I'm a desk job worker who spends too much time sitting down but this wall stretching routine helps me feel less stiff

A woman sits at a wooden plank desk with a laptop open in front of her. She is stretching her neck towards her right shoulder and massaging it with her left hand. There are plants either side of the laptop and a glass bottle of water.

I spend most of my days sitting down between Monday and Friday when I'm working at my desk. I know this isn't good for my body—humans aren't supposed to sit down all day and doing so can shorten muscles and reduce range of movement in our joints. I regularly do hip stretches to undo the damage of sitting along with moves like pigeon pose to combat this, but I’m always on the lookout for new routines to try.

I recently came across a stretching session from yoga and mobility instructor Liv Townsend, better known online as Livinleggings, which caught my attention. Townsend incorporates a wall into all of the stretches for added resistance.

When I'm at the gym, I like to stretch using resistance bands, but I don't have access to those at home so I was interested to see if a wall could be a good substitute. Here’s what I found.

How to do the six-move wall stretching routine

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There are six stretches in this routine and all you need to do them is access to a wall. I also used my yoga mat to support my knees during some of the stretches.

Townsend recommends completing each stretch for 60 seconds, on both sides of the body where applicable. The entire routine will take less than ten minutes, here are the moves:

• Couch stretch
• Figure four
• Forward fold
• Puppy stretch
• Standing side bend
• Straddle

The benefits of wall stretches

This routine mobilizes your entire body, including commonly tight areas like the hamstrings, glutes and shoulders.

I've tried some of these stretches before but doing them against a wall was helpful for several reasons. Firstly, it provided support in certain positions, such as the standing side bend, so I didn't have to worry about balance and could focus on moving deeply into the stretch.

Secondly, it increased the intensity of the stretches, as the wall acted as a form of resistance gently pushing my body into each stretch. It was particularly useful during the puppy stretch, which provided immediate relief to my tight shoulders.

This was a great routine to do during a break from my desk and I'll be coming back to it when feeling stiff. It reduced the ache in my muscles and I think if done regularly, it could improve my flexibility too.

Shop yoga mats

Need something soft and supportive for your stretching routine?. The below options are all taken from our guide to the best yoga mats, so they have been tried and tested.

Jade yoga travel mat

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Manduka Pro Lite Yoga Mat