Office Ergonomics and Workplace Stretches
Active people incorporate fitness into their everyday lives. They engage in activities such as yoga, swimming, tennis, and running on top of the demands of their work and family life. They are aware of the benefits of stretching and exercise, and know what is needed to maintain a healthy lifestyle, although they sometimes don’t make the time to do so.
Common complaints raised by active people:
Achy and sore muscles
Tightness causing imbalances in the body (one side feeling tighter than the other)
Sore neck and back
Rounded shoulders and tight chest muscles
Head is shifted forward
Tightness in the hips
Limited range in a particular joint
FLXME Stretch Therapy can help you feel better, recover faster and improve performance!
Very often my clients tell me, “I know I should be stretching more but I don’t! And now I feel tight, sore, and unable to enjoy the activities I once used to.” If this sounds familiar, a stretch at FLXME could be exactly what you’ve been missing.
Stretch therapy can work wonders on the body. It can help improve posture by relaxing tight muscles in the back, shoulders and neck. It also improves flexibility which can provide our joints with a greater range of motion, making movement easier. Stretching can increase blood flow to the muscles which promotes muscle recovery and relieves stiffness and muscle soreness. In turn, this helps to prevent injury during activity and everyday life. Assisted stretching provides clients with a feeling of total body relaxation and wellness that is just not possible to achieve on your own. Your FLXME experience will have you floating out of the studio feeling rejuvenated, loose and relaxed.
Stretches for active bodies
I have listed below some of my favourite muscle groups to work on with my clients that help to relieve tightness and get them back to their everyday lives and ready to take on their fitness goals.
HIPS
This particular stretch will target the adductor muscles which are often neglected when stretching on your own. You should be feeling this stretch on the inner leg and groin area. These muscles are very important in side-to-side movements such as in skating, basketball and tennis. Tightness in the hips can even create pain in other areas of the body, especially if one side is tighter than the other. If the pelvis is misaligned, it can change the way we stand or walk, creating imbalances and muscle compensation.
HAMSTRINGS
The hamstrings are a muscle located on the back of your upper legs. Tight hamstrings can cause a number of different issues in the body. It is a multi-joint muscle group which means it crosses both the hip and the knee joint. Because of this, hamstring tightness can lead to lower back pain and knee pain. Loosening the hamstrings can improve how you walk, run, jump, climb stairs, and squat. Our goal is to be able to get the leg to 90 degrees when lying down on the table.
CHEST
This is a stretch that all everyday athletes can benefit from! Physical activity paired with desk work and not enough stretching can cause tight chest muscles. This can lead to rounded shoulders and bad posture. This stretch helps to open up the chest and stretch the pec muscles, improving shoulder range of motion. Strengthening the back and stretching the front is a winning combination!
Active Bodies and Assisted Stretching
Stretching is essential in maximizing athletic performance and in keeping our bodies loose as we put stress on our muscles during activity. Limited mobility negatively impacts our ability to perform exercises to our full potential and can increase the risk of injury. With assisted stretching, we can help build healthy muscles by keeping them flexible, limber and lengthened. Healthy muscles will help your workout to be more effective, and you will see improvements in wellbeing in all areas of your life.
Emily Hamilton, BA Kin (Hons), R.Kin.
Emily is a Stretch Therapist and a Registered Kinesiologist at FLXME, a Toronto Stretch Therapy clinic. She has worked in physiotherapy and sports medicine clinics, helping both athletes and everyday people reach their rehabilitation goals.
Sources:
BoxRox Competitive Fitness Magazine. 2016. Effective Stretching Exercises to Improve CrossFit Performance & Recovery. Available at: https://www.boxrox.com/crossfit-stretching-exercises/ Accessed on October 28th, 2018.
Athletic Muscle. CrossFit Stretches: The Ultimate Guide to Stretching. Available at: https://athleticmuscle.net/crossfit-stretches/ Accessed on October 28th, 2018.
CrossFit: The Journey. 2017. You’re Probably Stretching Wrong. Available at: https://journal.crossfit.com/article/flexibility/ Accessed on October 28th, 2018.