Taking a stand: Integrating Tai Chi into your daily work routine

Modern technology makes us more efficient at our jobs, eliminating many time-consuming and manual processes, but it also makes us much more sedentary. A recent study revealed that most working Canadians report four to five hours of seated time each work day. These long periods of time spent sitting in front of a computer can lead to sore wrists and hands, shoulder and neck pain and tightness of the hips.

HCM Dialogue connected with Jon Granken, a Tai Chi Instructor with Phoenix Tai Chi Centre in London, Ontario, to find out some movements that help alleviate the most common issues people at desk jobs face. While these movements are not Tai Chi specific, they are simple ways to get your body moving and hopefully provide relief.

Hands and wrists

Repetitive movements, like sitting at a computer and typing, cause damage by overworking the same muscles, tendons and nerves within a muscle group. These movements train the forearms and hands to complete limited, repetitive tasks.

Try this

This exercise twists the forearm through the full range of motion, breaking apart the bonds and buildup that occur with repetitive movement. Extend both arms forward, twisting the forearms through their full range of motion while opening the hands, spreading your fingers, and then closing your hands. Twist, open, and close, repeating this motion at least three times.

Shoulders and neck

While desk-bound, we tend to hunch up our shoulders higher and higher as the stresses of the day build. Noticing this tendency and returning to a relaxed position throughout the day reduces strain on your shoulder muscles and, in turn, your neck. These exercises help to return the shoulders and neck to a neutral position.

Try these

As the shoulders rise during the day, the neck tends to compress. To perform shoulder rolls, imagine pulling your shoulders down and then pushing them up rather than the other way around. This engages all the muscles in the shoulders. Roll three or more times forward and the same number of times backward. Finally, raise the shoulders as high as they go, then all at once let go and let gravity drop them. Where your shoulders come to rest is their natural, relaxed position.

For the next exercise, stand with your feet shoulder-width apart. Raise your arms out in front of you to just below shoulder height. Turn your palms up and bring your hands in toward your chin. Push your chin in as the hands move in. Turn your palms outward and push forward, following your hands with your gaze. Lower your hands to your thighs and look down with them. Repeat this three times and roll the head gently to release any remaining tension.

Hips

Too much time spent in a seated position can cause our muscles to deactivate or ‘turn off’. This can lead to tightening and pain in the hip flexors.

Try this

You can try this exercise unassisted if able, or hold a wall, desk, or chair for balance if needed – make sure the chair or desk is non-rolling! Stand with your feet a little closer than shoulder-width apart. Lift your left knee towards your chest and rotate your leg at the hip. First, bring the knee in, toward the right leg, rotate back and around to the left, around and forward, and around again to the right. Repeat three to four times, then reverse the motion. Repeat on the other side. Shake both legs one at a time after each set to relax the weight-bearing muscles.

Getting started

Jon Granken has been practicing Tai Chi for nearly a decade and emphasizes how it can bring relief to new and old injuries. Granken found that after just six months of practicing Tai Chi movements regularly, his shoulder joint, which he had injured 14 years earlier in a biking accident, finally stopped audibly and physically popping out of position. Small changes, like implementing the above exercises, can make a big difference in your overall health, both inside and outside the workplace. 

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