie on the floor belly-down with your arms out in front of you.
Your legs should be stretched as well and placed flat on the floor.
Then, you’ll wanna lift your arms and legs simultaneously off the floor as high as you
can.
Tighten your core muscles, and imagine you’re trying to lift your bellybutton off the floor
too.
Make sure your neck is aligned with your spine and not bent backward.
Engage your glutes as well as your arm and leg muscles to hold this flying Superman pose
for a couple of seconds.
Then slowly lower yourself back to the floor and rest for a few more seconds.
Do 10 reps.
The Superman exercise helps build strong back extensor muscles, which is really important
if you want to avoid lower back pain.
On top of that, working these muscles helps you build good posture, which will prevent
back pain in the future.
You see, if the extensors are weak, they can't support your spine and pelvis properly, so
you might develop pain in that region.
Nothing too hard, right?
You don't need any particular equipment, and the whole stretching workout takes no longer
than 10 minutes to do!
Do a set of these exercises every day, and you’ll feel more flexible and pain-free
in no time.
But, again, it's crucial that you do all the exercises slowly and smoothly, without any
jerks or sharp movements.
Also, if you feel that after these stretches your pain gets worse, well that’s a sign
that it’s time to see the doctor ASAP!
Do you know any other effective stretching exercises?
Let me know down in the comments!
If you learned something new today, then give this video a like and share it with a friend.
But – hey! – don't go sit in your invisible chair again just yet!
We have over 2,000 cool videos for you to check out.
All you have to do is pick the left or right video, click on it, and enjoy!
Stay on the Bright Side of life!