Workplace Health

Keeping Limber on the Job

Summary & Participants

Every computer athlete needs to take time to stretch overused muscles.

Medically Reviewed On: August 05, 2008

Webcast Transcript

ANNOUNCER: Spending long hours at the computer can be a pain in the neck – not to mention shoulders, back, arms and hands!

Deborah Quilter, Fitness Trainer: We are not meant to be sitting like this all day long. The human body was meant to move.

ANNOUNCER: But while you probably can’t give up your computer, you can protect yourself by taking breaks and stretching those over-used muscles, right at your own desk. Fitness trainer Deborah Quilter has a series of easy stretches that can be done without ever leaving your cubicle.

Deborah Quilter, Fitness Trainer: It's nice to start just by stretching your shoulders, lifting your shoulders up and then releasing them down. You can do that a couple of times, just releasing the tension in your neck, bringing them up and down.

ANNOUNCER: For the neck, she suggests practicing “no, yes, and maybe.”

Deborah Quilter, Fitness Trainer: I call these the no’s. You can just look to the side, hold it for a while, keep breathing and then you can come back to center. And you can inhale as you come to center. Exhale as you look to the other side, keep breathing.

Deborah Quilter, Fitness Trainer: The yeses are just dropping your chin. It lengthens the back of your neck.

Deborah Quilter, Fitness Trainer: So, yeses, no’s and maybe's. Keeping the ear toward the shoulder as though you're trying to listen to your shoulder saying something. And it gives you a fabulous stretch along this side.

ANNOUNCER: Quilter also says don’t forget the arms and hands.

Deborah Quilter, Fitness Trainer: Keeping your shoulder low, you can pull the top of the hand down, that stretches the top of the forearm. It really gives a nice stretch on the top of the forearms.

ANNOUNCER: Finally, she urges every computer athlete to get up out of the chair.

Deborah Quilter, Fitness Trainer: One of the best things you can do is something as simple as marching in place. You are getting blood circulating and this is helping your whole body in many, many ways.

ANNOUNCER: Quilter cautions computer users to avoid any exercise that causes pain. But if you don’t overdo it – stretches can help you keep limber on the job. Thanks for joining us on today’s Once Daily.