Motion is Lotion

A blog written for Soulfit.

Since returning to work, I’ve noticed a recurring theme when it comes to clients’ telling me about their aches and pains. When lockdown hit, a lot of office-based workers had to adapt to working from home, and for most, this meant creating a makeshift office at home. Seven months in, and clients are telling me that their bodies are feeling the toll of it all. Back, neck and shoulder complaints have become even more common than before. Does this sound familiar?

Soft-tissue therapy (aka sports & remedial massage) can be great to help ease some of that discomfort, but if you revert back to sitting at your desk for 8+ hours per day, with little-to-no movement, it's likely that the discomfort will return. There are things that you can do and small adjustments you can make to help provide more long-lasting relief.

I want to share 5 tips that I often give to my clients:

1. If you haven’t already, invest in a separate keyboard and mouse for your laptop. A separate monitor would be ideal too, but if you don’t have access to one, you can place your laptop on top of some books, so your eye-line is level with the top ⅓ of the screen.

2. Set a reminder to get up from your desk every 30-45mins. Go and get a drink of water, do a few mobilisations (see point 4 below), or, if you really can’t justify taking a few minutes out, just simply stand up and walk around your chair. This gives you the opportunity for movement, albeit brief. And allows you to check in with your body and any tension or stiffness you may be feeling.

3. Relieve discomfort in your neck/back/shoulders with the aid of spiky balls/a peanut/foam roller. A little bit of this work really can go a long way.

Here are a couple of my favourite releases:

Chest and back all in one

Lie on the foam roller - making sure your pelvis and head are supported. Take some DEEP BREATHS and allow your chest to open. Once you’ve spent a minute or so doing this, roll off the foam roller (carefully!) and lie on the floor - feel the difference - it’s divine!

Upper back release

Place the spiky ball in between your shoulder blade and spine. Find those slightly tender spots and BREATHE. Once the intensity has reduced, move on to the next spot.

Neck release

Place the peanut (or two spiky balls) at the base of your head. You may have to hold them in place to prevent them from sliding around. First, just BREATHE. Then, nod your head up and down to create some friction between the peanut and the soft tissues of your neck. If you suffer with tension headaches or have a bit of a forward head posture, this one's for you!

4. Mobilise your neck/shoulders/lower back when you’re feeling stiff. I think you’ll feel most benefit if you take the area through its natural range of motion, as opposed to holding static stretches, as motion is lotion!

Here are a few of my favourite mobilisations:

Cat/Cow

Thoracic Extension

5. Incorporate MORE movement into your day. Try to offset some of those hours spent sitting. In my opinion, the most productive thing you can do is engage in a physical activity that you enjoy, as you’re more likely to keep at it if it's something that brings you joy. Be it Yoga or Pilates, a HIIT session, a run, a swim, a cycle, or a walk. The key thing is to try and dedicate some time to moving your body EVERY day.

The kit:

You don’t need lots of kit, but here are some items I can’t live without. You can find them easily by doing a quick online search, but I've included some links below for ease.

Foam Roller

There are many on the market. You don’t need an all singing/dancing one. Length is important as it gives you versatility. I'd recommend the 15 x 90 cm ones.

Spiky massage balls

I'd recommend the 8cm “soft” ones.

Peanut