| Crocheter's Health Tips by Patricia Howard |
| Warm up exercises for crocheters. I do these exercises for myself and want to share them with you. I want to say, however, that I am not an expert or teacher. I strongly suggest that if you have any sort of physical restrictions you should be very aware of your body. Do not do these excercises if they cause you any discomfort or pain. Start by sitting in a comfortable position. You can sit in your favourite crochet chair. Take a deep inhale through your nose, exhale through your nose. Inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale. Slowly each time. Begin to roll your head in a big circle very slowly to the right. Be mindful of any tension or tightness you might have. Roll your head all the away around three times to the right. Now reverse the direction for three more times. Raise your head to it's normal position. Now, slowly roll your shoulders forward, once, twice...one more time. Now reverse the roll, once, twice...one last time. Raise your right arm out in front of you and carefully bend your wrist with the hand up. Use your left hand to assist the stretch back, being very aware of any discomfort. Now, bend the wrist down and gently push down with your other hand. Now, raise your right arm out in front and repeat using the opposite hand. This is a good stretch for crocheters. It relieves tension in the wrists and helps the muscles stay loose for crocheting. Now carefully rotate your hands at the wrist. Do this about three times. Change the rotation direction. Now you are ready to start crocheting. You can also use these excercises to take a break from your crochet. We often become so involved with our projects that we don't realize the pressure we put on our wrists, shoulders and neck. Use these exercises to loosen up and relax during a project. |