Saturday, May 14, 2022

Five Stretches You Should Do Every Day – Even If You Never Work Out | E-Neighborhood Advisor

 Happy Saturday! - Hope you have a great one!


Just because stretching is a core pillar of fitness doesn’t mean it comes naturally to everyone who works out. Even if you don’t work out, you should still be stretching.

For people who don’t get much physical activity in—or just don’t pay much mind to stretching—hips are an important place to start limbering up. In fact, focusing on the back, hips, and shoulders can make a world of difference when it comes to decreasing everyday aches.

What are the basic stretches everyone should try to do?
Adding stretching to your day doesn’t have to mean squeezing an hour of advanced yoga flows in your schedule. Here are a few simple moves that anyone can fit into their daily routine:

Neck and shoulder rolls: Slowly rolling your neck in one direction, then the other, is a simple but effective way to relax some of your stiffest muscles. When you’re done, move on to rolling your shoulders forward and backward.
Forward folds: Even if you can’t touch your toes, folding your body forward is a great move for loosening up your back. There are a few ways you can go into a fold: You can stand up and dive with your upper body toward the ground, sit down with your legs in front of you and reach towards your heels, or even just bend forward in your office chair. Make sure you’re folding at the crease of your hip instead of hunching your back.

Kneeling hip flexor stretches: Tight or injured hip flexors can cause pain in your back, your knees, and pretty much everywhere in between. After placing down a yoga mat or a folded towel to protect your knee, kneel on the side you want to stretch and step the other leg out in front of you. Keep your back neutral and your pelvis tucked in, then slowly lunge forward until you feel a nice stretch. You can either hold it for 30-60 seconds or pulse into and out of the stretch every few seconds for the same length of time. Repeat on the other side and stop if you feel any lower back pain or pinching.

Butterfly poses: You might be intimidated by yoga practitioners who seem comfortable in an extreme version of this pose, but it’s great for beginners looking to stretch their hip flexors, inner thighs, and back. Sit on the floor with your feet together and knees apart. If the pose is new to you don’t worry about making the stretch very deep—you can move your feet further away from your body to make things easier and stay seated straight up. For more intensity, start to bring those feet closer and fold forward.

Behind the back chest openers: This move releases tension in your shoulders and back. You can do it either seated or standing, all you need to do is bring your arms behind your back, interlace your fingers, and pull your shoulders back to stretch your arms backward.

What if these stretches are too difficult?
The poses outlined above are a good place to start for most, but everyone is different and your results may vary. The most important thing is to not force your body into shapes that hurt.

“It’s okay to feel a little tingling when you stretch, but there should never be pain,” Watkins says. Ideally, stretching should be relaxing—and feel good. So if the poses outlined above sound out of your reach, take things slow and talk to a doctor if something hurts in more than an “oooh yeah, that’s the stuff” kind of way.

“Take your time and do what feels good for your body,” Watkins says. “Only you know what’s right.”
Your Flooring Consultant,
Matt Capell
Email: sales@capellinteriors.com
Phone (208) 288-0151
P.S. Here's a joke for you!
What do you call a bagel that has mastered yoga?
A pretzel.

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