Feel tired in your neck and back after desk work? Take a break and follow Shen Lichun, manager of Citygym, in 10 minutes of easy physical exercises that will help relax your muscles.
Session one: Exercise for the neck.
Step one: Intertwine your fingers and put your palms on the back of your neck. Lower your head slightly. Move your palms from right to left and left to right massaging the neck furiously. Repeat this 30 times or for one minute. After the massage, the back of the neck becomes warm. The heat produced by massage will help open the points and ease fatigue.
Step two: Sit on a seat with your back straight and look forwards. Turn your head to the left as far as possible and turn back. Then move the head to the right. Repeat this three or four times. When doing this, concentrate on the neck and move very slowly. "The key to this exercise is to move slowly, because rapid movement will hurt the neck and won't achieve the benefits of easing nervous muscles," Shen stressed.
Session two: Stretching and turning the body.
Step one: Sit on a chair with your upper body straight. Stretch arms upwards and imagine you're trying to grasp something just above your head. Repeat the climbing action for 20 to 30 seconds. The exercise will move stiff shoulder joints and stretch muscles in the waist.
Step two: Sit on a straight-backed chair. Keep the upper-body straight and feet shoulder-width apart. Put your left arm on the back of the chair and turn your body to the left as far as possible. Keep this position for five to 10 seconds. Then turn your body to the right side. Repeat this exercise three or four times.
(Shanghai Star 05/29/2001)
