It’s an unfortunate truth that the sedentary lifestyle of most Americans takes a toll on your body. Perhaps some of the biggest reasons for this are the prevalence of jobs that require long hours of sitting at a desk, putting stress on your spine, inhibiting proper circulation, and under-utilizing muscles. In some ways, it can be worse if you work from home; there are no co-workers in nearby offices to coax you out of your chair, and even your lunch break may have you sitting at the kitchen table instead of walking down the street to grab a bite to eat. Setting up a portable ballet barre in your home office can provide a fun, space-saving solution to this common problem. Here are just a few quick and easy exercises you can do with your home office ballet bar to loosen up and re-align your body throughout the workday.
- Stand facing the barre with both hands resting on the top barre. Lengthen your spine by lifting the ribcage and feeling as though someone has tied a string to the top of your head and is pulling up. Then, take a gentle back-bend stretch, holding onto the barre for support, keeping that lift in the ribcage, and bending at the spot between your shoulder blades rather than at your middle or lower back. This will help de-compress the vertebrae in your spine and counteract that all-too-common desk slouch.
- Next, turn so that your left side is to the bar. Hold on with your left hand for support and swing your right leg forward and back like a pendulum, letting your foot brush the floor as it swings past your standing leg. You don’t have to swing your leg very high; just enough to let your lower back muscles expand and contract, and to release pressure in your hip sockets. Repeat this on the other side as well.
- Face the barre again and do some gentle knee bends, or pliés, keeping that lifted feeling in your spine and both hands on the barre for support. You can do this with your heels together and feet turned out (first position) or with your feet parallel. Just make sure your knees stay over your toes, without rolling in or out. You can experiment with a deeper knee bend (grand plié), lifting your heels up when you need to, or you can stick with smaller bends (demi plié). The idea is to get your leg muscles working and your heart pumping for improved circulation.
That’s it! It only takes a couple of minutes to keep your body in tip-top shape throughout your workday. There are hundreds more ballet barre exercises you can try as well to build strength and flexibility and banish those desk-job related aches and pains for good. Boss Ballet Barres are portable, just the right height, and sturdy enough to support your weight for any exercise. Contact us today to find the perfect barre for your home office!
