These hand exercises will keep tired hands happy

Hand exercises often get overlooked. We're all used to the idea that other parts of our body need regular movement to keep them nice and healthy, but we often forget our wrists, hands and fingers when designing exercise routines.

But hands that spend all day doing repetitive movements such as typing or drawing can benefit from just a few hand exercises, which only take a few minutes. Just make sure that you wash your hands before and afterwards.

For other exercises for those sitting all day, see our desk exercises, and avoid back problems by making sure you've got the best office chair you can afford.

To help keep your paws in tip-top shape, comic artist Kaitlin Bruder has put together the infographic below, detailing a number of hand and wrist stretches that she does regularly, especially when she's drawing or has been on her phone of computer for a while.

Kaitlin recommends these exercises for before and after heavy or repetitive hand, wrist or arm activity; "As a baseline i usually do ‘em when I wake up and before I sleep and then as needed through the day," she explains.

If you find these exercises useful and need a more permanent reminder of them, Kaitlin has put them on Redbubble for you to buy them as a poster or a T-shirt, so there's no excuse for having ruined hands.

If this has inspired you to put together your own data visualisation, take a look at our roundup of the best infographic makers around.

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