Don't throw your back out Thursday

So, a year or so ago, I was fighting back pain & then I tore a muscle in my shoulder on top of it, which made it worse, and also made it hard to put in long writing hours. Of course, I’m pretty sure the long writing hours were a big part of why I injured myself. I was also writing lounging on my couch with my laptop on my lap. Apparently, this is not good form & shouldn’t be done for 10 hours a day, although I just want to point out that it is called a laptop. After a long month of a lot of pain & a massage therapist who helped me at least get some movement back, I was told to get up & stretch more & to do more yoga. I’ve also found a lot of other writers and editors have the same sore back & tight shoulder muscles, as well as other people who sit at their desks all day. Now, I’m far from a yoga expert, but since I’ve finally found a really good routine that works for me, I thought I’d share. It’s a mishmash of several stretches I’ve found while searching the internet. Every few hours, I get up and do these stretches (about three times a day total). Sometimes I only do a couple before I dive back into writing, but I always feel better if I do them all. It really only takes 5-10 minutes. I suggest holding each one for 20-30 seconds, but of course, start slow, take it a few moves at at time if you need to, and if it helps jog in place for a minute to warm up before you stretch.

For the first & third moves, I use my bed or my couch ottoman. You can also use a table. Mine is never clean & rather hard, so I rarely use it, although I do get a slightly better stretch when I do.