Why Be Stressed - Workplace Massage and Wellness Solutions

09/03/2025

Very helpful info here.

01/05/2022

Business is up and running for us in Auckland and the Bay of Plenty As your teams head back into the office we look forward to seeing you all again soon. I have no doubt there are plenty of tight, sore shoulders and necks out there.

25/11/2021

Today's tip is simple but the trick is to build the habit of checking in on your body throughout the day to really make the difference. From my book Improve the way you move.

Tuck in your chin

When your chin is jutting out towards your phone or computer screen, all the muscles at the base of your neck are under pressure in supporting your head. This means they build up tension and stiffness to compensate which can cause headaches and muscle tension.

Start noticing this habit. It’s very common while driving, using your phone and computer. Catch yourself and adjust it.

How: Draw your chin in towards your chest, hey, who cares about double chins. This should give you instant relief through the back of your neck and even into your jaw. Imagine you are on a train and the people behind you are having a scandalously interesting conversation. You try to crane your head back without them noticing so you can hear what they are saying. I bet your chin is tucked in nicely and the back of your neck is nice and long.

Benefit: Better posture and alignment which relieves the load off the muscles through the back of your neck and shoulders. Better posture also enables you to breathe through your diaphragm rather than shallow upper chest breathing which can lead to a myriad of problems.

09/11/2021

Today's tip from my book Improve the way you move.
Jaw check
Are you clenching your jaw? This goes hand in hand with holding your breath.
How: Relax your jaw. Separate your lower jaw from the upper jaw, having your tongue in the bottom of your mouth can help or the tip of your tongue gently resting on the roof of your mouth.
As with all these adjustments, get into the habit of scanning through your body and correcting as you go. This will soon become second nature. Try not to feel over whelmed. Pick three changes to work on until they become second nature and build on them from there.
Benefit: Jaw clenching = headaches. Removing this habit will greatly reduce the tension in your jaw and neck and help prevent nasty tension headaches. You may find tucking your chin in also removes tension from your jaw. When I’m scanning through my posture I think chin tuck, soften jaw as a cue.

31/10/2021

Here is another tip that can be integrated at home to get you moving your body more and differently.
Reach or crouch
What item(s) do you use everyday? For me, it’s my trusty coffee plunger.
How: Put this item in a hard-to-reach corner so you either have to stretch or crouch to reach it. This is a sneaky way to add a couple of squats or overhead reaches into your day. You can do this with several items at home and work. My coffee plunger is kept in the back of a low drawer and my favourite cup is kept on the top shelf.
Benefit: This will ensure you move at least your hips and shoulders through their full capacity helping to keep them supple and healthy. What seems annoying is actually ensuring you move it so you don’t lose it.

28/10/2021

Given that lots of us are working from home right now I'll do a run of Home based tips from my book Improve the way you move.
Teeth time:
You clean your teeth at least twice a day for approximately three minutes a time so you may as well optimise this time.
How: Add in a calf or shoulder stretch. I use this time for working on correcting my duck walking habit. I line up the outside of my feet with the lines of the tiles, this stretches my hips gently to the position they should be and over time creates muscle memory of the correct alignment for my leg and sets me up for the day. As I said, you are standing there anyway, so you may as well make the time count.

27/10/2021

Today's tip from my book Improve the way you move is:
Tuck in your chin
When your chin is jutting out towards your phone or computer screen, all the muscles at the base of your neck are under pressure in supporting your head. This means they build up tension and stiffness to compensate which can cause headaches and muscle tension.
Start noticing this habit. It’s very common while driving, using your phone and computer. Catch yourself and adjust it.
How: Draw your chin in towards your chest, hey, who cares about double chins. This should give you instant relief through the back of your neck and even into your jaw. Imagine you are on a train and the people behind you are having a scandalously interesting conversation. You try to crane your head back without them noticing so you can hear what they are saying. I bet your chin is tucked in nicely and the back of your neck is nice and long.
Benefit: Better posture and alignment which relieves the load off the muscles through the back of your neck and shoulders. Better posture also enables you to breathe through your diaphragm rather than shallow upper chest breathing which can lead to a myriad of problems.

