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LEGAL DISCLAIMER |
How to Stretch
Stretching should be done slowly without bouncing. Stretch to where you feel a slight, easy stretch. Hold this feeling for 5-20 seconds. As you hold this stretch, the feeling of tension should diminish. If it doesn't, just ease off slightly into a more comfortable stretch. The easy stretch reduces tension and readies the tissues for the developmental stretch.After holding the easy stretch, you can move a fraction of an inch farther into the stretch until you feel mild tension again. This the developmental stretch which should be held for 10-15 seconds. This feeling of stretch tension should also slightly diminish or stay the same. If the tension increases or becomes painful, you are overstretching. Ease off a bit to a comfortable stretch. The developmental stretch reduces tension and will safely increase flexibility.
Hold only stretch tensions that feel good to you. The key to stretching is to be relaxed while you concentrate on the area being stretched. Your breathing should be slow, deep and rhythmical. Don't worry about how far you can stretch, stretch relaxed and limberness will become just one of the many byproducts of regular stretching.
**NOTE: If you have had any recent surgery, muscle, or joint problem, please consult your personal health care professional before starting a stretching or exercise program.
| Separate and straighten your fingers until tension of a stretch is felt (fig. 1). Hold for 10 seconds. Relax, then bend your fingers at the knuckles and hold for 10 seconds (fig. 2). Repeat stretch in fig. 1 once more. |  |
| This stretch may cause people around you to think you are very strange, indeed, but you often find a lot of tension in your face from eye strain. Raise your eyebrows and open your eyes as wide as possible. At the same time, open your mouth to stretch the muscles around your nose and chin and stick your tongue out. Hold this stretch for 5-10 seconds. Caution: If you have clicking or popping noises when opening mouth, check with your dentist before doing this stretch. |  |
| Shoulder Shrug: Raise the top of your shoulders toward your ears until you fell slight tension in your neck and shoulders. Hold this feeling of tension for 3-5 seconds, then relax your shoulders downward into their normal position. Do this 2-3 times. Good to use at the first signs of tightness or tension in the shoulder and neck area. |  |
| With fingers interlaced behind head, keep elbows straight out to side with upper body in a good aligned position. Now pull your shoulder blades toward each other to create a feeling of tension through upper back and shoulder blades. Hold this feeling of mild tension for 8-10 seconds, then relax. Do several times. This is good to do when shoulders and upper back are tense or tight. |  |
| Start with head in a comfortable, aligned position. Slowly tilt head to left side to stretch muscles on side of neck. Hold stretch for 10-20 seconds. Feel a good, even stretch. Do not overstretch. Then tilt head to right side and stretch. Do 2-3 times to each side. |  |
| From a stable, aligned position turn your chin toward your left shoulder to create a stretch on the right side of your neck. Hold right stretch tensions for 10-20 seconds. Do each side twice. |  |
| Gently tilt your head forward to stretch the back of the neck. Hold for 5-10 seconds. Repeat 3-5 times. Hold only tensions that feel good. Do not stretch to the point of pain. |  |
| REPEAT STRETCH # 3 |  |
| Hold your left arm just above the elbow with the right hand. Now gently pull elbow toward opposite shoulder as you look over your left shoulder. Hold stretch for 15-20 seconds. Do both sides. |  |
| Interlace fingers, then straighten arms out in front of you. The palms should be facing away from you as you do the is stretch. Feel stretch in arms and through the upper part of the back (shoulder blades). Hold stretch for 20-30 seconds. Do at least two times. |  |
| Interlace fingers then turn palms upwards above your head as you straighten your arms. Think of elongating your arms as yo feel a stretch through arms and uppers sides of rib cage. Hold for 10-20 seconds. Hold only stretches that feel releasing. Do three times. |  |
| Hold left elbow with right hand, then gently pull elbow behind head until an easy tension-stretch is felt in shoulder or back of upper arm (triceps). Hold easy stretch for 30 seconds. Do not overstretch. Do both sides. |  |
| Hold onto your lower leg just below the knee. Gently pull bent leg toward your chest. To isolate a stretch in the side of your upper leg, use the right arm to pull bent leg across and toward the opposite shoulder. Hold for 30 seconds at easy stretch tension. Do both sides |  |
| A stretch for the side of hip, lower and middle of back. Sit with left leg bent over right leg, then rest elbow or forearm of right arm on the outside of the upper thigh of the left leg. Now apply some controlled, steady pressure toward the right with the elbow or forearm. As you do this look over your left shoulder to get the stretch feeling. Do both sides. Hold for 15 seconds. |  |
| The next stretch is done with fingers interlaced behind your back. Slowly turn your elbows inward while straightening your arms. An excellent stretch for shoulders and arms. This is good to do when you find yourself slumping forward from your shoulders. This stretch can be done at any time. Hold for 5-15 seconds. Do twice. |  |
| To stretch your calf, stand a little ways from a solid support and lean on it with your forearms, your head resting on your hands. Bend one leg and place your foot on the floor in front of you leaving the other let straight, behind you. Slowly move your hips forward until you feel a stretch in the calf of your straight leg. Be sure to keep the heel of the foot of the straight leg on the floor and your toes pointed straight ahead. Hold an easy stretch for 30 seconds. Do not bounce. Stretch both legs. |  |
The information on this page is being used by permission of the authors
Additional information on stretching
Exercises for Office workers
These exercises are reproduced from Officewise: A Guide to Health and Safety in the Office
with the permission of the Victorian WorkCover Authority. From the Australian National Occupational Health & Safety Commission.
