Do a body check: Are you hunched over a phone? Curled up on the couch? Slumped in a desk chair?
We’re all guilty of less-than-stellar posture. And as we get older, our bodies fall into habitual patterns. Think about your default positions during everyday activities: Many of us sleep, sit in the car, and work in front of the computer in the same position — we even carry bags on one shoulder or arm instead of the other. Over time, the wear and tear of these repetitive movements can cause our muscles to hold tension and shorten.
Exercise, while great for our body, can also have this effect. If you exercise and don’t stretch, your body gets used to contracting and moving in specific ways. For example, if you always walk forward, you’re using your quads and hips. What about walking backward? Many of us don’t. Therefore, the muscles that we use get tight and the muscles that we don’t use lose mobility.
That’s why it’s important to improve flexibility and stretch our muscles, loosen up our joints, and become mobile in a variety of planes of motion. Over time, this will improve range of motion and reduce your risk of injury.
Here are some great stretches to keep in rotation. You can do all of them together as a circuit or sprinkle them in throughout the day to combat tight muscles and improve flexibility over time.
Child’s pose
Kneel on the floor so that your shins and tops of your feet are on the ground. Bend at your hips, moving your hands forward and sitting your butt back. Inch your hands out in front of you until your stomach is resting on your thighs and your arms are stretched straight out in front of you, palms on the floor. Focus on your breathing. Hold for 20-30 seconds.
Wide leg seated forward fold
Sit up straight with your legs open wide. Flex your feet and engage your quads. Slowly fold forward as far as you can reaching your arms in front of you. Relax your shoulders and feel a stretch in your inner thighs. Hold for 20-30 seconds.
Seated forward fold
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