Like millions of people all over the world, my occupation requires me to sit at a desk for long periods of time with little or no physical exertion. As a result of all this time spent sitting in the same position, most of us end up with tons of neck and shoulder pain. To help combat this pain, I've put together some simple exercises you can do at your desk.

Simple Neck Push With Resistance - This simple neck exercise will strengthen your neck muscles and help pull out a lot of the stress accumulated when you sit for long periods of time without your neck receiving much rest. While keeping your head upright, you hold the palm of one of your hands against your forehead. Now press forward with your head and use your hand to create resistance against your forehead, which in turn gives your neck something to push against. Now hold this for around ten seconds, or slowly count to ten in your head. Repeat the procedure with resistance against the back and sides of your head.

Neck Rolls - When you sit for long hours every day, you will inevitably develop poor posture. These easy neck rolls can alleviate the stress caused by poor posture and relieve the anxiety that tension in your neck can often cause. Take a deep breath and relax your shoulders. Now slowly and carefully, let your head roll forward with your chin on your chest, and slowly rotate your head all the way around in a circle. If you do this with just a little pressure, you can stretch your neck and shoulders without straining your neck. Repeat this motion five times, and then repeat five times in the opposite direction.

Elbow Hinges - This is a quick exercise you can do to stretch out your shoulders, though it's best done in a standing position. You can do this exercise as many times a day as you want, whenever your shoulders and upper body are feeling tight. Push both of your arms straight back with your palms facing down and hold it with light pressure for about five seconds. Now, bend your arms at the elbow until your fingers are pointing straight ahead, and hold again for five seconds. Repeat this back-and-forth motion around five to ten times. These are called elbow hinges because of the motion created when the exercise is done properly.

If you do these quick exercises on a daily basis, you'll probably notice that most of your neck and shoulder pains are gone. This can lead to a much easier work day and cause less stress and anxiety for you all day long!