Joint comfort: 5 exercises to do at your desk or while teleworking

For your joint comfort, prevention is better than cure!

It's well known that juggling work, social life, and physical activity is difficult for everyone. Office jobs are no exception and promote a sedentary lifestyle, the human body's number one enemy. They often lead to musculoskeletal disorders, back problems, joint discomfort, and neck pain. So to avoid all this, the only remedy is movement!

In this article, we offer you 5 quick and easy exercises to do at your desk or while working remotely.

Hand and arm stretches

1. Place your arms outstretched in front of you, palms facing down. With one hand, gently bend your fingers backward. This will help stretch your hands and fingers after typing for a long time.
2. In the same position, clench your fists and then spread your fingers as wide as possible. Repeat this action 10 to 15 times to finally feel your muscles relax. At the same time, don't hesitate to raise and lower your arms one after the other; this will also work your shoulders and back.

Shoulder Stretches

1. Slowly roll your shoulders back. Breathe deeply as you lift them, then exhale as you release them. Repeat this movement for as long as possible, approximately 10 to 15 times to feel the benefits.
2. Bring both hands together toward your back. The goal is to bring your shoulder blades together as closely as possible. Hold this position for a few seconds.
3. Place your hands crossed on your shoulders and then lean from right to left to stretch your ribs and upper torso.

Neck Stretches

1. Slowly tilt your head toward your right shoulder, pull a little further with the opposite arm, and then slowly bring it back to the center. Repeat the same movement on the left side.
2. Place your shoulders back and rotate your head to the side. Slowly begin to make a circular motion, one or two turns. Once you've done this, repeat the motion in the other direction.

Knee stretches

1. Sit on the front edge of your chair and extend one leg out in front of you, resting your heel on the floor. Your toes should be straight and pointing toward the ceiling.
2. Keep your leg straight and your knee unbent
3. Lean forward by bending at your hips, keeping your back straight until you feel a stretch in your back thigh.

Ankle stretches

1. Bend your knee to place the top of your foot on the floor with your toes pointing down
2. Slowly push your foot toward the floor until you feel a stretch across the top of your foot and ankle.
3. Hold this position for 30 seconds then repeat the action 3 to 4 times
4. Repeat all of these steps to stretch your second ankle.

These simple exercises can and should be repeated at least twice a day. They only take a few minutes, so give yourself a couple of moments a day to do them—you won't regret it!