Dear Health Conscious Reader,
For daily stretching, you should focus on three areas of the body. These are the areas that tend to get the most strain from your daily activities, such as sitting at a desk all day:
- The front of your shoulders
- The front of your hips
- Your back
Here are my favorite three stretches from The Stretching Institute that are great for your shoulders, hips, and back. Try them out for yourself.
Reverse Shoulder Stretch: You need to stretch these muscles because they shorten from most types of work like lifting, throwing, running, walking, jumping, and swimming.
How To: Stand upright and clasp your hands together behind your back. Keep your arms straight and slowly lift your hands upward.
Lying Crossover Knee Pull Down Stretch: You need to stretch your hips because sitting causes shortening of the muscles of the front of the hip, particularly if you sit for long periods. And stretching your hip flexors muscles several times a week will also help prevent lower back pain.
How To: Lie on your back and cross one leg over the other. Bring your foot up to your opposite knee and with your opposite arm gently push your raised knee down towards the ground. Repeat with the other leg.
Lying Knee-to-Chest Stretch: Stretching your back gives you more mobility, which improves athletic ability. And, it helps to eliminate back pain by improving posture.
How To: Lie on your back and keep one leg flat on the ground. Use your hands to bring your other knee into your chest. Repeat with the other leg.
For maximum benefit you should hold your stretches for at least 20 seconds. And do 3 to 5 reps for each muscle group.
If you have any questions about stretching or would like to learn
some more effective, new stretching techniques, I highly recommend you check out The Stretching Institute. You can find them right here…To Your Good Health,
Al Sears, MD
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