Stretching is one of those things, much like exercising and eating more fibre, that you know you’d benefit from. Whenever you feel a twinge in your back, or wake up with your shoulders around your ears, you are likely to vow to stretch yourself out more.
As with all things that are good for us, it can be hard to actually keep up with them – but you don’t need to dedicate hours a week to stretching to feel the benefits. According to a new large-scale study, the more flexible you are, the more likely you are to live longer – and you only need “five minutes a day to transform your health” according to the study’s lead author.
With that in mind, we’ve spoken to personal trainers, yoga teachers, and therapists who specialise in movement to find the key stretches you can fold into your day with minimal effort. No long classes here, just under a minute of exercises you can do as and when.
We’ve also ordered these from the least to most dynamic – starting with the ones you can do at your desk, to those that require a bit more floor space.
Neck Rolls
The stretch recommended by all our experts was neck rolls. As Rosaria Barreto, exercise specialist at Mature Movers explains: “This stretch targets stiffness and tension in the neck and shoulders, often caused by stress or poor posture and enhances blood flow to the neck and upper back muscles, aiding recovery and relaxation.”
To do a neck roll, you can either sit or stand upright, keeping your shoulders relaxed and down. Slowly drop your chin to your chest, feeling a stretch along the back of your neck. Gently roll your head to one side, letting your ear move toward your shoulder. Continue the roll to the back (if comfortable), then to the other side, and back to the starting position.
Move slowly and deliberately, avoiding any sharp or jerky motions.
Spinal twist
Together with neck rolls, psychotherapist and clinical yoga therapist Nadyne McKie recommends a seated spinal twist. “This is key to helping us to relieve tension and stress, and is an easy way to promote better breathing. It’s also easy to do at work!”
To do a seated spinal twist, sit upright with your head centred.
Twist horizontally to one side, taking the opposite hand to the opposite leg and looking to the same side your hand is. Imagine creating space in your rib cage.
Repeat on the other side all the while breathing slowly and gently.
“This helps to relieve shoulder and neck tension and encourages space in the rib cage for better diaphragmatic breathing,” she adds.
Standing cat-cow
Cat-cow is a classic yoga stretch – but you don’t need to get on your hands and knees to feel the benefits, explains yoga teacher Chloe Markham. “This stretch mobilises the spine in both flexion and extension, counteracting stiffness from sitting at a desk all day. It also improves posture and gently engages the core.”
How to do it: Stand with feet hip-width apart, hands on your thighs. On an inhale, arch your back, lifting your chest and looking up (cow). On the exhale, round your spine, tucking your chin and tailbone (cat). Repeat slowly for one minute, feeling free to wiggle or rotate the spine in ways that feel good.
Forward fold
You’ll be familiar with forward fold from PE classes – it’s the precursor to attempts to touch your toes. But the benefits don’t come from wrenching your hands forward, explains Rosaria; they come from gently decompressing the spine and improving circulation. And they can be done standing or seated.
For a standing forward fold: Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and maintain a bend in your knees. Slowly roll down, vertebra by vertebra, until your upper body hangs toward the floor. Allow the crown of your head to drop, and relax your upper body completely to let gravity decompress your spine.
For a seated forward fold: Sit on a chair or bench with your legs positioned as wide as you need, especially if you have a larger abdomen. Gently fold forward, letting your arms and head hang. Adjust your leg position for comfort to avoid compressing your abdomen.
Chest opener
One of the consequences of our largely sedentary lifestyles is tight pectoral muscles, says Tej Patel, personal trainer. “This is what contributes to rounded shoulders and poor posture. Opening the chest combats this, allowing better alignment of the spine, improving breathing, and relieving tension in the upper back.”
To do a chest opener, stand sideways on to the wall on your right side. Bend your right arm up at 90°, your palm flat at head height and your forearm and hand touching the wall.
Using your own weight and the wall’s resistance, open up your chest until you feel a stretch in your shoulder. Hold this for 30 seconds to one minute.
Turn to face left side on and repeat with your left arm, opening the left side of your chest.
Downward dog
A classic for a reason, Chloe says that the downward dog is “particularly good for relieving tension from long periods of sitting or standing.”
Start on hands and knees, with wrists slightly forward of shoulders and knees under hips. Tuck your toes and lift your hips towards the ceiling, creating an inverted “V” shape. Keep your knees bent and focus on pressing through the hands to lift the hips to the sky. Hold for a minute, focusing on breathing deeply.
Hip opener/squat
Another common problem for people who spend a lot of time sitting is that your hips get very tight. The solution, Chloe says, is to get into doing hip openers. “It strengthens the lower body while improving mobility, digestion, and circulation.”
Stand with feet slightly wider than hip-width, toes pointing out. Squat down, bringing your elbows to the inside of your knees if that feels good (using slight pressure to press them open), or hands supporting on the floor if this is a challenge. Hold for 30 seconds to a minute, giving yourself the freedom to move gently if that feels good. It should feel like an opening up through the hips.
