Exercises you can do at your desk!

Following my post about the benefits of Pilates, heres some useful exercises you can do at your desk!

Note: With all sitting exercises you must be sitting up tall on your sit bones. Keep your core engaged (almost feel like you are pulling your belly button in towards your spine) and shoulders relaxed and down.

Dumb waiter

Sit with your elbows bent at 90 degrees. Keep them tucked into your waist while you open out your forearms and keep your back straight. Keep pressing your shoulders down while you repeatedly open and close your forearms.

Spine twist

Hold your hands on the back of your head. Keep elbows out to the side. Hips facing forward. Inhale through the nose and as you exhale through the mouth twist though the mid-point in your back to one side. Inhale and on exhale come back to center repeat on the other side. Do as many as you want but make sure you keep an even count.

Spine stretch forward

Sitting nice and tall, resting your hands on your lap. Breath in through your nose as you exhale tuck your chin to your chest and start rolling down through from the top of you back, only to half way down your back. Breath in and then on the exhale use your abdominals to pull your torso back up to sitting tall. Rolling through your spine bone by bone.

Lateral/side bend

Sitting up nice and tall, arms by your side as you breath out reach your right arm down one side of your chair with out leaning forward or backwards. Repeat on the other side.

Hip opener/Hip flexors

Cross one leg over the other (ankle on the knee) and bend forward over your legs with a flat back.

Single Leg raises

Sitting nice and tall with feet flat on the floor, extend one leg at a time focusing on activating the quadricep muscles and then slowly lower down. Alternate each leg.

Why not try a Pilates Class?

We offer a wide range of Pilates and Yoga Classes at our Hemel Hempstead Clinic, with our experienced and qualified instructors.

• Check out our Pilates Class Timetable
• New clients receive one free taster class!
• See our website for details and  special offers

Pippa
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Blog Post by Pippa
FCO Gym Manager & Personal Trainer
Emma James Physio

 

Pilates – gain a balanced body and mind

Pilates practice can help you gain a balanced body and mind. … A balanced body is one in which each part of the body works with one another to create and maintain a stable person. A balanced body is one that is mentally, emotionally, and physically stable.
The beauty of Pilates is that anyone, at any age can get started. Through the controlled and progressive movements, you can totally reshape your body.

Improved posture

By strengthening your core and improving your alignment of your spine.
Desk jobs encourage bad posture which can lead to kyphosis (rounding of the upper back) by working on muscular imbalances this can be reversed. Most Pilate moves help with scapula, shoulder and spine stability.

Improve flexibility

With longer hours of sitting we get tight hip flexors and generally stiff. Pilates encourages you to lengthen and expand your muscles.

Strengthen core

All Pilate moves require you to hold your core. Core muscles are not just your abdominals but the deep muscles running from the bottom of your head to your pelvis. They help support the trunk. Having a strong core will help support your back, which will help with pain and injury prevention.

Improve your balance

As you get older your balance becomes worse over time, this can then cause falls and injury. Pilates exercises require a more holistic approach and require activation and coordination of several muscle groups at the same time, which in turn improves your balance reducing the risk of falls.

Mental Health

In Pilates you are told to regulate your breathing. Breathing is one of Joseph Pilates key principals. Pilates breathing directs your focus inward for the duration of the class, focusing on the present, feeling the muscles work and reconnecting with your body.

Exercising even if low impact helps produce endorphins in the body, which are also known as the happy hormones. It is natural drug to help boost your mood.

 

Pilates Classes

We offer a wide range of Pilates and Yoga Classes at our Hemel Hempstead Clinic, with our experienced and qualified instructors.

• Check out our Pilates Class Timetable
• New clients receive one free taster class!
• See our website for details and  special offers

Look out for my next pilates post coming soon!
Pippa
x

Blog Post by Pippa
FCO Gym Manager & Personal Trainer
Emma James Physio

 

Exercise & Mental Health

My names India and I am a new Sports Therapist working at Emma James Physiotherapy. Today I will be talking about exercise and mental health, but more specifically how outdoor water sports may be exactly what you need to try!

The benefits of canoeing, kayaking and white water rafting on mental health have long been a reason why many people take up the sport. The ability to get out on the water for a relaxing paddle, or run river rapids after a stressful day, provides many people with an escape from every day life. Exercising on or near water and greenery has been shown to reduce depression and anger, as well as improve confidence. Water sports can also introduce variety into your life, there’s so many places you can paddle and soak up that vitamin D!

For the past 6 years I have been representing Great Britain in white water rafting. As an athlete juggling A-Levels and a 4-year degree, training allowed me to de-stress from a busy day of dissertation writing and clear my mind. There is nothing better than a sweaty lactic run on your lunch break to get the endorphins flowing before returning to the desk!

Can exercise help to relieve symptoms of depression and anxiety?

Recent studies have shown that exercise can treat mild to moderate depression as effectively as antidepressant medication. As one example, a recent study done by the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health found that running for 15 minutes a day or walking for an hour reduces the risk of major depression by 26%.

Exercise is a natural and effective anti-anxiety treatment. It relieves tension and stress, boosts physical and mental energy, and enhances well-being through the release of endorphins.

‘Teamwork makes the dream work’

I am a strong believer that exercising in groups can increase commitment to a fitness routine, enhance consistency, duration and motivate individuals to achieve their goals. As well as offering classes at our Hemel Hempstead Clinic, at the FCO, DFID and Hanslope Park we offer lunch time fitness classes, pushing you to your limits before heading back to work, so why don’t you come along and give it a try! You can form new social groups with people who have similar interests. Building new social groups is never a negative! More people to talk to, interact with and learn from whilst keeping fit at the same time… bonus!

‘You can achieve anything you set your mind to’

I hope you liked my first post, Ill be writing again soon 🙂

India
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Blog Post by India
Sports Therapist at Emma James Physio