Feeling a little stiff lately? Regular workout routines can be difficult to keep up with, but for those in-between days when you need to get up a move, there’s a solution. Make managing your flexibility a morning priority.
If you love those just-woke-up, face-contorting stretches, just think how limber and equipped your body will feel after a first-thing-in-the-morning flexibility routine.
Start with simple arm stretches that you can do while sitting up in bed. Reach high above your head and hold the stretch for a few seconds, then rotate your arms behind you to feel the movement in your shoulders. Slowly roll your neck to one side, and then the other, letting each movement increase your body’s range of motion.
Once you’re ready to get out of bed, simply reach down to the floor and touch your toes. Go as far as you can without hurting yourself, and when you come back up, move slowly, feeling each vertebra in your back as you peel upwards. When upright, twist from side to side at the waist, move your wrists and ankles in a circle and kick your legs to feel a stretch in your hips.
Got a sore spot? For the trickier areas that carry tension like your shoulders, neck and back, try lying on the floor on top of a tennis ball, placing it underneath the tender spot on your body. Then press your body into the floor and begin shifting around on top of the ball until you feel a steady push, just like getting a massage. This will help work out knots, and promote blood flow to the area.
All of these, and your own favorite stretches, will make your morning tasks more manageable, will increase your flexibility over time, and they’re better motivation for getting out of bed than an alarm clock!