We are still often at home and in the home office - how do we keep moving? (Part 2)

Exclusive tips from Dr. Norbert L. Becker

We are still often at home and in the home office - how do we keep moving? (Part 2)

In the evening, when you want to enjoy a well-earned rest, your body also wants to relax and recover. But over the course of the day, a lot of tension has built up because the body has often been subjected to monotonous strain and too little compensatory movement has been possible. I have come up with some exercises to prepare the body for rest in the evening and to loosen up the muscles. This involves consciously feeling your body and preparing yourself for rest at night.

TSwap tight clothing for loose and casual clothing and take off your shoes. The following exercises are best performed barefoot or in socks - with non-slip socks if necessary - or in a sports shoe. Make sure that you have enough space around you, do not bump into anything during the exercises and do not injure yourself.

Let's get started: Stand up straight. Your feet are firmly on the floor and one hand's width apart. Distribute your weight evenly on both feet and feel the floor

The first exercise: Breathe, open your chest

Stand upright and relax your shoulders slightly. Then place both hands crossed over your chest or fold them in front of your chest. Then spread both arms out wide to the sides as if you wanted to hug the whole world, opening your chest. Breathe in deeply as you do this. As you breathe out slowly and completely, hug yourself and hold on tightly. As you open your chest again and spread your arms out, breathe in deeply again slowly, breathe out deeply again slowly and hug yourself by crossing your arms the other way round. Do this exercise five times. Make sure that your feet are in good and even contact with the floor. All the anger of the day will have dissipated.

The second exercise:

The second exercise follows on from the first.

Stand up straight and tall. Try to feel that your feet are firmly on the floor. Now fold your hands in front of your chest and stand still for a breath. Then raise both arms and stretch them shoulder-width above your head. Consciously tense your gluteal muscles and breathe in through your nose. As you bring your arms down, breathe out through your mouth. Always try to feel the tension in your whole body as you raise your arms. Relax as you lower your arms and exhale. When raising your arms, look at your hands without stretching your head too far back. Perform this exercise five times.

Third exercise: Stretching the spine

Interlace your fingers and place both hands on your head. Then stretch your arms, shoulders and chest upwards and point your palms towards the ceiling. Make yourself really 'long' and stretch your body from the bottom to the top. If possible, lift your heels and try to stand on the balls of your feet. The feet are very important here again: to keep your balance, you can make contact with a desk, kitchen table or other object with your thigh and fix your eyes on a point on the wall. Breathe in as you raise your arms, put your hands back on your head as you lower your arms, breathe out and consciously stand on the soles of your feet again and feel the floor. Take your time with this exercise and repeat it five times.

Fourth exercise: Moving the spine

In this exercise, bend to one side like a palm tree in the wind. Place your feet slightly apart. Stretch your arms out in front of you, interlace your fingers in front of your navel and turn your palms outwards. As you inhale, raise your arms above your head, then bend to the left and exhale slowly. Come back to the center and inhale again. Repeat the same on the other side. Do this exercise consciously, not too quickly and always be well 'grounded' with both feet. Make sure that you do not bend forwards or backwards during this exercise and that you do not twist your torso. Perform the exercise five times on each side.

Fifth exercise: bow and arrow posture

This exercise particularly targets the muscles of the shoulders and neck, as they are often responsible for tension due to the strain of the day. Stand upright with your feet shoulder-width apart and take a small step forward with your left foot. Stretch your left fist out to the left side and bring your right fist across your chest towards your left arm without twisting your body. Now imagine you have a bow and arrow in your hand. Look at your left fist as if you were holding an arrow in your hand and had to draw the bow. To do this, slowly pull your right fist back towards your right shoulder, tense both arms and draw the bow. Straighten up as you do so. Then let go of the imaginary arrow and exhale slowly, relaxing noticeably. Do the same exercise on the opposite side. When performing this exercise, please keep your spine upright and stand firmly on the floor so that you can 'aim' well. Perform this exercise five times on one side, then switch your feet and do the same on the other side.

Sixth exercise: Loosen the spine

The aim here is to loosen up the whole body once again. Place your feet slightly apart and raise your outstretched arms above your head. Then bend forward and swing your torso loosely and effortlessly downwards from the hips. Let your loosely hanging arms swing back and forth through your legs 4 to 5 times. Be as relaxed as possible. After five swings with outstretched arms, return to an upright position. You should perform all these exercises without exerting too much strength. When raising your arms, breathe in deeply through your nose, and when swinging downwards, always breathe out forcefully through your mouth, audibly if possible. Repeat this exercise three times. If you have dizziness or high blood pressure, do not do this exercise.

You have done something good for your body with these exercises. Follow the exercises for your spine, take a relaxed walk in the fresh air in loose clothing and shoes that give your feet and toes space and freedom.