Once upon a time, the office staff asked me for an exercise program that could help them get through the day without experiencing the various aches, pains, and feelings of general postural malaise associated with long periods of sitting, especially ones prone to following them home. The request was like throwing a porkchop to a pit bull; I provided a fully furnished program by the end of the week.

An interesting phenomenon developed in the months ahead: Approximately half of the office staff stayed with the program while the other half soon dropped out—with telling outcomes. While the group that stopped exercising experienced predictable outcomes, the group that had been exercising consistently improved markedly. Complaints of pain diminished considerably, sensations of postural malaise subsided, and they looked forward to performing the exercises each day.

The following routine focuses on neck, shoulder, hip, and knee movements. Together, they provide you with a quick, effective regimen you can do several times a week—or day—to help keep you strong and motivated in any situation that requires extended sitting. These exercises can also recharge your energy, helping you avoid the mid-afternoon slump many experience.

While this posture-strengthening routine works well for my patients, you might wish to speak with your medical professional to ensure it’s right for you.

5 Handy Workplace Exercises to Alleviate Pain and Discomfort

1. Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes

The children’s exercise song “Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes” makes a great office exercise in modified form. This compound exercise involves up-and-down movements against gravity and a great deal of joint mobility from, well, your head to your toes.

Practice Tip: Keep your back straight as you reach to your knees and toes, and bend your knees to get them involved in the crouching movement.

Step 1: Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and arms by your sides.

Step 2: Bring both arms up to touch the upper backside of your head with your hands while keeping your elbows out to the sides.

Step 3: Reach further down and touch your shoulder blades as far down as you can.

Step 4: Squat slightly and bring your hands to touch both knees and then your toes before returning to standing. Doing all 4 stages counts as 1 repetition. Try to complete 3 sets of 12 repetitions.

2. Pectoral Stretches

Most things you do at your desk pull your shoulders and head forward and tend to flex and internally rotate your shoulders. The result? Slumped posture, rounded shoulders, and elbows rotated out—the perfect mix of bad postural ingredients needed to cook up some serious aches and pains.

Pectoral stretches accompanied by shoulder depression can help open your chest and bring your shoulders into an upright posture. You can perform this exercise sitting or standing. I prefer standing as it gets us off our seats.

Practice Tip: Be sure to maintain your form, pace your movements, and keep your elbows pulled back as far as you can to keep the stretch. The better your form, the better your results.

Step 1: Stand with your arms straight out to the sides and bend your elbows 90 degrees so that your fingers point straight up at the ceiling—like cactus arms. Make sure your elbows are pulled back to stretch your pectoral muscles. At the same time, squeeze your shoulder blades together.

Step 2: Slowly drop your elbows straight down as far as you can while keeping them back as far as you can. Hold the position for approximately 2 seconds before moving your arms back to the starting position.

Step 3: Moving your arms down and back up counts as 1 repetition. Try to perform 3 sets of 12 repetitions per set.

3. 6-Point Neck Stretch

The human neck is a structural masterpiece capable of a wide range of movements and is surprisingly strong, but modern office posture is rough on our necks. The six-point neck stretch helps mobilize and stretch your neck muscles, tendons, and ligaments and can be performed anywhere, including your favorite office chair.

Note: These neck exercises can involve your vestibular system. Thus, it’s OK if you find yourself getting swimmy-headed. Simply stop for a bit to let your head clear before moving on.

Practice Tip: Be sure to move slowly during these movements and control your posture. Avoid the temptation to speed up as you go.

Step 1: Sit up as tall as you can in your office chair, head facing forward and shoulders back.

Step 2: Move your chin down toward the base of your neck and hold for 2 seconds. Then, point your nose as far toward the ceiling as you can and hold for another 2 seconds before returning to the starting position.

Step 3: Slowly turn your head as far left as you can, then rotate right after 2 seconds. After holding for 2 seconds, move back to the starting position.

Step 4: Bring your right ear toward your right shoulder as far as you comfortably can, hold for 2 seconds, repeat on the left side, and then return upright.

Step 5: Performing all the movements in sequence counts as 1 set. Try to perform 3 sets of 10 repetitions.

4. Chair Squats

Chair squats are one of the classic office exercises and are effective for a wide variety of people. They’re one of my favorite recommendations for anybody who sits still for long periods. Although a straightforward movement, they provide a great postural and muscular workout.

Step 1: Sit at the front of your chair with your arms reaching straight out and your feet shoulder-width apart.

Step 2: Lean forward and slowly stand up, lowering your arms to your sides as you rise.

Step 3: As soon as you stand up, move back toward sitting, being sure to sit far enough back that your knees don’t move out in front of your toes. Move slowly into sitting. Avoid plopping, dropping, or flopping down, as that can stress your back.

Step 4: Standing up and sitting back down counts as 1 repetition. Try to perform 3 sets of 12 repetitions.

5. Touch Chin/Touch Spine

This exercise mobilizes the upper body. I like it because it targets the shoulders and upper trunk—areas that suffer considerably from office desk posture.

Step 1: Sit upright at the front of your seat with your hands on your knees.

Step 2: Touch your chin with both hands at the same time.

Step 3: Reach over your shoulders with both hands and touch the back of your neck at the spine.

Step 4: Slide your hands as far down your spine as you can. You won’t go far, but go as far as you comfortably can.

Step 5: Now slide your hands back up and touch your chin again before placing your hands down on your legs.

Step 6: Touching your chin and then shoulders and bringing your hands to your lap counts as 1 repetition. Try to complete 3 sets of 12 repetitions.

These exercises can help make those long office days more bearable, allowing you to leave work and its associated pains behind when you go home for the evening.