Page 20 - 914INC - Q3 - 2013

AGENDA
Q3 2013
POWER POINTS
POWER POINTS
No Gym? No Problem
Seven simple stretches you can perform right
in the office
WE ALL KNOW THAT FEEL- ING at the end of a long day (night?) at the office, when your wrists hurt and your back is sore. We asked Charles DeFrancesco, personal trainer and owner of Pure Fitness, a gym located in a White Plains office complex, to guide us through several stretches that can help fix the office aches without hav- ing to leave the office. DeFrancesco says workers often hunch over their desks without realizing it, leaving their
spine in a vulnerable position.
That, he says, is “a recipe for
aches and pain.” Additionally,
sitting in one position all day
long can lead to repetitive
stress injuries. “The only way to prevent them is to regu- larly stretch and exercise,” says DeFrancesco, who recommends the
following moves (demonstrated by our in-office IT director, Lenny Carpenito).
Chest >
Pec Door Stretch
Face a corner in your office or stand in a doorway. Place forearms on wall/doorway at shoulder height. Keep upper body vertical, and lean forward past your forearms. Hold for 20 seconds. Repeat as needed.
Sitting at a desk all day causes “anterior [front of body] muscles to tighten, because you are in a flexed position all day long,” DeFrancesco says. This exercise can help correct the postural distortion of those muscles.
< Shoulders
Standing Chest/Pec Release
Stand up and place hands flat on each side of your lower spine. Take a deep breath as you lift your chest up and push elbows towards one another. Hold, then slowly exhale as you return to the initial position. Repeat as needed.
“By stretching the tight anterior muscles and doing simple exercises for the weak posterior [back of body] muscles, one can eliminate the most common aches and pains,” DeFrancesco says.
Neck >
Neck Retraction—Seated
Sit up in your chair and look straight ahead. Try and keep the top of your head parallel to the ground. Use your neck to gently pull your chin inwards as if nod- ding “yes.” Hold for four seconds, then slowly move forward to original position and relax muscles. Repeat.
< Wrists
Wrist Flexors—Elbow Extended While sitting, lengthen arms straight out in front of you with fingers up and palms facing forward. With one hand, grab the fingers of the other and slowly stretch wrist up towards your body. Switch hands and repeat.
Wrist Extensors—Elbow Extended While sitting, put arms straight out, with fingers up and palms face-forward. Now, point your fingers to the ground (you’ll look like a walking zombie). Grab one hand with
the other and slowly stretch the wrist down towards your body. Switch hands and repeat.
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Photos by Sasha Ginsberg and Halina Weker
Back >
Mid-Back Stretch Stand and hold a stable surface with one hand. Turn hips away from that hand and lean back. Make sure to keep back straight. Switch arms, repeat.
“Every 30 to 45 minutes, you should get up to walk around, maybe get some water, and do some stretches,” DeFrancesco says.
< Thighs
Quads—Standing
While standing, hold a desk or the back of a chair with one hand. Raise one heel towards buttocks and grab your foot above the ankle joint. While keeping your back straight, lean forward slightly and pull your leg back to open up your hip, slowly bringing your knee behind until you feel a stretch. Return to original position, switch sides, and repeat.
—AH