Nine Stretches and Alternate Instructions
WARNING! Before performing
the stretching exercises in Office Athlete®, or
any other stretching exercises, first, determine
if you should perform the Office Athlete® stretches
or any other exercise. If you have had a recent
physical problem or surgery, or if you feel any
pain while performing a stretch or exercise, consult
your physician before continuing.
Choose a link below to view more
details about the purpose of each stretching exercise
and how to perform the stretch properly:
Office Athlete® contains nine stretching exercises that you should try
to build into your daily work routine. These stretches
are beneficial because they keep your muscles limber.
This helps maintain good circulation, increases your
range of motion, and reduces muscle tension and fatigue.
Stretching for a few seconds every 30 to 40 minutes
may also help prevent
repetitive
strain injuries from developing.
Tips for performing the Office Athlete® stretches (or any other stretches)
- Start the stretch slowly and release it slowly.
- Hold the stretch for at least 5-10 seconds.
- Stretch until you feel a slight amount of tension
on the muscles that are being stretched. Hold the
stretch at this point for 5-1o seconds. The point
that you stretch to will vary from person to person
and from muscle to muscle. Stretching should feel
good: if you feel pain you have stretched too far.
- Be aware that muscles may be tighter on some
days than on others. Therefore, your range of motion
and your ability to stretch certain muscle groups
can change from day to day.
- Stretch in the morning before you start your
day’s activities and periodically during the day
to release tension that builds in your muscles.
- Pace yourself and alter your stretching accordingly.
If you no longer feel the pleasant tug from a stretch,
increase the stretch slightly until the tug returns.
Precautions while performing the Office Athlete® stretches:
- Avoid forcing a stretch. If the stretch feeling
becomes uncomfortable in any way, release the stretch.
Stretches should provide a comfortable feeling that
does not increase in intensity.
- Avoid bouncing the stretch. If you bounce (release
and re-stretch rapidly), you may contract the muscle
you are trying to stretch. When you stretch a muscle,
hold the stretched position for at least 5-10 seconds.
- Stretch only the muscles that you can. Stretch
muscles only as far as comfortable. Over time as
your muscles loosen, you will be able to stretch
more muscle groups and stretch them to greater degrees.