Office Exercises
Good set of instructions on exercises. They appear to be from Illustrations and text copyrighted 1994 by KRT. KRT Source: University of California at Berkeley Wellness Guide to Lifelong Fitness.
Repetitive Strain Injury Page
From the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
UofVa Stretch Breaks
The University of Virginia's ergonomics page section on stretches to do at your computer.
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IMPORTANT- REMEMBER TO KEEP YOUR BACK STRAIGHT,
and retain good posture while you sit at desk or computer.
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These aren't exactly "at the desk or computer" exercises--
http://www.quitsmokingstop.com/exercise.html
Five Simple Workouts to Keep You in Top Shape -- The Easy Way!
Exercise is to the body what order is to the mind. Even a 15 minute workout can be tranquilizing and has the affect of casting a warm and happy glow througout our bodies. Simply put, no activity in the world is as capable as exercise for putting the body and mind at peace and for keeping them in harmony with the rhythm of nature.
The benefits of exercise go far beyond the physical. They are finding that even a short round of exercises that increases the heart rate and produces a little prespiration on the brow outstrips the relaxing qualities of nicotine both in intensity and duration. We're going to be looking at 5 simple exercises primarily geared to getting your heart pumping with new vigor, and while these exercises are more than adequate for keeping you in shape, their purpose is not to build up your body muscle so much as they are designed to promote deep, healthy breathing; to make you agile again and to promote solid sleep that results in your waking rested, relaxed and proud of your new, clean, healthy, happy body!
No phase of exercising is more important than the initial warm-up.A "cold" body is much more easily strained, or damaged. Moreover, warm-ups can actually make the difference in whether you enjoy your workout or struggle through it.You are cautioned to read through each of the following exercises completely before performing them. If there is anything you don't understand about an exercise instruction, clear this up before performing the exercise.
EXERCISE 1---Stretching
All exercises should begin with simple stretching…of the variety you do every single day when you first wake, or while at your desk with arms outstretched over your head.Begin by placing both arms up in the air. Alternately clench and open your fists. Spread your feet a comfortable distance apart and with yourarms still in the air, gently twist to your left, then back to your right. Gradually add combinations of bending over slightly then backwards. To this, add leaning over to your left then back to the right. Continue doing this for at least 5 minutes.
In the last minute, add pivoting motions of the entire torso in a circular pattern, maintaining a comfortable distance between your feet. Do not exaggerate this opening stretching exercise. Instead, ENJOY it, the same as you would a lazy weekend morning when you first awake and stretch in bed before getting up. During the entire stretching period you will want to inhale and exhale in a deep, slow, controlled manner.
EXERCISE 2----Deep Knee Bends
This is a personal favorite for me because it's the natural finish to stretching.Place a sturdy (preferably wooden) chair in the center of the room. Approach the chair from its backside and firmly grasp the top of the backrest with both hands. Spread your feet a comfortable distance. Rock the chair both forward and backward, then side to side to check for stability before beginning. The go into a slow, controlled, partial squat. You do not want to squat entirely at first. As you rise again, concentrate on keeping your back nice and straight. As you are squatting, inhale deeply and slowly, and as you are rising, exhale - also slowly. Vary your breathing by inhaling while rising and exhaling while squatting.Gradually, increase the extent of the squat, eventually squatting the maximum distance you are able without compromising your ability to rise again.
Always remember not to panic in any exercise situation. If you find yourself unable to rise out of a squatting position, release your grip on the back of the chair, one hand at a time, and simply go into a sitting position on the floor. From this position you will be able to stand more easily. I also encourage you never to allow your embarrassment - such as not being able to rise immediately - to govern the speed with which you try to return to your feet.Here is a simple but sure way to rise to your feet from the floor:
Remember that speed has NO place in exercising. While your most important objective should be to increase your heart rate and to practice deep, slow, controlled breathing, you do not have to workout at breakneck speed to achieve this. It is very important for you to establish your workout bounds! These will vary from individual to individual. You can always do MORE exercise, or add to the workout time, but you can't always wish you hadn't overdone things.
