Relieve shoulder stress in 60 seconds

Release tense shoulder muscles in one minute, whether you're at work or at home, with these simple tips.

"Our shoulders really carry a lot of tension," says Dennis Buttimer, a facilitator at Thomas F. Chapman Family Cancer Wellness at Piedmont. "Let's get rid of some of that stress right now."

Move one:

• Sit tall in your chair.
• Bend your elbows and bring your fingertips to your shoulders.
• Take a deep breath, then exhale and roll your shoulders forward, as if drawing invisible circles with your elbows.
• Reverse the circles and repeat in the opposite direction. You should feel the tension melting from your muscles.
• Continue for about 30 to 45 seconds, breathing deeply.

"Your breath is so important," Buttimer says. "Just bringing your attention to your breath can be helpful."

Move two:

• With your arms hanging by your sides, inhale as you draw your shoulders up toward your ears.
• Exhale forcefully as you quickly drop your shoulders to their normal position.
• Repeat twice more.

Repeat these two moves whenever you need to quickly release shoulder tension.

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