Most of us suffer from stiff shoulders, chest, and neck, which we can all blame on our demanding desk jobs.
Physical therapists all agree that various stiff joints are a direct result of sitting too much and are not a result of sports or other physical activities.
Flexed hips, hunched shoulders, drawn chests, and a drooping head are how most of us generally sit. We stay like this for hours on end, and this continued posture makes our muscles and joints feel as if they are stuck in one position.
There may be sports-related reasons for stiffness too, but nothing is as common a cause as sitting. Moving around flexes your muscles and gives your body motion, whereas sitting does not. Hence, sitting is far worse for your body than any sport could ever be.
Here is an effective remedy to combat stiffness caused by sitting. It will help you with stiffness as this stretch places the joints in the opposite angle from how you sit, opening up the chest and shoulders. It stretches the areas of the body that are hunched when you sit. This is a very simple move that also makes you feel amazing!
How to do it
Take your bed or the floor, and stack two piles of pillows close together and as high as possible. Lie on this pile with the pillows supporting your shoulders, back and buttocks and stretch your arms and legs off the pillows and make the shape of a star from your body. Lay your head back, and take a few deep breaths. Stay like this for 3 minutes.
Make it harder:
Strech yourself even more by doing a bridge with a stability ball. Strech over this like you did over the pile of pillows with your stomach facing upwards. Hold this position while taking deep breaths.
