Three Stretches for People Who Sit All Day

It's a staggering statistic: Americans spend an average of thirteen hours per day sitting. Thirteen. Add in eight hours average sleep and that means just three hours of movement per day.

That's bad. Really bad.

Long hours spent sitting can lead to a wide variety of physical issues, including shortened and tight muscles. This tightness often leads to muscular pain, weakness and dysfunction. One area of your body that is especially susceptible to excessive sitting is your lower back.

The good news? Spending just a few minutes each day stretching can help maintain your flexibility and keep your muscles and joints healthy.

Here are three simple stretches to get you started:

In this video, you will see three different stretches you can do in as little as 3-5 minutes anytime during your day to help relieve muscle tightness from sitting:

Lower back stretch

Lay on the ground and extend your arms out to the side of you so your body forms a "T" shape. Bring your legs up with your knees bent at a 90 degree angle (as if you're sitting in a chair) and slowly twist your lower body so your legs go to the floor on either your right or left side. Be sure to keep your opposite shoulder on the floor and hold this position for 30-60 seconds. Repeat by slowly moving your legs to the other side.

Hip flexor stretch

Get into a kneeling position and place one leg out in front of you so your knee is at about a 90-degree angle. Place your same hand on your knee and the opposite hand on your hip and drive your hips forward slightly until you feel a stretch in your hip muscle and hold that position for 30-60 seconds. Repeat with your opposite leg.

Chest stretch

While sitting down or standing up, spread your arms out to the side of your body as wide as they can go. Move your arms back, opening up your chest, until you feel a gentle stretch in your chest muscles. Hold that position for 30-60 seconds.

Do this group of stretches once or twice a day to fight the effects prolonged amounts of time sitting can have on your muscles.

Want more quick workout ideas? Check out our Quick Workouts playlist on our YouTube channel.