Whether you’ve been at your desk all day or reawakening after a long haul flight, your movement has properly been hugely limited. This lack of movement is no good for your joints, brain or motivation.
Joints that are meant to exhibit mobility start to lock down smaller ranges, making us stiff and sore. As a result, moving into larger ranges begins to feel uncomfortable. This is also no good for your brain- it needs movement. Regions of the brain such as those responsible for learning, retaining and recalling information develop as a result of your body moving. This translates into a more effective, productive and focused you. Whether you’re presenting to the board or pitching to investors you need to be at your peak, and movement is the answer. Finally, in being sedentary your motivation may wane. When we move and exercise, the “motivation molecule”, dopamine, is released. This neurotransmitter has the residual effect of stimulating us to be more alert and focused. Indeed, research has shown that those who exercise habitually enjoy higher levels of dopamine accounting for improved productivity.
Here are a great series of exercises designed to get your spine moving, addressing all three of the areas above. These are great exercises to do after a bout of inactivity, particularly if you’ve been sat down for prolonged periods. They will open up your body and revitalise you, setting you up for success throughout the day.
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Up and Down Reach
This is a wonderful movement to get the spine flexing and extending to its optimum.
Side to Side Reach
Get your spine moving from side to side. It’s not a common movement we go through in our everyday life, which is exactly why we should be doing it. Don’t be afraid to let your hips come along for the ride to
Rotational Reach
This feels great. You might feel lots of clicks, which you may well find relieving. Once again, it’s not too common a movement for those of us who are inactive.
Give these exercises a go, and let us know on Twitter and Facebook how you get on.
Holistic Motions is a health coaching company that uses a data-driven approach to optimise your movement, nutrition and regeneration. The result is a lean, fit, strong and energised version of you.