Motion is Lotion - Easy ways to bring movement back into your day - November 2020 - Lolly Als, Sports & Remedial Massage therapist
Since returning to work, I’ve noticed a recurring theme when it comes to clients’ telling me about their aches & pains. When lockdown hit, a lot of office-based workers had to adapt to working from home, & for most, this meant creating a makeshift office at home. Seven months in, & clients are telling me that their bodies are feeling the toll of it all. Back, neck & shoulder complaints have become even more common than before. Does this sound familiar?
Soft-tissue therapy (aka sports & remedial massage) can be great to help ease some of that discomfort, but if you revert back to sitting at your desk for 8+ hours per day, with little-to-no movement, it's likely that the discomfort will return. There are things that you can do & small adjustments you can make to help provide more long-lasting relief.
I want to share 5 tips that I often give to my clients:
If you haven’t already, invest in a separate keyboard & mouse for your laptop. A separate monitor would be ideal too, but if you don’t have access to one, you can place your laptop on top of some books, so your eye-line is level with the top ⅓ of the screen.
Set a reminder to get up from your desk every 30-45mins. Go and get a drink of water, do a few mobilisations (see below), or, if you really can’t justify taking a few minutes out, just simply stand up & walk around your chair. This gives you the opportunity for movement, albeit brief. And allows you to check in with your body & any tension or stiffness you may be feeling.
Relieve discomfort in your neck/back/shoulders with the aid of spikey balls/a peanut/foam roller. A little bit of this work really can go a long way.
Here are a couple of my favourite releases:
Chest & back all in one
Lie on the foam roller - making sure your pelvis & head are supported. Take some DEEP BREATHS & allow your chest to open. Once you’ve spent a minute or so doing this, roll off the foam roller (carefully!) & lie on the floor - feel the difference - it’s divine!
Upper back release
Place the spikey ball in between your shoulder blade & spine. Find those slightly tender spots & BREATH. Once the intensity has reduced, move on to the next spot.
Neck release
Place the peanut (or two spikey balls) at the base of your head. You may have to hold them in place to prevent them from sliding around. First, just BREATH. Then, nod your head up & down to create some friction between the peanut & the soft tissues of your neck. If you suffer with tension headaches or have a bit of a forward head posture, this one's for you!
4. Mobilise your neck/shoulders/lower back when you’re feeling stiff.
I think you’ll feel most benefit if you take the area through its natural range of motion, as opposed to holding static stretches, as motion is lotion!
Here are a few of my favourite mobilisations -
Cat/Cow:
Thoracic extension:
5. Incorporate MORE movement into your day.
Try to offset some of those hours spent sitting. In my opinion, the most productive thing you can do is engage in a physical activity that you enjoy, as you’re more likely to keep at it if it's something that brings you joy. Be it Yoga or Dance, a HIIT session, a run, swim, cycle, or walk.
The key thing is to try & dedicate some time to moving your body EVERY day.
The kit:
You don’t need lots of kit, but here are some items I can’t live without -
You can find them easily by doing a quick search, but here are links for ease
Foam Roller:
There are many on the market. You don’t need an all singing/dancing one. Length is important as it gives you versatility. Go for the 15 x 90 cm ones. Something like this would be good.
Spiky massage ball
Go for the 8cm “soft” ones.
Peanut