<http://schema.org/articleBody>
"  Tired of spending your hard-earned cash on pricey massages? A few handy deskside stretches can help reduce the time you spend with your masseuse. Number one on the list: Improving your office posture. According to Chrissy Carter, senior yoga instructor at YogaWorks, slumping over your computer with a collapsed chest is a huge no-no. To counter the habit, she suggests hooking your thumbs behind your back, straightening your elbows, and reaching your hands toward the floor behind you; take a few deep breaths and feel the front of the chest get wider. Bonus: Tweaking this exercise can also protect against carpal tunnel syndrome\u2014instead of locking your thumbs behind your back, press your hands together in a &amp;quot;prayer position,&amp;quot; with your fingertips pointing up. This will help stretch your wrist and fingers.  Besides a collapsed chest, another by-product of being an office hunchback is a sore neck and shoulders. Simona Ghica, a massage therapist at L&amp;#039;Institut Sothys in New York, recommends sitting up straight, dropping your shoulders and bending your neck forward with your chin toward your chest. Placing your right hand at the back of your cranium, pull your head gently to the right, then repeat on the other side using your left hand. This exercise will also help loosen your mid-back. If it&amp;#039;s your lower back that gives you problems, though, Carter says you should focus on your hip area. &amp;quot;Being at a desk all day can result in chronically tight hips, which can contribute to lower back pain,&amp;quot; she says. Here&amp;#039;s how to combat the issue: Sitting in a chair, bend your right knee to your chest and flex your right foot flat. Next, cross your right ankle over your left thigh\u2014keeping your right foot flat\u2014and bend forward to stretch your right hip. For extra relief, hold your right knee and gently twist to the right. Next, bend your left knee to your chest and repeat the exercise on the left side.  Finally, if you have sore feet from walking in heels all day, Ghica recommends rolling your feet on a tennis ball under your desk\u2014no one will know you&amp;#039;re squeezing in a foot massage! Soothe your ankles and calf muscles while you&amp;#039;re at it by rotating your ankles in a circular motion. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.elle.com/beauty/health-fitness/advice/a9873/beauty-tip-deskside-stretches-317734/?src=global_footer>