Erasmus plus - Stretching and Strengthening at Work interact

Stretching and Strengthening at Work

Improve flexibility at workplace

Start safely and smartly A proper warm-up is the first step in starting any exercise program at workplace. This is a necessary preparatory measure to allow for a safe, efficient and well-executed physical activity program. Warm-up prepares the body for exercise by increasing heart rate and blood flow to working muscles, and raises skeletal muscles temperature for optimal flexibility and efficiency. Warming up before exercise is also critical for preventing injury during a workout. Several recommendations are listed below to do a warm up routine appropriately:

Warm up for at least 1 to 3 minutes

 Do whatever activity you plan on doing at a slower pace  Do dynamic exercises (e.g. butt kicks, arm circles, lunges)  Use your entire body

When warm up routines are over, you are ready to follow the main program.

General recommendations Stretching your muscles and joints is known to bring many positive health benefits, including increased flexibility and range of motion, upgraded performance in daily activities at home and work, and improved posture, stress relief and back pain ( Figure 17 ). Specifically, stretching can help reducing muscle soreness, aches, and pains. Simple daily tasks such as bending over and tying shoes or rotating trunk during functional daily activities at work are accomplished better with flexibility. Many leading health authorities are recommending stretching as part of regular exercise routine, with flexibility exercise is recommended to be performed at least 2-3 days per week ( EU Physical Activity Guidelines , 2008; Physical Activity Guidelines to Americans , 2015; WHO , 2020).

Figure 17 | Stretching improves workplace tasks

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