As anyone who has ever had a desk job can attest, prolonged periods of time in a seated, static position can take a toll on you physically. Sewing is no exception. After hours and hours of cutting, sewing, knitting, or quilting, your body may develop unpleasant muscular strains or other physiological issues. Fortunately, however, good posture and strengthening exercises can help alleviate this stress and prevent discomfort! Try out some of these exercises based on the proper ergonomics of sewing to keep your body happy and healthy while stitching way.
Pro tip: Do the exercises in the order they are presented below, as one stretch or exercise will loosen up certain muscle groups to help the following exercise be more effective:
- Proper Sitting Posture
Your spine has the very important job of supporting your entire body. Keeping your spine properly aligned through good sitting posture is essential. To achieve this, ensure that your ears, shoulders and hips are in one vertical line. Ideally, your knees would be bent at a 90 degree angle with your feet flat on the ground. Your hands on table should be about waist height. If using an adjustable chair, play around with the settings to find the positioning that will help you comfortably achieve this. If you are on a stool or hard back chair, you will have to rely on your core muscles to support you in this position (if that’s not a good argument for this sit-ups, I don’t know what is!)
- Neck Retraction
If you find your head bowing forward, resulting in soreness down the back of your neck and between your shoulders, do this exercise to help realign your cervical curve. Start by sitting up straight and looking directly ahead of you with your chin parallel to the floor. Slide your chin straight back, keeping your head and ears level. The movement will make you feel like you have a double chin. Repeat the same movement sliding your chin straight forward. Repeat this stretch slowly until you feel the muscles tension loosening.
- Lateral Neck Stretch
This stretch will help release muscle tension in the sides of your neck. Tilt you head to each side, trying to touch your ear to your shoulder. In doing this movement, be sure to keep your nose pointing forward and move slowly to avoid straining the neck muscle. After you have done this a few times, you can make slow, gentle half circles to the front, and to the back. Avoid doing full circles, as this can put unhealthy strain on some of the smaller muscles in your neck.
- Shoulder Circles
This is a great catch-all movement that is very helpful in releasing muscle tension in your neck, shoulders, and upper back. Start by raising your shoulders all the way up to your ears and moving them in a circular motion backward in a wide arc. Make several circles then relax. Repeat, switching directions with the circle (with the arc bringing your shoulders forward instead of back).
- Middle Back, or “Running Man” Stretch
This exercise can be done to realign your thoracic curve. Begin by bending both elbows at a 90 degree angle, firm against your waist. Keeping your elbows bent at a 90 degree angle, lift one arm up in front of you, while pushing the other arm behind you (in a “running” position). Slowly switch arms, swing the back arm forward and up, and pushing the front arm back. Bring both arms up as high as your shoulders will allow, moving slowly so as to not put any strain on your joints.
- Take a Lap
Don’t underestimate the power of simply getting up and walking around for a few minutes to shake out tight muscles, stand up straight, get the blood flowing, and help you refocus. A quick ten minute walk outside, or even a few trips around the house or up and down the steps can make a world of difference.
Sewing may seem like a light activity to do, but when you are ultra-focused on a project, it’s easy to lose track of time and not notice physical discomfort start to creep up on you. To avoid these unwanted body pains in the future, always use these good ergonomic practices when sewing.
