Did you know that daily stretches for flexibility are a must to help reduce pain, help you heal from an injury or a surgery and more? Many people simply don’t stretch enough. I know I didn’t for years. This is one of the reasons I ended up having to do knee surgery. One of the first things my orthopedic surgeon said to my mom after my surgery and while I was still asleep was that I wasn’t moving and stretching enough. Ouch. As a result I have resolved to change this and to make sure that I have a daily stretches for flexibility routine.
The importance of this was even further emphasized when I interviewed Kim Narkter who is a stretching coach and therapist. In some cases she has even been able to help people who thought they needed surgery to avoid it. This is how important and helpful it is to stretch daily. If you pay attention to animals you will notice that even they stretch often. I know my dog stretches first thing in the morning when she gets out of her kennel.
So how do you create a daily stretches for flexibility routine that works for you? It might seem complicated but it actually can be quite simple.
First, do it first thing in the morning. Yes really. That way you won’t forget and after a long night in bed asleep you will likely have some muscle tension and you will need to stretch anyway. So just do it. You can get out of bed and do some simple stretches. It doesn’t have to be complicated. I bought a set of yoga cards that have yoga stretches and moves on the cards and I’ve found it very helpful to use a few of these cards to do a few simple stretches first thing in the morning. Yoga moves usually require stretching and you don’t have to do a full yoga routine or yoga class in order to use the yoga cards. I also like to do a variety of stretches. Since my knees are a sensitive part of my body I am also not able to do a lot of kneeling or exercises where I have to spend more than a few seconds on my knees.
Second, set a goal to stretch for flexibility for 10-15 minutes daily. If you don’t have this amount of time in the morning, then you can do it in the evening. I personally like to do my daily stretches in both morning and evening. You can also do them before or after any other kind of exercise.
Third, consider purchasing some aids to help assist you with your stretching. I have some blocks, stretch bands, and a stretching DVD that I bought on Amazon. Easy Healing Stretches This has helped motivate me and makes it so that instead of just doing a few quick stretching moves and then getting bored or not really knowing what to do, I have a specific help for my daily stretches for flexibility routine. I’ve found that having a variety of options makes stretching more fun, and it increases the likelihood of actually doing it instead of just talking about it.
Fourth, you can get professional help. You can either find a stretch mobility coach like Kim from this podcast episode or you can go to a place like Restore that offers stretch machines, or there are massage therapists that also offer professional stretching.
Ever since I started daily stretching I have found that it has reduced not only my knee pain but also has helped with my feet, my legs, my shoulders and more. It also makes exercising and sleep easier. You really have nothing to lose so if you haven’t tried daily stretching, I challenge you to try it for at least 30 days.
Did this help you? If so, I would greatly appreciate a share on Facebook, twitter, linkedin, or pinterest.
My Favorite Products (Affiliate links- if you make a purchase I may earn a small commission)
Thrive Market - healthy gluten free, sugar free and speciality online food and household products
Silk and Sonder Monthly Journals and Planners
My Portable Infrared Sauna
Self Care Journal
Martie discounted food
Olipop - healthy soda with probiotics and prebiotics
Digestion Kit
Stress Oils
