How to maximise your time at your standing desk These simple, yet super effective stretching videos demonstrate exactly how easy it is to add some gentle exercises into your daily routine. These sequences will help to boost productivity and mental balance through reducing stress, mobilising and increasing flexibility throughout your whole body.
How to complete: follow the video and complete each movement for 3-5 deep long breaths. Repeat the sequence through as many times as feels needed, minimum x3 rounds. This ensures that you spend enough time focusing on that specific part of the body to release any tension built up in that area.
Place both hands on the bottom shelf of your deskmate, ensure they are in line with your shoulders. Take a step back. Check that your legs are wider than shoulder distance. Soften your knees and shift your bodyweight back. Bringing your head down so that your back is flat from your fingertips to the bottom of your spine. Tuck your chin onto your chest and breathe.
Take your feet wider than shoulder distance. Place both arms loosey down the side of your body, lightly touching your thighs with your fingertips. Keeping the hands and arms as they are, gentle role the shoulders up in a circular motion towards the ears and back down. Moving up whilst inhaling and down whilst exhaling.
Keeping your feet at a wider than shoulder width distance, soften your knees and hold your hands together. Bring both arms up so that both elbows are inline with your shoulders and pointing away from your body. Take a deep inhale and as you exhale gently rotate the top of the body to the left whilst keeping the hands touching and core engaged. Inhale coming back slowly as you exhale twisting your body over to the other side.
Take your legs wider than shoulder distance and ensure that both feet are parallel. Gently bend one knee forward, following the direction of your forward pointing toe. Use your other hand on your deskmate for balance support. Place your body weight onto your bent leg whilst keeping the other straight. Hold for the breath count and then move over to the other side.
Take your right foot a set backwards. Ensure that both feet are pointing the same direction. Place all your momentum into the right leg to stretch deep into that calf. To add in the chest mobility open your left arm straight away from your body and bring it across your body. Use your other hand on your deskmate for balance support. Hold for the breath count and then change over to repeat on the other side.
Place your right hand on your deskmate and right foot forward. Keeping your thighs together raise the toes on your right foot so that they are pointing upwards. Shift your bodyweight back and straighten out that right leg. Lean forwards to deepen the stretch in the back of the leg. Hold for the breath count and then gently change over to the other side.
