8 Quick Stretches to Undo Sitting All Day
These shapes restore what chairs steal: length in the front of the body, movement in the mid-back, and strength-ready range at the hips and ankles. The result isn’t circus flexibility. It’s a body that stands a little taller, walks a little freer, and asks less of your lower back at the end of a long day. Ten minutes is enough to feel the difference. Tomorrow, repeat.
Neck Reset
Sitting pulls the head forward and locks the upper traps. Sit or stand tall and imagine a string lifting the crown of your head. Tuck your chin gently, as if making a double chin, to bring your head back over your shoulders. Hold the tuck and add a slow side bend to the right, then to the left, keeping the chin slightly tucked throughout. You should feel a lengthening along the side of your neck, not a pinch. Breathe and ease the shoulders away from your ears.
Shoulder Opener at the Doorway
Rounded shoulders come from hours at a keyboard. Stand in a doorway with your forearms on the frame, elbows a bit below shoulder height. Step one foot forward and shift your weight until you feel the front of your chest open. Keep your ribs down and your neck long. Hold and breathe. If you don’t have a doorway, clasp your hands behind your back, straighten your arms, and lift your knuckles away from your hips while keeping your collarbones broad.
Thoracic Spine Twist
Your mid-back wants to rotate, but chairs keep it still. Sit tall with feet flat. Cross your arms over your chest and turn your torso to the right as if looking over your shoulder, keeping your hips facing forward. Take a slow breath in, grow taller, and on the exhale turn a hair farther without forcing it. Hold for a few breaths, then switch sides. You should feel the movement between your shoulder blades rather than in your lower back.
Wrist and Forearm Release
Typing and scrolling tighten the forearms. Extend your right arm in front of you with the elbow straight and palm up. With your left hand, gently pull the fingers down and back to stretch the underside of the forearm. Hold, then flip the palm down and pull the fingers toward you to stretch the top side. Keep the shoulder relaxed. Repeat on the other side. Finish with a few slow wrist circles in both directions.
Hip Flexor Undo
Sitting shortens the front of the hips. Kneel with your right knee down and left foot forward in a short lunge. Tuck your tail slightly, as if zipping up tight jeans, and shift your whole body forward until you feel a stretch at the front of your right hip. Keep your ribs stacked over your pelvis and avoid arching your lower back. For a deeper line, reach your right arm overhead and lean an inch to the left. Hold, then switch sides.
Glute and Piriformis Stretch
Tight hips feed lower back strain. Sit on the edge of a chair, cross your right ankle over your left knee, and flex the right foot. Hinge forward from your hips with a flat back until you feel a stretch in your right glute. Keep your spine long and your chest open. Breathe into the back of your hips. Switch sides. If the chair version is too easy, try the same shape lying on your back and thread your hands behind the bottom thigh.
Hamstring Hinge
Hamstrings get stiff from being parked at 90 degrees. Stand with your right heel on a low step or sturdy box. Keep your knee soft and your toes pointing up. Hinge forward from your hips, reaching your sit bones back and your chest toward your shin without rounding your spine. A small hinge is enough if you feel it behind the thigh. Keep the front of your body long. Hold, then switch sides.
Calf and Ankle Reset
Stiff ankles change how you walk and stand. Stand facing a wall. Step your right foot back and plant the heel. Bend your left knee and lean in until you feel a stretch in the back calf. Keep both feet pointing forward and your back knee straight. Hold, then bend the back knee slightly to move the stretch lower toward the Achilles. Switch sides. If space is tight, place the ball of one foot on a book or curb and gently lean your weight forward.
You can run through all eight in about 10 minutes, or break them into two mini-sessions: upper body after a morning block of work, lower body in the afternoon. Pair them with small habits you already do: doorway stretch when you get coffee, neck reset before a call, hip flexor stretch after lunch. Consistency matters more than intensity. A few careful breaths, repeated daily, will change how your body feels by evening.
