On Your Feet All Day? These Five Exercises Can Stretch to Help Recover
Being on your feet all day is grueling. It takes its toll on your legs and the rest of the body. After a few hours you feel the consequences, prickly numbness begins to spread through your calves causing discomfort. By the end of the day you just want to collapse on a seat. If you ever find yourself in a job that requires you to stand all day or most of the day, here are five easy exercises, to help you unwind those tired muscles and keep you in top form.
1. Hamstring Stretch
Lie on your back on a smooth hard surface and extend your leg up. Bend your right knee towards your chest keeping your left leg extended on the floor. This is beneficial because it helps tone your thighs. Your hamstrings are a group of three muscles at the back of your thighs. Tight hamstring stretches may cause lower back pain so it is important to keep them loose and fit to help reduce injuries. Another way to do a hamstring stretch is through toe touches. Stand up straight and then touch your toes with the tip of your fingers keeping your legs straight. You should feel the stretch along your hamstrings.
2. Figure 8 Hip Rotations
Circle your hips as if you were creating the figure eight. This helps relieve hip tightness and blood stagnation in the lower extremities by shifting the balance from one hip to another.
3. Calf Stretch
Another part of the body that takes the force from having to stand up all day is the calves. Simple calf stretches can help relieve muscle tightness in this part. Put both of your hands on your right thigh and bend your right leg at an angle. Stretch out your left leg with your heel up while bending your right leg lower. Do the same for the other leg. You should feel the stretch along your calves. Another way to do this is to face the wall. Face the wall placing both of your hands on the wall and extend your right leg back keeping your feet flat on the floor. You should feel the stretch along your calf muscles. Do the same for the other leg.
4. Yoga Back Stretches
Lie face down on a mat on the floor. With your hand and arms raise your upper body from the ground. Lift your upper body as high as you can. This is called the yoga Cobra Pose for spinal extension. It helps stretch and release tension in the back.
5. Yoga Child’s Pose
Kneel on the floor keeping your knees wide apart. Rest your buttocks on your heels. Bow all the way forward draping your torso on your thighs. Keep your arms and palms extended facing down. Keep your forehead on the floor. In this pose the spinal muscles lengthen giving relief to back tightness and pain.
Aside from exercise other ways to ease the discomfort of having to stand up all day should be done such as adapting correct posture and having good comfortable footwear. These small adjustments can help save you from having a tough shift to a good one.
