I’ve experienced that magic the few times I’ve been able to drag myself out of bed and to an early boxing class. “Don’t make it about squeezing in a workout, but about waking up right,” he says. It also helps circulation, getting your blood flowing after your heart spent the night moving a little slower than it does during your waking hours. This stretch will also help loosen up your hips. To relieve that stiffness, there are a couple of easy neck stretches you can do. Yup, you read that right, you don’t even have to get out of bed yet! By stretching in the morning, you can focus on opening up and stretching these muscles. Bring 1 knee to your chest, keeping the other leg bent. Place your hands on your right thigh. Oops! Stand with your feet together and your arms by your sides. Stand with feet shoulder-width apart. Morning back stretches can help prepare you for the day. Extend your right arm forward and left leg back, maintaining a flat back and keeping your hips in line with the floor. Having a stiff neck is extremely common and after sleeping is usually when the stiffness is at its worst. If you’re unable to fully straighten your arms, keep your elbows slightly bent as you reach your arms overhead, Matthews suggests. Arm circles are great because they get the blood flowing in your arms and shoulders. This stretch helps to loosen up the muscles in your back and shoulders, relieving pain and discomfort. It’s still going to be beneficial. Repeat this movement for 30 seconds, focusing on keeping the upper arms, forearms, and hands in contact with the floor, or as close as possible, throughout the movement. Your mornings are busy enough, so why should you add ANOTHER task to your to-do list? Discover new workout ideas, healthy-eating recipes, makeup looks, skin-care advice, the best beauty products and tips, trends, and more from SELF. This is a great morning stretch for back and neck pain, and it’s also the perfect transition into the next six morning stretches on this list. To do this stretch, extend your arms out above your head, pushing them up towards your headboard/wall, and push your feet downwards toward the end of your bed. improve your circulation, release tension, and increase your flexibility, WebMD recommends doing this one standing up, in turn, cause back pain and posture problems, 20 Healthy Foods That Give You Energy That Lasts, 10 Simple Healthy Living Tips for Everyday Living, 5 Great Swimming Pool Exercises for Weight Loss. Keeping your arms in contact with floor, slide your hands overhead, straightening your elbows, until your index fingers touch each other. After five seconds, transition into a downward dog post by straightening your feet and pushing your hips back into the air. Create an account to cast your vote on your favorite deals. No phones ringing. Squeeze your glutes and abs and push through your heels to lift your hips off the floor until your body forms a straight line from your shoulders to your knees. Fast Feet — 30 seconds. But the recommendation to do them after a walk is good because your muscles are warm and loosened up a bit. Before you even get out of bed to start the day (and the coffeemaker), you can get a head start on your routine by doing some easy morning stretches in bed. The biggest one for me? I don’t know what the minimum walk time would be; it might be as low as 10 min, but probably 20. It’s that dynamic movement that’s ideal for warming up your body. Demoing the moves below is Crystal Williams, a group fitness instructor and trainer who teaches at residential and commercial gyms across New York City; Caitlyn Seitz, a New York–based group fitness instructor and singer-songwriter; Shanna Tyler, a New York City–based yoga instructor; Rachel Denis, a powerlifter who competes with USA Powerlifting and holds multiple New York State powerlifting records. Here’s how: Last but not least, right before getting out of bed you can do this forward fold stretch as you sit up. Take up yoga, or perform some basic daily stretches like bending forward to touch your feet, reaching up to the sky on your toes, and bringing your knees into your chest from a … Try These Adjustments to Make Sleep Swell Again. Quick refresher: Dynamic stretching means moving through a functional range of motion at a controlled speed. Let me know what you like to do to wake yourself up in the morning! P.S. Try the first four morning stretches in bed and just see how much better your body will feel. Hold for 20-30 seconds and repeat on the other side, Bending your knee, lift your left leg up to a 90-degree angle and hold it there with both hands by grabbing the back of your leg, Lift your right leg up and cross it over your left leg, resting your ankle on the knee, While breathing deeply, gently pull your left leg towards your chest until you feel a stretch in your right hip area. GIF 1: Model Crystal Williams is wearing a Puma Women's Chase AOP top, $45, us.puma.com; Lululemon Align Pant II 25" leggings, $198, shop.lululemon.com; and Asics sneakers (similar styles at asics.com). You can do this stretch in three different ways too: sitting down, lying down, or standing up. GIFs and images: (GIF 1, 2, and 4) Photographer: Katie Thompson. If you sleep in a curled-up position, you may notice a bit of compression in your spine when you first wake up. Learn You have successfully favorited