Stretching At The Office

Being at your best both physically and mentally can produce a less stressful day at the office. Workload demands, time pressures, deadlines, and more can bring you down and stress you out quicker than you realize. Most office jobs require sitting behind a desk, working on a computer, or paperwork for the most part of the day.  This type of work or office environment doesn’t provide the relief for the physical body or the mental state, rather it causes stress.

Stretching at the office is one good way to provide health benefits that will be felt immediately. The benefits of stretching have been proven medically as being able to:

1. Loosen the muscles

2. Increase the range of motion in the joints

3. Increase your blood circulation

4. Increase your oxygen intake

5. Relieve you of stress

Being at work all day does not prevent you from stretching at the office. You need to release stress. One good thing about stretching is that it does not require much space at all. Even age is not a factor when it comes to stretching, it provides stress relief to those of all ages.

Stretching techniques can easily be performed in a small area such as your office or work cubicle. Ready to be stress free at the office? The main things to remember are:

*Be sure to warm up first. You can do damage if you do not go into your stretch slowly. Warm up by moving around just a little at first, then slightly more at a time.

*After you reach your maximum stretching point, try to hold it for about 20 to 30 seconds. Then release.

*Be sure to relax and breathe deeply. Lack of breathing will not relieve stress.

*Do not "bounce" while you are in your stretch as this could cause small tears to your muscles or joints.

If you are feeling any pain, then you are stretching too far. Ease up and only stretch to the point of no pain, then hold it for about 30 seconds, then relax and stretch the other side. Try and find time to stretching at the office several times a day. When you feel your stress levels go down, you will not want to stop stretching!

Stretching at the office can be fun if you can get others involved. Set aside a time for office stretches. Management might even be impressed with work performance after stretching has been done on a regular basis, and office stress is low. You might even talk to management about getting involved in a "stretching at the office" class. Other such programs have been proven to be beneficial to both the company and its employees. A happy employee can increase the bottom line of any business.

Go ahead, give it a try, and feel the difference that it makes!