Daily Stretches to Keep You Limber
Fire Up Your Flexibility With These 8 Daily Stretches
Whether you find yourself sitting at a desk all day, running long distances, doing heavy manual labor, or simply maintaining one position or repeating a movement, you probably notice tight muscles by the end of the day. If you are looking for a stretching routine you can perform daily to help limber up those tight muscles and fire up your flexibility then read on!
WHY IS MUSCLE STRETCHING IMPORTANT?
Maintaining flexibility has many benefits even beyond tackling the tension that daily life can cause in your muscles. A muscle that is spasming can cause pain and discomfort but a muscle that is shortened can cause injury or irritation as the body tries to move through a restricted range of motion. Performing a daily stretching routine can benefit you in the following ways:
Reduces muscle soreness
Improves posture
Can help prevent injury
Improve muscle and joint range of motion
Improve feelings of tightness
EIGHT GREAT STRETCHES YOU CAN PERFORM DAILY!
Standing Stretches -
Quadriceps stretch: Stand next to a counter or chair so you can hold on for balance. Reach behind you and grab your foot or ankle and pull it toward your bottom until you feel a stretch across the front of the thigh. If you don’t feel a stretch make sure your knee is pointed straight down to the ground and that you don’t let your back arch.
Calf stretch: Stand near a wall and step forward into a lunge position, hands on the wall. With your back foot pointed straight ahead and knee straight, lunge forward on the front leg until you feel a stretch down the back of your lower leg/calf. Hold.
Doorway pectoral stretch: Stand in front of a doorway. With elbows bent, raise your arms to at least 90 degrees and place them on each side of the door. Step one foot forward and lunge gently onto the front foot until you feel a stretch across both sides of your chest and hold. To target some of the other fibers in the pectoral muscles, slide your elbows further up and repeat the stretch in this position.
Seated Stretches -
Posterior shoulder stretch: Seated in a chair, use one hand to grab the back of the upper arm of the opposite arm and gently pull the arm across your body until you feel a stretch in the posterior shoulder and hold.
Tricep stretch: Seated in a chair, reach one arm straight overhead until it is in line (or close) to your head and then bend your elbow behind you as though you are trying to scratch your back. Use your opposite arm to gently push the arm further until you feel a stretch down the back of the upper arm in the tricep and hold.
Upper trap stretch: This stretch focuses on the muscles at the top of the shoulders. Seated in a chair, this is a three step stretch that requires you to combine these movements together to target the upper trapezius muscle.
First you will drop your chin toward your chest, then you will side bend the neck so the ear moves toward the shoulder and finally you will turn your head slightly to look towards the side you are stretching. You should feel this along the side of the neck and along the top of the shoulder. For added stretch you can use your opposite hand to gently pull the head a bit further forward and to the side or you can use the hand on the side being stretched to grasp underneath the chair you are sitting on.
Floor Stretches -
Child’s Pose: This is a great stretch to target the hips, glutes and back. To perform this stretch start on your hands and knees then shift your weight back toward your heels while you stretch your arms forward and head toward the ground. You may find it more comfortable to spread your knees wider if you are experiencing any pain or pinching in the hips. Hold this position.
Hamstring Stretch: Seated on the ground, extend one leg in front of you. Without letting your lower back round, bend forward and reach your hands toward the foot of the extended leg until you feel a stretch down the back of the thigh and hold
HOW LONG SHOULD I HOLD THESE STRETCHES?
For static stretching (holding the stretch for a prolonged period), aim for a total of 60 seconds of stretch for each muscle. You can hold the stretch for the entire 60 seconds or break it up into sets of 15, 20, or 30 seconds with breaks in between. If you are feeling increased tightness especially in one area you can repeat the stretch 2-3 times a day.
SHOULD STRETCHING BE PAINFUL?
No! We do not want to stretch into pain. Stretching does not need to be painful to be effective, in fact, overstretching a muscle can cause small muscle tears, soreness and injury. When you are holding a stretch it should feel no more than a 2-4/10 discomfort. For reference, 0/10 means you feel nothing at all while 10/10 means it is unbearable and time to call the ambulance.
IS STRETCHING SAFE FOR EVERYONE?
When done appropriately, stretching is generally considered safe though research suggests this type of long-hold, static stretching should not be done right before exercise as it can decrease performance and may increase risk for injury. Dynamic stretching, which is not covered in this article, is more appropriate as a pre-training warm up.
Another exception to this rule would be if you have or recently recovered from an injury. In this case stretching may be contraindicated or may need to be dosed very carefully to prevent reaggravation of the injury. If you feel that you have a specific injury then it's a good idea to schedule an appointment with one of our therapists at Evolve to evaluate the condition and educate you about which stretches will help you heal.
Additionally, if you are already hypermobile, you may experience muscle tension and tightness but in this case stretching is often not the answer. The body often creates tension or tightness in a muscle in an attempt to provide adequate stabilization around joints in persons with hypermobility, which means stretching may compound the problem. Working with a physical therapist in this case can help you develop the strength and stability you need to allow muscles to relax.
LIMBER UP FOR LIFE
If you don’t feel that you have extra time in your day to dedicate to stretching, try performing stretches while doing other daily activities. For example, performing a standing stretch while waiting for your food to cook on the stove. Sit on the ground while you watch TV and spend ten minutes stretching. You can even stretch while you are talking on the phone. Taking some time each day to perform stretching not only gives you a chance to decompress but helps build a habit that will improve your health.
Also, feel free to check out our Youtube channel for how to videos on different types of stretches!
About EvolveNY-
Brooklyn's Premier Holistic Physical Therapy Clinics- There’s physical therapy, there’s training, and then there’s EVOLVE. We use the science of biomechanics merged with fitness to help our patients get better and stay better!
First we evaluate, then we heal, then we strengthen our clients so they can reach their goals, feel better, and live happier lives. We do so by utilizing a range of core techniques and specialized treatments to reduce pain, improve mobility, enhance physical strength and deal with the underlying issues, not just the pain itself.
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