5 Easy Ways to Incorporate Stretching into Your Day!
Allison Feeney PT, DPT
Stretching. It’s a crucial part of fitness & often the thing that gets put to the back burner. I’m guilty of it myself. While many people recognize and prioritize the importance of cardio, strengthening & yoga (more details on that to come in a later post) – stretching is typically the part of fitness/wellness that we say “I’ll get to that later”. Well folks, later has come.
For me, adding stretching into my routine is simply something that has become a habit. Strengthening is all well & good; however our muscles need to be at their appropriate length & flexibility in order to be strengthened effectively. Running feels great; until that delayed onset muscle soreness leads me to walk with a wobble for two days after my first run back after 5 months off and *surprise* I didn’t stretch after (again, learned this first hand).
After a lot of trial & error I am here to share 5 tips that have helped me incorporate stretching into my (aimed for) daily routine. Hopefully you can find these helpful - I can’t wait to hear how you add them into your day!
Make stretching one of the first things you do in the morning. It doesn’t have to look a certain way or be fancy. Below are a few stretches you can do from the comfort of your bed before your feet hit the ground.
Long body stretch: draw knees into chest, hug in tight. Extend arms and legs toward opposite sides of matte. Belly button presses up to sky and abdominals stretch. You can roll out wrists and ankles
Gentle spinal twist: bring legs to 90 degree bend, stack knees over hips. Let legs fall to one side, cactus out arm on opposite side and gaze toward that arm. Bring legs through center and switch sides.
Take advantage of any online sources that offer stretching – Did you know the FIXXED instagram has mobility & stretch videos saved. This takes thinking & creativity out of the equation. Many fitness studios do the same!
Make it part of your wind down routine. It happens, there are days we over sleep or we simply hit the ground running. When stretching is happening at night I find it helpful to put my phone on “do not disturb” and get it done as I’m getting ready to call it a day before I find myself glued to the couch for the night.
Find an accountability buddy. When you tell people the things you want to do, you have some external motivation to hold yourself accountable.
Make it fun. Find a few stretches you enjoy, find a few stretches that hit your most needed areas.
I hope these tips inspire you to start your stretching journey. Be sure to tag us if you use our videos and don't forget we offer massage gun assisted stretches if you're ready to take your stretching regimen to the next level!
