Neck

4 Minute Neck Drill from Mark Wildman (4 minute follow-along video)

To keep our neck loose and tall and combat daily overuse of the neck in certain postures (reading/watching screens, sitting at desks).

8 exercises: Look left/right, ear lift, look up/down, glide front/back, glide side-to-side, front circles, full circles clockwise, full circles counter clockwise

Knee Strengthening

The exercises below stretch and strengthen the muscles that attach to the muscles that act on the knee. Doing them can help reduce patellofemoral pain. Stretches for the calves and hamstrings can also help reduce tension associated with patellofemoral syndrome. 

Leg extensions

This exercise strengthens the quadriceps muscles on the front of the upper thigh. 

  1. Sit in a chair with both feet flat on the ground. 
  2. Straighten your right leg to extend it straight, feeling the muscles in the upper thigh working. 
  3. Hold the position for five seconds. Lower the foot and repeat 10 times. 
  4. Repeat on the other leg. Rest for 15 to 30 seconds and repeat on both legs for two more sets. 

Quadriceps stretch

This stretch is excellent to do after the leg extension exercise because it stretches the muscles that were just worked. 

  1. Stand with your left hand resting gently on something sturdy, such as a piece of furniture. 
  2. Pull your right foot toward your buttocks and grasp the top of your right foot with your right hand. Point your right knee toward the floor to feel a stretch in the front of your leg. 
  3. Hold the stretch for 20 to 30 seconds. 
  4. Release the stretch and repeat on the other leg. Perform three to five repetitions on each side.1

Footnotes

  1. https://www.healthline.com/health/patellofemoral-syndrome#exercises