This movecan alsoincreaseyour overallenergy.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY CHRIS FANNING MAY 2017 HEALTH.COM 49

Don’t let sitting all day leave you stiff and sore. Steal five minutesto stretch away tightness with these simple yoga poses.

“Oh, my achingback!” I can’t tellyou how many of mystudents have backissues. And it’s nowonder, consideringmost of us spend ourdays tied to our deskchairs and parkedin the same positionin front of ourscreens hour afterhour. The problem:Sitting for prolongedperiods can causeor exacerbateback issues. Whenwe’re stuck in thisposition, our hipflexors shorten infront and pull onour lower back.Not to mention,constant slouchingcan lead, over time,to compresseddisks. That’s whyit’s crucial to stretchyour back every day.Here, four movesyou can do right inyour office.

Yoga vs. Back Pain

1. BackbendArch

Start seated at edge of chair,placing hands behind you withfingers facing away from hips.Prop yourself up on fingertips,drawing sacrum in and up to liftlower back. Follow backbendall the way up chest to shoulderblades and open up entire frontbody. Hold and breathe for 8 to10 breaths, then release.

Try openingup and

strengtheningyour legs first;this makes it

easier to open upand releaseyour back.

KRISTIN McGEE is aleading yoga andPilates instructor inNew York City. Findher favorite moves andlatest inspiration athealth.com/kristin.

B E S T S H A P E | Work It Out

Get Bendyfor Recovery

Is your lower backbothering you? You should notonly give these chair-basedexercises a try but alsoconsider getting your om onregularly. Here’s why: A reviewpublished by the CochraneLibrary found that people withchronic lower-back pain whopracticed yoga experiencedimprovements in back-relatedfunction after six months,compared with those whodidn’t exercise. So what areyou waiting for? Strike a pose!

B E S T S H A P E | Work It Out

50 HEALTH.COM MAY 2017

2. Cat/Cow Sit at edge of chair with feet flat on the floor. Place hands

on knees and inhale, lifting chest and sticking hips outbehind you. Lift gaze, open chest, and gently squeezeshoulder blades together (A). On an exhale, round chest,scoop in belly, and curl tailbone under as you drop headtoward sternum (B). Repeat for a series of 10 cycles.

3. Lower-Back CirclesSit with feet hip-width apart and hands resting on

knees (A). Inhale, then begin circling torso clockwise,making sure to initiate movement from base of spine (B).Complete 8 to 10 rotations. Stop and then repeat themotion, this time circling in a counterclockwise direction.Continue alternating for 2 to 3 minutes.

Sit with feet hip-width apart and handshanging at sides (A).From head, startrounding down throughspine (B). Exhale,letting forehead releaseforward and the weightof your head bring youover until top of headis by thighs (C). Inhale;slowly start stackingvertebrae as you roundup to sit. Draw bellybutton to spine toprotect back, and feelthe articulation as youround up. Continuerolling down and upfor 5 to 8 cycles.

A

A

B

B

B

C

BONUS VIDEO!TO STRETCH WITH KRISTIN,

SCAN THIS PHOTO,OR GO TO HEALTH.COM/

DESK-YOGA.

Adapted from Chair Yoga:Sit, Stretch, and StrengthenYour Way to a Happier,Healthier You by KristinMcGee. Copyright © 2017 byKristin McGee. Reprintedby permission of WilliamMorrow, an imprint ofHarperCollins Publishers.

Imagineyour upperbody isstirringa pot.

This movefeels like amini self-massage.

The motionis like awave in thespine.

A

4. Roll-Downs