Every time we move, walking, lifting, bending, reaching, we are exercising our body. We rarely correlate day to day movement with exercise. If we did, we would think more about the benefit of stretching. Everyone has heard about stretching before and after exercise, but even then, not everyone does it. Stretching is vital to muscle recovery for a healthy body. Here are five easy anytime stretches for everyone. Incorporate them in your daily routine and your body will thank you for it.
1. Greeting. Think of this stretch as the preamble to your day. Stretching helps your muscles relax before they are worked. Every morning greet your day with a stretch. With feet together, reach straight up, palms together, forefingers pointed upward, your head in a neutral position. Hold this stretch for 5 seconds. Maintaining that pose, inhale deeply then exhale, tilting your head back and leaning back reaching your arms back and over your head. Inhale and return to straight up. This will get the oxygen running through your body. Repeat two or three times to your own satisfaction.
2. Dive. From standing straight, take a deep breath and fold at the waist, arms released to your side, touch your toes. Hold and breathe for 5 seconds. Repeat this routine 3 times holding your stomach, gluteus and arms firm. This stretch supports your back, abs, and hamstrings.
3. Life lift. Give your calves a bit of attention. Stand barefoot, abs tight, feet hip distance apart, lift up on your toes and hold for five seconds. Repeat decreasing the hold each time by one second until you are lifting repeatedly for ten seconds. This stretch supports your lower back and abs while preparing your calves for everyday activity.
4. Frame pull. Standing on the threshold of a door frame, grab both sides of the frame with your hands thumbs up. Walk forward until your arms are stretched behind you still holding the frame. Lean forward rotating your shoulders blades back toward each other. Lower your chin comfortably toward your chest. Hold for 10 seconds, release and repeat three times. You may also toggle your head gently from side to side giving your neck a stretching massage.
5. Twist and turn. Standing upright, feet a tiny bit wider than hip distance apart with your knees soft. Cup your hands comfortably behind your head, elbows outstretched. Gently twist only your upper body from your waist to the right to your comfort level for 5 seconds. Keep your hips facing straight ahead during the twist. Untwist and repeat on left side for 5 seconds. Repeat to each side as many times as you feel comfortable. Make sure you do both sides the same amount of times to ensure your body remains in balance.
These five easy stretches will help your muscles relax before and after they have been worked. By tightening your muscles during your stretch you actually help loosen up all your muscles allowing more oxygen to reach the muscles and allow for better blood circulation. Stretching everyday will help your body gain overall flexibility and balance. Doing these five easy stretches will have you feeling the benefits of stretching almost immediately.
Karen Anise enjoys sharing her commonsensical knowledge about current topics recognizing that her subject matter comes from practical experience. She is committed to sharing her thoughts on these topics to encourage people to be deliberate in all aspects of living a peaceful and productive life.
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