https://www.amazon.com/Improve-Way-You-Move-Well/dp/1548778885

22/10/2021

Today's tip - Get your arms overhead
It is important to move all your joints through their full range of motion multiple times a day. If you neglect to do this, over time you will find your joints creaky and restricted. Have you had your arms overhead today! Your poor arms, powerful and capable of pulling up your whole body weight, are so underused in our modern world.
How: Multiple times a day lift your arms overhead, make large arm circles for bonus points. Lift them up in the air now and have a good stretch at the same time. As a way to build this into your daily habits, touch the top of every door frame you walk through. Honestly, who cares if your colleagues look twice, they are not living in your body. You are doing this for your benefit, before long I bet they will be joining in.
Benefit: Supple, healthy shoulder joints that don’t creak and crack. Your armpit area is a large component of your lymphatic system, this activity will greatly assist in the movement of lymphatic fluid that is busily cleaning up toxins in your body.

17/10/2021

Today's tip from Improve the way you move.
Micro movement break
How: Several times an hour take a Micro break. Look for natural opportunities to take this. If a co-worker comes over to ask you something, stand while you answer them and stand to take phone calls. Take a micro break and walk to the printer, water cooler, or bathroom just to move your body differently for a minute. For bonus points, do something nice for a colleague, give them a quick shoulder rub or get them a coffee.
When you get back to your desk, sit down in a different shape. What do I mean by shape? Think of your body in terms of a geometrical shape, your vertebrae as building blocks stacked on top of each other. The shapes we spend the majority of our time in become the shapes we get tight and feel stuck in. Every 30 minutes at work aim to change the shape your body is in. Subtle changes are fine. By moving to the front of your seat, you can change the angle of your pelvis and engage your core.
Benefit: Increased blood flow, getting a good stretch, opening your hip joints and breaking out of the habit of sitting frozen in the same position for hours.

https://www.amazon.com/Improve-Way-You-Move-Well/dp/1548778885

Improve the Way You Move: Move Well Feel Well

13/10/2021

Today's tip from my book Improve the way you move:
Distance looking break
How: While having your stretch or mobility break, take the opportunity to look into the distance, out of a window is ideal but across the office will do if that’s what is available.
Try giving your eyes as much of a break as possible by reducing your screen time while on breaks and in the evening.
Benefit: Our eyes are only able to relax when closed or gazing into the distance. So add this habit when talking on the phone or filling your water bottle. This will help to prevent eye strain, dry eyes and headaches. Longer term it can prevent more serious eye problems.
https://www.amazon.com/Improve-Way-You-Move-Well/dp/1548778885

11/10/2021

Here is another of the tips from my book Improve the way you move. Whether you are in the office or working from home this is useful.
Mobility Break
How: Every hour that you are at work, schedule a one minute mobilising break. Set a timer on your phone for this. You could add it to your stretch break for a double whammy. Do one minute of stretching and finish with a couple of neck and shoulder rolls.
Flexibility is how your muscles are able to lengthen.
Mobility is how well your joint can move through its range of motion. Think slow neck circles and shoulder rolls. Think giant snow angel arms. Feeling self conscious? Then aim to do this every time you head to the bathroom where you have some privacy.
Benefit: Think of your shoulders able to move in large circles, but have you even had your arms overhead today! The old adage is so true, if you don’t move it, you lose it. This is great for removing accumulated tension in your shoulders and neck while improving the circulation in those joints. This warms and stretches the muscles, tendons and joints, and helps reduce pain and stiffness.
https://www.amazon.com/Improve-Way-You-Move-Well/dp/1548778885

Improve the Way You Move: Move Well Feel Well

09/10/2021