Shoulder & Wrist Exercises for Makers
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As a maker, I am always using my hands, day in and day out! Every once and a while this means my hands and wrists become exhausted. It also means my shoulders get the brunt of the pain too! They are holding these arms after-all đ Since I began working from home, I’ve begun using my hands even more. From typing to sewing to taking photos, my upper body takes quite the hit. As you know, I have been taking self care very serious lately so I thought I would share with you some self care for your wrists and shoulders! We don’t want to lose the ability to use them so here are my favourite classes to help stretch those muscles and tendons out!
*Disclaimer- I am not a doctor so these are purely suggestions based on what has worked for me! Please make sure you check with your physician team if you have ever had any upper body injuries before attempting any of these classes!*
These are my 4 favourite yoga classes for stretching out my shoulders, wrists and even my feet (they do “drive” the sewing machine after all!) I know yoga isn’t for everyone but these exercises are a little different. They are more about stretching that going through a bunch of poses!
Yin Yoga for Wrists & Feet
In this class, you literally stretch out each individual finger and then your wrists. I absolutely love this class after a day of typing or after a day of cutting out fabric. It really helps to loosen things. She also shares some amazing ankle and toe stretches. While we sometimes forget about our feet, as sewists, we use out feet with our machine pedals so we have got to care for those toes too! (20 min long)
Seated Therapeutics for the Neck and Shoulders
After I had my fall in February (snowbank + me + paved parking lot = banged up Aimee!) I watched this class every other day. I was limited to what exercises I was able to do and couldn’t use my knees so with this class being completed seated, it was a lifesaver. I will say that holding your arms out for some of the poses can be a little tough but without this class, I would have had so many issues! It helped me regain the strength in my upper body and helped to stretch out my incredibly tense shoulders! (25 min long)
Energize Your Extremities
This is an excellent quick video to really stretch out your fingers, toes and wrists. She really gets you to move while you are hold the pose to really work out the kinks. Plus it’s short so can be done as needed in a day! (10 min long)
Invigorating Shoulder Sequence
I’ll admit, the first time I did this class, I felt a little funny swinging my arms around but let me tell you, it’s totally worth it! You get to have a little fun moving your body and literally shaking out the tension. So if you aren’t afraid of a little weirdness, this class is for you. Oh, it’s a quick short one too! (12 min long)
I really feel a world of a difference after doing one of these classes. The fact that some are so short are a bonus too! When I only have a small amount of time I can stop and do some quick stretches!
What are your favourite ways to care for your body while to create? I’d love to hear your stretches/exercises so let me know below!
