Getting aches and pains in your body and having terrible posture, may seem like a standard part of life if you work a 9 to 5 sat at a desk, but it doesn’t have to be. A few mobility exercises that will get your muscles and joints moving is all you need. Good thing then that Personal Training duo, Milad and Ryan, founders of Tailored Fit PT, have shared this seven-minute routine that they say will undo the damage from eight hours of sitting.
Poor posture doesn’t just lead to joint imbalances, making daily movement more difficult, it can also lead to health issues too. According to Harvard Health this includes headaches, breathing and even slower digestion. However, research has shown that carrying out regular stretching and mobility exercises each week can relieve musculoskeletal pain. In the study, participants performed a 20-minute posture correcting routine, three times a week. As this routine is only seven minutes you'll have to try and do it every day, but that's what Coach Milad and Ryan recommend anyway.
What’s great about this routine is that it focuses on the most problematic areas you experience pain from sitting, like your back, hip flexors and shoulders. Plus, you don’t need to set aside large amounts of time with it being only seven minutes. The only bit of equipment you’ll need is a towel and if you have a broom at home, grab that too. While the exercises are simple, some of the names are ambiguous, so watch the short video above so you know exactly how to do each one. Here’s what the workout looks like:
- Half kneeling hip flexor stretch with a broom/or towel 12 reps per side
- Palms-up squat 12 reps
- Adductor hip stretch with shoulder rotation 12 reps per side
- Towel shoulder stretch 12 reps per side
- 90/90 windshield wipers 20 reps
If you need to give your hips a little more TLC, then why not give these five stretches recommended by a stretchologist a go? Alternatively, if you need a full-body routine with exercises you can literally do from your desk, this seven minute session is perfect for you.
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