Sitting at your desk all day? These quick movement routines can help

Mr Ramaprabhu Krishnappa Ramamurthy, Physiotherapist at Medcare Physio & Rehab Centre, Dubai

While work-from-home may give you the comfort of working within the space of your own home, it can also take a toll on your body especially if you do not follow proper schedules or take regular breaks.

One must keep in mind to keep their limbs moving and consciously move away from their work spaces every few hours to keep the blood circulation moving.

Movement routines you can try while taking a break from work:

• Neck Rotations: Moving your head clock-wise 5 times and anti-clock wise 5 times, slowly and steadily
• Eye Ball Focus: Try and focus on an object that is approximately 20 meters away and hold focus for 20 seconds
• Shoulder Shrugs and Rotations: Shrug your shoulders up and down 10 – 15 times. Rotate your shoulders 10 – 15 times clock-wise and anti-clockwise, slowly and steadily
• Wrist Rotations and Finger Squeezes: Fingers tend to get stiff when constantly working on the computer. Take a break from typing and/or writing and perform some wrist rotations by turning your wrists clock-wise and anti-clockwise, 10-15 times. Fold your fingers into a fist and squeeze them tightly and relax slowly. You may also use a stress ball to perform this exercise.
• Standing for a while with a quick walk around: Sometimes, all we need is to take a break and give a different view to our eyes away from our screens. Stand up from your seat for a while, drink some water and walk around the house for a few minutes. Relax the body for a few minutes before returning to the designated work area.