Work places constant demands upon your reserves of energy; it is when you are at your most tired that you are at risk of straining your voice and body.

Our bodies are our vehicle first and foremost.  How do you want your vehicle to run?  What can you do so that it stills runs in tip top condition in and out of the work environment?

Try to incorporate these 5 steps into your work life.  Make them habits!

1.       Soften your knees

When standing, aim to relax the knees.  Let that relaxation feed all your muscle groups.  Start with the knees and keep flexible and fluid in all movements.

2.       Scan for tension

If you are sitting at a desk for a long time, take a moment to scan for tension in your body.  Where do you ache?  What muscles are you holding onto?  Can you release this tension?

3.       Align the spine

Whether sitting or standing, aim to let the head gently release away from the spine.  Think of a cord suspending your weight, tip your chin in slightly and don’t scrunch up your neck.

4.       Drop the breath

Try to re-engage with how we used to breath as children.  Feel confident that you can drop your breath into your belly and control your volume in speech from the diaphragm muscles and not high up in your chest.

5.       Break from the norm

Take a break from screen work.  Really do it.  Let you eyes focus on distant objects and in doing so give yourself a free facelift by letting the tension in your facial muscles drop away.

Exercise, even just a brisk walk outside at lunch; just enough caffeine; plenty of water; 5 a day; we’ve all heard these before.  But you can change the way you work and therefore give yourself that energy lift for playtime. Looking after our voice and body, our vehicles for movement and communication should be our first priority.  This could just be as simple as developing an awareness of our stresses and areas of tension.

Check out website for information on how we can help your staff http://www.oppositeleg.co.uk/

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