Like a lot of people, I spend most of my working day hunched over a desk. When I finish and clock off, I usually feel stiff and achy from holding this position for too long.
I've interviewed plenty of trainers and physical therapists, who always recommend regular movement as the best way to counteract these aches and pains—exercise snacks, hip stretches and one-minute workouts can all work wonders. But when I spoke to physical therapist Dr Andy Fata-Chan, he said we should all be incorporating some calming breathwork into our movement breaks, too.
His suggested routine consists of five calming breaths, a 60-second wall stretch and a 30-second couch stretch on each leg. You can see the moves demonstrated in the video below or find a detailed breakdown in the interview here.
I decided to set up an hourly reminder on my phone and committed to following the routine for a week —here's everything I learned during the process.
How to do the routine
1. Breathwork can make stretching easier
According to Dr. Fata-Chan, doing some breathwork can release upper-body tension. Sure enough, my neck and shoulders felt much looser after taking some calm breaths. But that wasn't the only benefit I experienced from this part of the routine.
Focusing on my breath helped me shift my attention inward, away from my work, so that I felt more relaxed before stretching. Because I was relaxed, I felt a lot more comfortable holding the poses.
2. You can adapt stretches to get their full benefit
When I first started doing this sequence, I really hated the wall stretch. Facing a wall for 60 seconds felt dull and I struggled to feel any benefits. But when I stretched my hands further up and stood higher on my toes, I experienced a deeper stretch, especially in my shoulders and calves.
This helped me learn an important lesson: you can (and should) adapt stretches to suit your specific needs.
3. Challenging stretches can help you identify problem areas
The couch stretch was the most difficult move for me. It helped me realize just how stiff my quads—the muscles in the front on my thighs—were, as I struggled to hold it comfortably.
Gradually, over the first day, my quads loosened up, allowing me to feel the stretch in my hip flexors, too. By the end of the week, this move became easier and it’s now a staple in my stretching routine. Practicing it regularly has made my quads and hip flexors a lot happier.
4. Regular breaks can improve productivity
Being more productive at work isn’t why I work on my 5K run times or squat technique. However, I noticed that pausing every hour improved my focus. From now on, I’m going to make sure I squeeze in regular breaks into my day, as it helps me get through my to-do list.
