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Do a little desk yoga

Take a few minutes out of your workday to stretch your tired muscles and feel fabulous.

By Michele Drake

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When you sit in the same position for too long, the supply of oxygen to your brain is restricted, leading to fatigue. Here are some easy techniques to limber your body, lengthen tightening muscles and maintain alertness throughout your day.

What you need
A footstool
When you are at your desk, make sure your feet are propped up on a footstool to alleviate pressure on your lower back.
A timer
A timer provides a constant reminder to stretch throughout your day. Set it for 30 minutes. If you can't fit stretching in every time, at least sit up tall, roll your shoulders back, squeeze your shoulder blades together and open up your chest. Take nice big belly breaths to the count of five in and five out. Do five to 10 repetitions whenever the timer sounds.

Practise safe stretching
Static stretching refers to holding the muscle in a lengthened state. This can be dangerous to do on cool muscles. Execute active stretches, which do not require long holds. These stretches help the blood flow to the muscles, causing joint lubrication and warmth to the area.
Also, it is important to avoid adding bounce to your stretches. This could lead to overstretching and muscle tears. A fluid motion with no pain is what you are after.

*Click here for exercises that'll make you feel great at the office.

These simple exercises will benefit your mind, body, soul and business.

Michele Drake is a Toronto-based fitness consultant. She is certified with a long list of associations including the Canadian Personal Trainers Network, CanFitPro and the Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology. She is also the founder and creator of a pre and postnatal fitness regime Healthy Me, Healthy You.



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