How to have a Good Stretch
What do cats, dogs and most animals do a lot in the day and especially after sleeping?
They have a good streeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeetch. And as you get older and less flexible, stretching becomes more important.
Do keep up your daily exercise such as walking or going to the gym but remember that keeping flexible is vital to your well being.
Just imagine reaching a time of life when you cannot do up your bra or cut your own toenails! But you can start now to redress the balance by spending just 10 – 15 minutes per day stretching out. These stretches will keep your back strong too.
Our list of stretches are those we have found beneficial after years of suffering bad backs etc.
If you plan to do these stretches after getting out of bed ensure that your muscles are warmed up by walking on the spot for 5 minutes. Or do the stretches after a warm shower.
If you want to, just pick a few stretches to start with, then once you feel the benefits you may want to do more
- Try and hold the relevant poses for the count of 10.
- To get maximum benefit all the stretches should be repeated and you should aim for 5 repetitions.
If you have any problems with back/limbs you should seek professional advice before going on this programme.
Do not do the stretches if your muscles are cold you will just end up with an injury. Imagine muscles and tendons as elastic bands, if they are cold they are hard to stretch. They stretch much easier when warm. Do not over-push the stretch, let your body dictate the pace, it doesn’t matter how far you can reach now, you can only improve.
But first, do what the animals do. Before getting out of bed take a couple of minutes to really have a good stretch.