7 Stretching Exercises You Should Do Each And Every Day

Jan 07, 2019 by apost team

Everyone needs to stretch their body. This makes you feel great and will take stress off of your body. It's great to stretch every morning and at those times you are restricted from movement like sitting at a desk all day or even during a flight.

Stretching allows your muscles to become loose and makes you feel better overall but the benefits run so much deeper. Stretching can help build strength, increase tissue support and flexibility, and even help with stability around the joints. If you find that your muscles don't seem to be very flexible, it can be really difficult to have full movement while attempting exercises. Skipping stretching can even cause you to injure yourself which will keep you from achieving your goals when it comes to fitness.

This is why it's very important to do stretches every single day. This will help you to loosen your joints. Below you'll find 7 stretches that will help with strengthening and lengthening when done daily. When exercising you'll want to do a warm-up prior to your workout and some post workout exercises afterward. The great thing is that you can use these stretches for prior and post workout by doing the movements quickly or holding them for thirty seconds. Moving in and out of posing quickly is referred to as dynamic and holding the poses is called static.

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This is a very popular pose in the yoga community. It's a pose that aids with mobility in the shoulder and hip areas and also stretches your lats, hamstrings, and deltoids

Instructions: ​​​​​​​

1. You'll start by placing your body into a plank pose. Be sure that your shoulders align straight over your wrists.
2. Take your hips and move them up towards the sky. Your body should form what looks like a triangle. Be sure that your legs are as straight as possible. Have your head stay right between your arms
3. Pull your heels down towards the floor. Spread out your fingers. This will help with distributing your weight evenly between your feet and hands.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

For Dynamic: Move back and forth between the downward dog and plank positions.

This pose is great if you suffer from a stiff back. It also gets your blood flowing and will help with the mobility in the spine area.

Instructions:

1. Start by getting on all fours on an exercise or yoga mat. Align your wrists directly under your shoulders. Your knees will need to be directly under your hips.
2. Push the middle of your back upwards until it's rounded. Look down towards the floor and tuck your pelvis under while you also pull in your abs at an upward angle.

For Dynamic: Breath in and out deeply as you switch back and forth between a straight and a rounded back.

This pose is great for the lengthening the side of your body. It'll also help by stretching your lats, obliques, and hips.

Instructions:

1. Have your feet a little more than hip-width apart.
2. Lift one arm above your head while keeping your palm facing inside. Reach toward the opposite side as you also stretch.

For Dynamic: After reaching out with one arm, return your arm to your side and stand up straight. Then you'll reach back up. Repeat this eight times before changing to the other side.

This pose is great for people that run. It's also great to help with alleviating tightness in the glute area and piriformis.

Instructions:

1. You'll need an exercise or yoga mat for this one. While sitting on your mat, place your hands behind your body. Keep your fingertips facing outward away from your body.
2. Take one leg and lift it. Place the ankle that is lifted onto the opposite leg right above the knee area. Be sure to keep your feet flexed as this will protect your knees.
3. Take the bottom leg and slowly begin to bend it back towards you. Keep going until you feel a stretch.
4. Once you feel the stretch in your hip and leg, straighten your back. Take your shoulders and push them back while sticking out your chest. Hold this pose for thirty seconds and then switch to your other side.

For Dynamic: Take the bottom leg and straighten and bend it continuously.

This pose will aid with balance and lengthening. It engages your hip flexors, abs, and chest.

Instructions:

1. You'll start by standing with one foot out in front and the other behind you.
2. Bend the front knee at a 90-degree angle. Be sure to keep the back leg straight.
3. Take your arms and lift them in the air by your ears. Palms will face inward. Now, lift your chest while your arch your back slightly. You'll now take your back hip and press it forward.​​​​​​​
4. Try to lunge further down while exhaling. Hold this pose for eight seconds and then switch to the other side.

For Dynamic: Straighten and bend the front leg while you raise and lower your arms. Do eight reps and then switch to the other side.

This is a great one for calming and is a good exercise when you're in recovery. This will stretch the lats, lower back, and shoulder area.

Instructions:

1. Using an exercise mat under you, get down on your hands and knees.
2. Take your body and push back with your hips until your butt sits back on your heels. Your knees will be slightly wider than your hips. Arms will stay straight and out in front of you. Look down at the floor.

For Dynamic: Go back and forth continuously from your hands and knees to the child's pose.

This pose is great for flexibility in the hamstring area. It also works the core.

Instructions:

1. While laying on your back, take your legs and lift them towards the sky.
2. While you lower one leg down, take the other leg and pull it up towards your face.
3. Place your hand on the back of the leg that is raised at calf height or higher. Raise your shoulders up to where they are lifted off of the mat.
4. Be sure the legs stay as straight as possible and have your toes pointed. Hold this pose for thirty seconds and then you'll switch sides.

For Dynamic: Switch sides repeatedly in a fast manner still grabbing your leg and pulling it towards you.

Will you be trying out these stretches the next time you're feeling a little tight? Let us know if there are any stretches that are already part of your routine! Be sure to pass these stretches on to your friends and loved ones - people tend to forget how important stretching is.

Our content is created to the best of our knowledge, yet it is of general nature and cannot in any way substitute an individual consultation by your doctor. Your health is important to us!