Very few things are as important as stretching. Many a NYC personal trainer has told me this. If you do nothing else, from an activity standpoint during the day, stretch. Most people the minimum movement each day. They get up, walk to the bathroom, walk to the bus or subway, take the elevator to the office, and sit most of the day, except to get lunch or go to the bathroom. The problem here is that, that is not the type of activity that leads to a healthy lifestyle. This is a recipe for an increased for chronic disease and injury.
For the purposes of this writing, we will focus on the increased risk of injury. Stretching is a great reducer of injury. Stretching helps increase your flexibility, range of motion, and energy. What can you do? There is an old adage that tells people they should stand up every 15 minutes. Take those little breaks to stand up at your desk and perform some stretches. You will see many people use stretching to try and wake themselves up at their desks. They throw their arms way up and out to their sides, sticking their chests out at the same time. Not one NYC personal trainer would call that productive.
Put together a few different three minute stretch programs that you can do. If you work with a personal trainer, ask them for some recommendations. If you don’t have a trainer, you can find one here. You can use a high back chair to steady yourself, stand on one leg and stretch the quads. Toe touchers are very easy to do in a small space. If you can, take a walk into the stairwell, go down to the landing and put one leg up a few steps to stretch out your hamstrings. There are many things you can do that are office appropriate. A personal trainer can show you the proper technique.
