We all know how hard sitting at a desk all day, hunched over a computer can be on the body. As a blogger I spend many hours sitting at my desk writing only to stand up at the end of the day, feeling about as stiff as a board.
Being in my late 30’s I can certainly tell all this sitting is catching up with me too. I can feel the tension and tightness in my neck and shoulders many nights of the week, so it was no surprise to me that my massage therapist had a lot to say about how tense my upper body was!
Most of us know we should be getting up and moving around throughout the day. It’s important to take breaks and get some movement and stretch the back and the body. . I’ll admit I’m guilty of not doing this even though I constantly see reminders about it. I find it hard to take a break when the flow is going, but my therapist offered a handful of really great tips that I actually do remember and actually do quite often. I’ve found over time that these tips work really well too and I have noticed a lot less soreness in my body, especially after a long workday at my computer.
5 Tips for recovering after a long workday from a massage therapist
1.I already said it but its worth bringing up again. Get up and move around at last once an hour when sitting at your desk.
Even just bringing a little movement and blood flow back to the body periodically throughout the day can have amazing benefits and go along way to keep the body relaxed and soreness at bay.
2. Don’t forget to do some quick stretches while you’re up. My massage therapist showed me these two stretches and I’ve found them to work really well for me to help open up my shoulders specifically.
Stand a couple of big steps back from your desk and bend over and reach out for your desk, so your back and arms become parallel with the ground. Spread your fingers apart wide and really feel the stretch in the back and shoulders. Hold for about a minute.
Another great and very easy stretch is to clasp your hands back behind you and pull and lift your arms up towards your shoulders. This is another really great stretch for opening up the shoulders and giving them a nice stretch. My massage therapist suggesting doing this every time you walk through a doorway. That’s helped me remember to do it often and I find that my shoulders seem a lot less tense and tight throughout the day when I remember to do this!
3. Along with regular stretching, exercise (as we all know) is also really great for the body to help open it up, relieve some tension, and get the blood flowing again. Yoga and other stretching exercises are particularly good for this. If you cant dedicate an hour to a yoga class, even doing 5-10 minutes of some yoga stretches after work or before bed can go along way to help the body recover from a long day of sitting.
4. Make sure when you are sitting, it’s not aiding in any additional problems to the body. Be sure to practice correct posture while sitting at your desk, use ergonomic chairs and keyboards, and make sure your arms are parallel to the floor while typing, and that your computer monitor is eye level or a little below, so you aren’t putting any extra strain on the neck and shoulders.
5. Apply heat directly to the shoulders and neck. Heat also does a great job of loosening up a tight neck shoulder after a long workday. My massage therapist recommended applying Body Comfort Heat Packs for up to an hour a day, several days a week and as needed. It instantly heats up nice and hot and can be placed where needed to help relax muscles, relieve aches and pains, joint pain, and even arthritis. They can be used cold too to help with sore muscles as well as with inflammation, headaches, and sports injuries.
This innovative soothing heat therapy is a great alternative and therapeutic approach to pain management and relaxation. Because you can activate it with a simple click, it makes it easy to use in the workplace throughout the day or even in the car ride home! It offers instant relief right when it’s needed.
Tight, sore muscles are no fun, and we shouldn’t have to be living this way. Unfortunately sitting at a desk all day is not conducive to helping our body fit and feel it’s best. Sitting is so hard on the body but many of us don’t have much of a choice in the matter, especially when it comes to our 9-5!
Armed with these tips, you can help your body feel and recover much better after a long day. I know it’s helped me a ton over the last year and I’m so grateful my massage therapist was so willing and able to give me some great tips to help keep my body feeling loose, relaxed, and ready to take on a new day!