Treat your body with the patience and consideration it requires and deserves! Do not try to make up years of inattention to you body in one or two workouts. The longer you've smoked, generally speaking, the longer it is likely going to take you to get back into shape.
The more repetitions you do of opening stretches and deep-knee bends, the better. At first, 25 deep-knee bends, five at a time, are adequate. Eventually you might strive to do as many as 100 of these daily, 25 at a time.
EXERCISE 3---Floor Exercises
By now you should be adequately stretched and relaxed to beef up your workout.From an outstretched position on your back, lift your knees so that both feet are now on the floor, then slowly drag your feet toward your buttocks, drawing them as close to the buttocks as possible. Once again, use caution in this procedure. Do not force yourself into any uncomfortable position and avoid straining yourself.
Reverse the procedure, slowly sliding your feet away from you until your legs are once again flat on the floor. Continue repetitions of this exercise drawing your feet a little closer to your buttocks each time you perform a repetition. As with all exercises, breathe slowly and deeply and vary your breathing pattern. For instance, during the first 5 repetitions of this exercise, inhale as you are raising your knees and drawing your feet toward your buttocks and exhale while returning them to the outstretched position. Then reverse this breathing pattern.Repeat this exercise leaving one leg outstretched on the floor and drawing up only foot toward the buttocks. Alternate this variation by drawing up first one foot, then the other, then both.
Still another variation on this exercise is to add arm movements. Do this by placing your arms in an outstretched position at a perpendicular to your body. With the weight of both arms comfortably on the floor, slowly drag them first above your head then reverse this movement, moving them through 180-degrees until they touch the sides of your body. Do a number of repetitions of this, alternating the position of your legs, in which first one knee is raised, then the other, then both. You may wish to consider moving both your legs and arms at the same time, but do this very slowly so as to avoid any possible stress or strain.
Always remember that nothing is worth the consequences of straining yourself. You may increase the pace of this and all exercises as you become more agile and get into shape, but don't forget that speed is not the ultimate nor the most important goal of exercising!
Still on your back and with your arms outstreched from your body at a perpendicular, cross your right leg over your left as though you were going to switch to a resting position on your left side, but do this while keeping your back flat on the floor. DO NOT OVEREXERT YOURSELF.
Then continue with this action to the opposite (right) side, also while keeping your back flat on the floor. As you are rolling first onto your left side and then onto your right, concentrate on establishing deep, controlled breathing. Your outstretched arms can provide great stability and control during this exercise. Use them to your advantage to help "push" you from one side position to the other and to minimize the chances of straining yourself.Finally, you will want to do some scissors exercises from your primary position on your back. These consist of spreading open your legs and then closing them again, mimicking this same action with your arms (sort of like "swimming strokes" on your back). Do a number of repetitions of this exercise, breathing deeply and slowly and maintaining a consistent breathing pattern.
EXERCISE 4---Walking
You may buy all the exercise equipment you want and spend countless hours doing repetitions of endless exercises at your favorite gym, but for my money, none of these touches a good brisk walk!You are strongly encouraged to warm up to walking by completing Exercises 1, 2 and 3, above. The purpose of this is to avoid any possible stress or strain by adequately warming up your muscles and making them receptive to your continued workout.There is a beauty to walking that no other exercise can match. It provides far more than just exercise. It positively makes thinking clearer and simpler, it facilitates movement in almost all the muscle groups at the same time, it challenges controlled breathing and brings you into a contact with nature that is wholly missing in our day-to-day, lightening-fast pace of living.
When you walk, swing your arms. Extend them in different directions from your body. If you feel encouraged to add a short jog to the middle of your walk, do so, but go easy, especially at first, and do no do this with the idea of testing yourself or "looking good" in the eyes of others. Forget how you look! Exercise for the good it does your body - not for how good you think others may think you look while you're doing it. "Posing" while exercising is an excellent way to compromise your body and to stress or strain yourself in the process.
Be always in absolute control of your body at whatever the speed is you have chosen to workout!How great a distance you walk is up to you. Most research indicates that a mile walk as a minimum. That's about 16 city blocks.I also encourage you to have about 3 or 4 different walking routes and to vary these with frequency. Keeping your walk "interesting" can play an important role in sticking with it!
EXERCISE 5---Unwind!
Unwinding at the end of an exercise period is just as important as warming up. When you get back from your walk, don't let this automatically end your workout.You will want to unwind and "shake it off" first, as the saying goes. There is no better way to do this than through a light stretch-out. Repeat Exercise 1 in whole or in part, until your breathing has returned to normal (usually 5 to 8 minutes).
Cap your workout with great, long shower, drink at least one glass of water, and if hunger sets in, try some really different energy drink, such as by blending a mango, a banana and a few slices of cantaloupe (add 5-6 pieces of ice and a cup of water). This drink is chock full of vitamins and minerals and is delicious to boot!
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