Why do You Need Leg Stretches While Sitting at Desk?
Leg stretches while sitting at a desk help combat diseases that sitting for too long causes. These include heart disease, high blood pressure, and stroke. You can avoid these pains that come with work while sitting at a desk by engaging in lower body stretches that prevent tension below your hip.
Today we’ll be looking at the 5 best leg stretches while sitting at a desk.
5 Best Leg Stretches While Sitting At Desk
Standing Quad Stretch
Quad stretches help improve the quadriceps’ motion and allow for pain-free movement of the leg.
How To:
While standing, hold onto the desk or a stable object with your left hand. Hold your right ankle firmly with your right hand and draw your foot up below the hip region. Tilt your body in such a way that the front of your pelvic rises while the backdrops and rotates upward (posterior tilt). Do this to strengthen the stretch. Also, hold for 15-30 seconds and repeat on the other leg.
Sitting Hamstrings Stretch
Hamstrings are used in our everyday movements. It is essential to keep them loose, and stretching helps avoid muscle strain and tear. Activities such as walking and sitting for long at a desk can lead to tightness of the hamstring.
How to:
Keep your feet flat on the floor while sitting with your back close to the edge of the chair. Straighten your right leg with the heel on the floor and your toes pointing up. Bend forward at the hip and use your left leg for support. Make sure your spine is neutral, and hold the stretch for 15-30 seconds. Move to your left leg and repeat as often as you can.
Ankle Circle
Stretching and strengthening the ankle muscles help improve ankle joint mobility.
How to:
In a sitting position, start by turning your ankle around in circles both to the left and to the right. Repeat this on each foot for at least 10-20 seconds as often as possible. You should only restrict movement to the foot and ankle.
Toe Toucher
We all did this stretch when little; we just never paid attention to it. It is an excellent way to relieve tensed legs at work.
How to:
Sit at the edge of your chair and straighten your legs. With your legs straight, try to touch your toes in that position. Hold it for 15-20 seconds until you feel the effect on your back and the back of your legs. Repeat as often as you can.
Seated Pigeon Stretch
It is one of the easiest leg stretches and can be done while sitting at a desk.
How to:
Sit upright in your chair and cross your right ankle over your left knee. Bend your right foot until you feel a stretch in your right glute and outer hip. Hold for 15-30 seconds and repeat on the other leg.
Conclusion
Sitting at a desk for too long has a lot of health implications. It increases your chances of cancer and diabetes amongst many other complications. You honestly don’t want any of these to happen to you.
The good news is that movements of the body help you combat the potential of picking any unwarranted disease from sitting too long.
While exercising your legs and lower parts of your body, it is also important that you treat your upper body parts to some exercises as well.
Check out our 5 Best Upper Body Stretches For Office Workers, Everyday
