Did you know that doctors suggest you stretch at least three times a week? Stretching is often an activity that gets lost in the shuffle of all the rest. However, when done right, it has the power to benefit your life.
In order to get in the habit of stretching, do so in the morning time after you wake up. It will not only benefit your morning routine but help you throughout the day as you work and accomplish other tasks.
So, with this guide, you can find out the benefits of stretching in the morning. From stimulating your mind to reducing stress, you can determine if morning stretches are right for you!
Now, are you ready to get started? Here’s an in-depth look at the advantages of stretching in the morning:
It Gets You Energized For the Day
This has to be the best benefit of stretching in the morning! After lying down to sleep for the night, your muscles are at rest. When you wake up, you need to get your blood pumping, and what better way to do so than have a nice stretch.
Stretching after a night’s rest will take away any stiffness your body may still have since you’re elongating your muscles. Plus, it will energize your body and motivate you to get started with your day.
In fact, you may notice that stretching even makes your body perform better throughout the day. For example, you’ll be able to walk faster or stand for long periods of time without your legs hurting. This is because your body is energized and thus is able to accomplish more activity for longer periods of time without becoming tired.
Now to get you going, here are a few stretches that are known for energizing the body:
- The full-body stretch
- The crossbody twist
- Walking plank
- Straddle stretch
Helps Stimulate Your Mind
Stretching not only activates your body but also stimulates your brain. By stretching after a good night’s rest, you’ll increase blood flow to your brain, helping you wake up and increasing your concentration. That way, you can function better throughout the day.
Rather than be in a fog, you can start the day with a motivating spirit that helps you accomplish your daily tasks and pushes you to finish the day strong.
If you want to stretch to stimulate your mind, make sure you stretch for at least five to ten minutes. That will give your body ample time to wake up and get started for the day.
Now, if you want to get going, here are a few stretches to stimulate your brain in the morning:
- 3 or 4 Jumping jacks
- Bridge pose
- A set of planks
Prevents Lower Back Pain and Other Injuries
Have you ever slept on your shoulder wrong or twisted your back in your sleep? Well, instead of sucking up the pain, stretch it out. After all, stretching is used to protect your muscles from injury.
So after you wake up, if you feel discomfort from sleeping, just do a few stretches to relieve the pain. Stretching will not only decrease the tension on your spine, but it will reduce other body stiffness by pumping blood to your muscles. Stretching thus warms your muscles up so your body can relax and loosen.
In fact, by loosening your body, you’ll have greater mobility which will allow you to do everyday tasks easily and without pain. Therefore, you’ll prevent injuries throughout the day because your muscles are loose and are less likely to strain.
Now, to get you started, here are a few stretches to prevent lower back pain:
- Knee to chest stretch
- Standing back arch
- Cat-cow stretch
- Pelvic tilt
Improves Your Back Posture
Do you notice that you have poor posture? Don’t worry; everyone slouches from time to time, but if your muscles are starting to cause you discomfort, that’s when it can become a problem.
You may want to look at how you sit when you do your daily tasks. Do you slouch your shoulders or hunch over? How about lean in an uncomfortable way? All of those positions can affect your posture and result in muscle pain.
In fact, if you spend 30 minutes or more looking at a computer with your head forward and shoulders rounded, you can cause your muscles to tighten. Now, tight muscles are notorious for causing poor posture.
So to improve your posture, stretch in the morning to help your muscles loosen up. This will allow you to have more mobility during the day, so you don’t feel tight or be in pain.
Here are few stretches you can try to improve your posture:
- Child’s pose
- Standing cat-cow
- Cheating opener
- High plank
Reduces Soreness
Do you experience muscle soreness due to working out or overexerting yourself? Well, then we have the perfect solution for you. Rather than taking ibuprofen, stretch it out.
Stretching can help alleviate pulled muscles and muscle strains. After all, when you’re injured, the muscles around the injury will tense up as a protective response.
During that time, you may feel added pain and discomfort throughout your muscles. In fact, you may realize that you can’t do certain tasks as comfortably or easily as before since your muscles are so tight.
However, the best way to reduce such soreness is to stretch in the morning. Since it will loosen your muscles and relax your body, you’ll feel greater relief throughout the day.
Now, if you want to get started, here are a few stretches that reduce soreness:
- Downward dog
- Seated forward fold
- Groin stretch
- Seated spinal twist
Increases Your Flexibility
Stretching in the morning is crucial to prevent the loss of motion. Depending on your daily routine, whether you sit in an office all day or travel for work, you might be already affecting your range of motion without realizing it. Stretching when you wake up is similar to stretching after a long day’s work; it will help you to reverse the avid wear and tear on your muscles.
By loosening your muscles, you’ll gain more flexibility in which you can do more tasks easily and more efficiently. As a result, you’ll be in less pain and prevent additional injuries from occurring.
Not to mention, you can become stronger too! Since your muscles will no longer be tight, you’ll be able to lift more without your muscles buckling under the pressure; how cool is that?
Now, if you want to start stretching, here are some stretches to increase your flexibility:
- Standing hamstring stretch
- Triceps stretch
- Figure four stretch
- Frog stretch
Reduces Stress
Oftentimes when you experience stress, your muscles will tense up. Stretching in the morning will reduce your stress levels simply by relaxing your muscles. Now it’s best if you focus your stretching on the parts of your body that hold your stress the most; for many people, that includes the shoulders, lower back, or even the neck.
However, stretching to relieve stress doesn’t always mean stretching the parts of the body that hurt. In fact, some people work on areas that make them insecure to reduce stress and anxiety for themselves. In this article, you can read more about that practice.
Although keep in mind there’s more to stretching than moving your body. A big part of stretching is actually focusing on calming the mind.
So if you practice mindfulness or even meditation along with your stretches, you’ll give your mind a much-needed break. It will not only relax your mind but put your body in a peaceful state.
If you want to get started, here are a few stretches that decrease stress:
- Seated spinal twist
- Happy baby
- Rotational neck stretch
- Lower trunk rotation
Wreak the Benefits of Morning Stretches Today
Stretching tends to be an afterthought in today’s fast-paced world. However, if you take a second and focus on elongating your muscles, you’ll notice that it can do wonders for both your emotional and physical health.
Start by focusing on the muscles that seem tight, whether that is where you hold your stress, like in your back or neck or if you slept on your shoulder wrong. Focus on loosening those muscles to help reduce pain, increase flexibility and prevent further injury.
Stretching can be an energizing activity that helps revitalize not only your body but also your brain. So what are you waiting for? Start stretching today!
Now, for more information, about morning stretches, visit our website. We look forward to helping you!
