Sitting at a desk (as a lot of professions require) is not a natural state for our bodies to be in. This stagnation can create negative patterns that our muscles "stick" with, and these muscle fiber adhesions can lead to the stiffness and eventual pain of staying in one position for too long. Over time, it becomes harder to loosen those sticky spots. So what can we do to help prevent this? We can stretch at regular intervals druing the work day.
We are made to move - and even small moments of movement throughout the day can be very beneficial to assist in keeping muscles nice and pliable. If you are reading this at a desk right now, take a moment to examine how your body is positioned... are you sitting in a chair with arms extended outward, head leaning forward, and lower lumbar slumped? Are your legs crossed? Perhaps you are even leaning a little bit more to one side than the other. When doing your stretches, try to do some that oppose the Stuck position of sitting, of intently looking at a screen. Get up and touch your toes to stretch out the lower back. For other simple examples, check out this quick video (by clicking Source below).
Animals instinctively know that stretching is necessary. Let's follow their example. Meow.
Take care,
Sarah