Kaine Cordova
Typing is at the center of a WFH gal’s new normal. With today’s communication relying primarily on online meetings and chats, it’s no surprise that wrist issues, pains and aches are on the rise! With that, here are 6 wrist exercises to relax your tired hands.
Hand pull
Working with zombie hands? It’s a hand position when your fingers are slightly lower than your wrist. In this situation, there’s a constant bend on the wrist with the hand and forearm bones slightly protruding. After a while, you might experience some strain and numbness on the area. Stretch it out with a good counter pose, the hand pull.
Extend the arms forward parallel to each other with the palms facing away from you. You should already be able to feel a stretch at this point. To intensify, place one hand in front of the palm as shown on the photo and pull that hand towards you. Stay in the pose for 5-10 breathes on until you feel relief.
This pose should stretch the wrist, hand and forearms. If you want an added benefit, squeeze the armpit muscles too! It will ignite your muscles and you’ll feel the work all the way to your upper arms! Don’t forget to relax the shoulders when you’re doing this pose and keep your torso straight! This adds resistance to the stretch (which deepens it) and it protects your shoulders and neck from strain.
Wrist rotation
A more targeted pose for your wrists are wrist rotations. Place the back of the wrists against each other then start to rotate the hands in a circular motion (clockwise or counter clockwise). You will feel an intense pressure at the point where both wrists meet like a good deep massage. It also helps to add a bit of motion on the wrist especially if it has been in the same position the entire day (i.e. holding a mouse).
Arm rotation
If you have a bit of time to set up a mat or do some yoga, you can add arm rotation to your daily routine. Start by coming in to your all fours with your palms facing down and away from your legs. Flip one hand to face up and the fingers to point towards your thighs. Start to create small circular movements with the arms clockwise for about 5x and then counter clockwise in the same number of repetitions. When done, flip the palms to face down and the fingers to point forward. Repeat on the other side.
Nothing beats hard solid floors when it comes to resistance so be prepared for a deeper stretch when doing this pose.
Wrist stretch
ALERT! This one’s a bit tricky and requires a lot of presence of mind! Starting again in all fours, flip both hands so that the fingers point towards you and the palms are facing down. Making sure your shoulders are relaxed and your abs are strong and contracted, try to bring the hips closer to the heels. Stop at any point the intensity becomes too much. Some people will manage to sit down on their heels and others will barely move (and that’s fine too). Hold it at a position where the stretch feels ‘just right’ and take 5-10 breathes. Exit the pose by moving your shoulders above your wrist and the going back to all fours position.
Popcorn fingers
This one is perfect for intense grips and not really from typing all day; but, hey, a WHF gal doesn’t always just sit around the laptop, sometimes you have to do a couple of house chores too!
Perform popcorn fingers anywhere and anytime. All you have to do is to close and open the fingers in to the palms and back; then, make a fist with the hand and open it up! Alternate those 2 movements and feel the palms begin to relax. Remember that you palms are connected directly to your wrist; so, muscle movements that occur on your fingers and palms indirectly work and stretch the muscles and connective tissues of the wrist as well.
Finally, rest.
Nothing beats taking time off your laptop and mobile phones to fully restore your tired hands! Place your hands on your lap or beside the body either facing down or facing up and feel free to look far or close your eyes for 10-30 seconds! This way, you’re not only relaxing your hands, but your mind as well!
We use our hands for a lot of things—may it be work, chores or workouts. Don’t forget to give it the rest and stretch it deserves at the end of every day. Just grab a couple of stretches from the list and watch your body thank you later!
Need some personalized wrist or body stretch? Hit me up at @candykaines on IG or Kaine Cordova on Facebook!
