Spending your entire workday at a computer dealing with stressful projects or readings reports and attending meetings without physical activity, can affect your body and brain negatively in ways you may not even realize. Having body aches, a stiff neck, strained eyes, lethargy and having trouble concentrating are all commonplace experiences after hours in a desk chair. Luckily, taking few simple stretches can greatly help and will also help to improve your productivity at work! Stretching has many benefits which include the improvement of your body’s flexibility and blood circulation all over your body and relax your muscles which will in turn allow your body to relax as well.

How Sitting For Long Periods In The Office Is Harmful:

The fact that most office jobs require you to spend hours on end without even realizing that you might be hurting yourself is astounding! Your body muscles naturally stiffen and can develop stiffness in your joints when placed in the same position for a long time. This inactive period of hours spent at your work desk may cause your back and hip joints to ache and potentially even lead to back pain in the long run. However, stretch breaks will certainly provide relief for your pain and help promote movement throughout your body.

By Partaking in a stretching routine you will:

Increase your blood circulation:

A quick stretch break will benefit greatly from increasing your body’s blood flow as it becomes slow down as it reaches the lower parts of your body when in a seated position at your desk. More blood circulation will promote the circulation of nutrients and oxygen which in turn can have the effect of decreasing your work fatigue by boosting your body and mind with a surge in alertness, energy and awareness in whatever you may be doing at the time.

Easing stiffness in muscles and muscle aches:

Pain and stiffness are probably one of the most common ailments reported by employees. This could be attributed to posture at your job, or the many hours spent working the same motion throughout the day. Stiffness will inevitably occur if you spend time hunched over your keyboard or in a computer as this often results in stiff lower backs, necks and hip joints. Stretch breaks can certainly reduce this and allow your body to relax while simultaneously relieving pain in muscles.

Improve your posture:

The common postural fault of slouching while sitting in your office chair for long periods can cause the muscles in your back to tighten and become shorter and less pliable. By participating in a stretch break, these muscles will return to their original length, allowing for an improved posture. If an ergonomic office environment is combined with regular stretching, the risk of developing a neck or back injury will greatly diminish.

Aid in preventing back pain:

Back pain is most likely one of the reasons an employee would attend a doctor’s visit and can be entirely understood, seeing as the body spends long hours at a time without moving and performing repetitive motions. The pressure exerted on the spine increases and causes compression of muscles around it, thus creating imbalances and increasing the possibility of receiving an injury, though stretch breaks help alleviate some of the tension on joints and your spine.

Boost the amount of energy in your body:

Because employees are so inactive in their workplace, many notice that they begin to feel tired, sleepy and lethargic. Light activity such as stretching can bring your body back to life, helping you feel much more energetic and may even reduce the amount of coffee or energy drinks that you need during work hours.

Increase your concentration and productivity at work:

The link between your body’s well being and its ability to concentrate should not be ignored as it is clear that when your body feels tired and stiff, it is difficult to get any work done. Taking a few minutes out of your work day to stretch out your body and boost blood flow around it will have an obvious benefit on your body and can help increase concentration, awareness, energy, awareness and problem solving skills in relation to your work, as you will return feeling more refreshed and less likely to be distracted at work, and more productive.

Reduce work stress and promote relaxation:

The stress caused from working can be extremely taxing and it impacts on your emotional and physical health as well as your state of mind. The feel good chemical serotonin which helps to relax muscles and also relax your mind can be released by simply participating in a stretch, and this works well combined with breathing in deeply to help the body relax and de-stress itself.

Keep your body’s joints in good shape:

Lack of movement throughout the workday will cause stiffness in your joints, which can make them stiff and prone to injury over time. Keeping your joints supple through stretches will ensure easy movement of the body while helping to prevent future injury of the joints in the long run.

It’s very easy to integrate stretches into your daily workday routine:

• Aim to take breaks at least once every hour.
• Focus on stretches that release tension from your neck, shoulders, wrists, back, and legs.
• Practice deep breathing as you stretch.
• Stretch while standing rather than sitting.
• Maintain good posture when you are at your desk.

Conclusion

Stretch breaks are simple and useful ways to improve office workers ‘well-being’ and improve their health. It reduces stress from muscle exertion, promotes good circulation, improves posture and avoids aches and pains as well as raising the energy levels.

Other than a positive effect on a body, stretch breaks improve a worker’s concentration, they improve an office worker’s day and a worker is a far more efficient, there are less work related stresses and a better work environment is created. With the minimal of movements on a daily basis, the health of a body can have a dramatic and useful impact on you and your mind.