Back exercises you can do at your desk

By Daisy Carrington, amNewYork Deputy Features Editor | daisy.carrington@am-ny.com

September 12, 2007

New York is a city of many names: The Big Apple, The City That Never Sleeps, Gotham. I'd like to add another moniker to that list: The City of Heavy Baggage (though the term can apply to the physical and the emotional, I'll stick to the former right now).

If you find the city (literally) weighing you down, it might be time for (gasp!) a backpack to ease your burden and free up your hands. But before you add any weight to your back and shoulders, try these stretches designed by Daniel Loigerot, founder of DLFit Pilates Wellness Studio in the West Village, who believes, "you are as young as your spine is flexible."

1. Chest opener
Sit on the edge of a chair. Press your tailbone into the chair and place your hands behind you. Inhale and lift your chest while gazing up at the ceiling. Pause and return to starting position. Exhale, and repeat five times.

2. Sitting twist
Sitting on a chair, bend your torso forward and twist at your waist to your left side. With your right arm against the outside of your left knee, reach up with your left arm and stretch while exhaling.

3. Hip flexor
Sit on the outer edge of a chair or bed. Grab your right foot with your right hand and bend forward at your waist as you pull your right leg backward. Pause for 10 seconds and then return to starting position. Repeat five times, then repeat on the other side.

4. Sitting stretch sequence
Sit tall on the edge of a chair, pressing your tailbone into the seat. Lengthen upward from the back of your head. Lift your arms up toward the ceiling, then bend your elbows while clasping your hands behind your head. Arch back further to stretch the back of your neck, and lift your chest up. Return to starting position, and repeat three to five times.

5. Standing back bent
Stand upright with your feet hip-distance apart. Place your hands in the small of your back with your fingers pointing upward. Bend your torso backward at your waist as far as you can, then return slowly to starting position. Repeat 10 times.

6. Prayer stretch
Sit in a kneeling position. Bend forward at your waist and place your elbows on the seat of a chair. Press your chest down to the floor. Hold the pose for 10 seconds and then release. Repeat five times.

7. Shoulder extension stretch
Sit on the outer edge of a chair and roll your body forward over your legs. Let your torso and arms hang over your legs. Using your body weight, clasp your hands behind your back and bring your arms forward over your head. Hold the pose for 30 seconds, then release. Uncurl your body and return to sitting position. Repeat three times.

8. Shoulder release
Sit on the outer edge of a chair and roll your body forward over your legs. Let your torso and arms hang over your leg. Use your body weight to increase the stretch. Stay in this position for 30 seconds, then relax. Uncurl your body and return to sitting position. Repeat three times.