Tense shoulders? Try this.

Due to the modern-day sedentary lifestyle, it's not uncommon to hear people complaining about neck pain and lower back pain. Nowadays, many of us work at computers or spend hours on our cellphones, where we are hunched over and sitting down in a chair for a large portion of the day. The combination of working and scrolling with suboptimal posture and limited physical activity is a recipe for problems when it comes to health and wellbeing.

Poor posture increases tension in the muscles of the neck, upper back and shoulders. Over time, excess strain causes these muscles to tighten up and become stiff, sore and painful. Ways to prevent these symptoms include, striving for improved posture (shoulders back, head up, and lower back supported) and stretching out the muscles in your neck regularly.

A great way to stretch your neck and trapezius muscles is to perform shoulder and neck rolls to take all of the surrounding muscles through their full range of motion and increase blood flow to the area, helping to reduce the risk of tightness and soreness.