5 stretches to do every day if you stand all day at your job
Whether you have to be on your feet all day for your job or you have moved to a standing desk arrangement because you’re trying not to spend all day sitting down, standing up all day can lead to pain in your legs, swollen feet, tight calves and even lower back pain. One thing you can do is to ensure you are wearing comfortable shoes with compression socks, but there are stretches you can do to help. We’ve put together a list of five that are effective at relieving pain and also help to strength your muscles.
Split Squats
Put one leg forward and take the other leg back to give you a long stance. When in this position slowly drop straight down until your back knee touches the floor and you can feel your thigh in your front leg stretching. Slowly rise up again and repeat with your legs reversed. Doing this a few times can help to relieve pain in your legs and strengthen your thigh muscles.
Standing Half Moon
A relatively easy yoga stretch to do is the Standing Half Moon. Stand normally and raise your arms above your head until the palms touch, making sure your keep your arms straight. Bend to your right, slowly, until you can feel the muscles on the left side of your body stretching. Try to keep the rest of your body as still as possible and don’t push your hips to the left. Simply bend until you feel a slight stretch. Hold this pose for ten seconds and then slowly return to standing straight. Then bend to the left.
Tree Pose
The tree pose is not only an excellent stretch for your back and legs, it can also help to improve your balance. Standing on one leg, raise the other leg and place your foot on the inside of your thigh. If you can’t get your leg that high, the place your foot against your calf. Raise your arms above your head and bring your palms together, keeping your arm straight. Hold this pose for ten seconds and then slowly lower your arms and leg. Repeat standing on the other leg.
Fold Forwards
When it comes to stretching your back and legs to relieve pain, one of the simplest things you can do is to stand with your legs shoulder width apart with your knees slightly bent. Once in this position slowly fold yourself forwards until you feel the stretch in your back. Don’t push yourself to go further forward just let your arms hang down in front of you and feel your back and legs stretching. Hold it for twenty to forty seconds and then slowly roll back up to standing. If you need a more advanced pose, then bring your legs closer together and bend your nose to the knee, placing your hands on the floor by your feet.
The Plank
The plank is something that is designed to help strengthen your core muscles, but it is also an incredible stretch if you have pain in your back. If you suffer from sciatica or simply have lower back pain then doing the plank for as long as you can and slowly building up how long you can hold it will not only stretch your back but strength it too so that the pain you feel standing up all day is lessened.
To do the plank simply lie on your front in the press up position, only have your forearms pressed flat on the floor. Lift your body off the floor and keeping it in a straight line. Hold it for as long as you can and lower yourself back to the floor. It is hard at first, but it is very effective if you keep practicing. Don’t worry if you can only hold it for 5 seconds, it all helps!