Sara Martins Physiotherapist of Hospital da Luz Guimarães Whether working from home, on a mixed system or daily basis at the office, if you are at your desk all day , remember that you should take breaks. If you use it to do some stretching exercises even better, there are several advantages: Promotes health and well-being; Maintains a good posture and contributes long-term mobility; Allow some rest, relieve stress and even make work more productive. Take a few minutes to break regularly, get up, walk around, and do some stretching exercises. The options are many. We chose some simple and quick exercises . Get started now with some of these. Neck | Standing, straight back: 1. Tilt your head to one side with the help of the hand on the same side, bringing the ear towards the shoulder and trying not to lift the opposite shoulder. Hold the position for a few seconds and return to the starting position. Repeat for the opposite side. 2. Tilt your head forward, bring your chin to your chest, hold a few seconds, and return to the starting position. Repeat tilting your head back. 3. Rotate your head as far as possible to one side, hold a few seconds, return to the starting position, and repeat for the other side. Shoulders, arms, and hands | Standing, straight back: 1. With arms along your sides rotate your shoulders back and forth. 2. With arms along your sides, bring your shoulder together at the back, hold a few seconds and return to the starting position. 3. Raise one arm, bend at the elbow and support the palm of your hand on the back with the help of the other hand placed on the elbow. Hold for a few seconds and then repeat later with the other arm. 4. Extend one arm forward at shoulder level, palm facing up. With the help of the other hand, bring the fingers and hand towards the floor. Hold a few seconds, return to starting position and repeat with the opposite arm. 5. Repeat the above exercise for both arms, but with the palm facing down and bringing the fingers and hand up. Trunk | Standing, straight back: 1. Raise both arms vertically, interlock fingers of both hands with palms facing up. Push up, hold a few seconds and rest. 2. Interlock your fingers behind your head and tilt your torso, always right, to the right, wait a few seconds, then repeat to the left. Hips, knees, and ankles 1. Sitting with your back supported, bring one knee to your chest, without bending your torso, hold a few seconds, return to the starting position, and repeat with the other knee. 2. Sitting with your back supported, cross one leg over the other and pull your foot toward your torso, keeping your leg horizontal. Wait a few seconds, return to starting position and repeat with the other leg. 3. Standing, stretch one of your legs forward, rest your ankle on an object slightly higher than the floor, and force your toes up and back. Hold a few seconds, return to starting position and repeat with the other leg. 4. Standing, bend one knee and bring the ankle to the buttock on the same side helping with the hand on the same side. Hold a few seconds, return to starting position and repeat with the other leg. If you spend a lot of hours working with a computer, also pay attention to how you sit: — Use a suitable chair , preferably with armrests and headrest; — Sit so that your elbows and knees form about 90-degree angles , your feet are flat on the floor, and - your forearms are flat on the desk. If necessary, use a footrest; — Keep your back straight and supported by the back of the chair; — Place the computer monitor at eye level . In addition to following these advices do your best to stay healthy and physically active . Get 30-45 minutes of physical exercise 3 times a week. Take care of yourself, live a healthy life, protect your health. The content published in the Health Guide is intended for the general public and is provided for informational and educational purposes only. It does not replace individual medical assessment, diagnosis, or personalized clinical advice from a qualified healthcare professional. The content is produced or reviewed by physicians and other healthcare professionals at Hospital da Luz and is based on the knowledge available at the time of publication or the most recent update, as indicated at the beginning of each item.