this deal. Squeeze your abs and draw your right elbow and left knee in to meet near the center of your body. Home » Blog » Healthy » 10 Best Morning Stretches to Wake Up Your Body. After 10 rounds of breath, slowly lift your torso back up. " Repeat three to five times. Any information published on this website or by this brand is not intended as a substitute for medical advice, and you should not take any action before consulting with a healthcare professional. First, stretching before and after exercise will help. The 21 Best Stretching Exercises for Better Flexibility. You can also do this stretch standing with your back against the wall. SELF does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. This is an excellent cure for early morning laziness.” “The Indian must always arouse every fiber of his body before he begins the day. Do whichever feels better! Also, it is a good idea to warm up the body after the initial stretching with some low-intensity movements, such as walking. On the floor, be in a sitting position with your legs half-spread, stretch your arms forward and bend until you can touch your toes. Stylists: Rika Watanabe. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and your arms by your sides Lift your arms That’s my idea of energizing morning exercise. How FlexJobs Can Help You Find a Remote Side Job, 8 Easy Ways to Lower Your Electric Bill Significantly, 25 Funny Valentine’s Day Cards You’ll LOL At, Save Money Easily with the $5 Savings Challenge, 100 Ways to Stay Sane and Busy While Stuck at Home, Walmart Plus vs Amazon Prime: A Head-to-Head Comparison, 10 Air Fryer Side Dishes That Never Get Old, Healthy Shepherd’s Pie with Rosemary Herb Seasoning. Breathe, switch sides, and repeat. But since I know that making it to an early class regularly isn’t in the cards for me, I’ve started incorporating morning stretches into my routine as a substitute. After doing the in-bed morning stretches above, you should already be feeling more awake and less stiff. If you buy something through our retail links, we may earn an affiliate commission. I really need some stretching that can help me improve my back and posture. This forward bend is especially beneficial after resting all night and before standing or sitting all day, as it stretches … Oops! Here’s how to do it: Note: You can also change up your hand positioning to stretch different areas of your chest. Hold this stretch for … Even if you’re unsure whether it will help you, just give it a shot! Slowly lift your head back up to the starting position, and then lift it slowly so that you’re looking up at the ceiling. My team and I work hard to bring Amy is a freelance writer who covers health, fitness, outdoors, and travel. Also, doing this stretch could even help tone your muscles a bit! Something has gone wrong! Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement (updated as of 1/1/21) and Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement (updated as of 1/1/21) and Your California Privacy Rights. Repeat this routine as many times as you’d like. Extreme Morning People Share the 11 Best Things to Do Before 5 A.M. When you are stretching, remember to take it slow and at a steady pace because your muscles are just waking up, so you don’t want to cause injury. I love the mornings. . These morning stretches will help eliminate aches and pains you might experience upon waking up. Congratulations! All rights reserved. Kassandra, a yoga instructor, recommends taking a few deep breaths while in the forward fold position and then slowly coming back to a seated position. You're not a winner this time! Bummer! Want to see your picture by your comment? GIF 3: Model Shanna Tyler is wearing Reebok leggings (similar styles at reebok.com) and Athleta Camo Power of She Bra (similar styles at athleta.gap.com). You can vote multiple times per day. It can simply mean stretching and getting your blood flowing in whatever way feels good to you. Slowly and gently tilt your head toward one of your shoulders until you either feel a good stretch or your ear touches your shoulder, Slowly return to the starting position and repeat on the other side, Interlock your fingers and place them behind your head, Gently and slowly move your shoulders and elbows backward to feel the stretch, Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and your arms by your sides, Lift your arms so that they’re parallel to the ground, Slowly rotate your arms in a circle, starting with small rotations and getting bigger until you feel a good stretch, Reverse the direction after 10-15 seconds, Start by sitting on the ground with your legs fully extended in front of you, Keeping your foot flat, slide your left foot towards yourself by bending your knee until your knee creates a 90-degree angle, Place your opposite arm on your knee (right arm), cupping the knee with the inside of your elbow, Bring your chest as close as you can to your left leg, Take your left hand and place it behind you near your bum, Take a deep breath and, on the exhale, turn your head and body to the left so that you’re looking behind yourself, Hold the stretch for 15-30 seconds; repeat on the opposite side, Start by standing with your feet shoulder-width apart, Lift your left leg up by bending your knee and grab your ankle with your left hand (you can hold onto something with your right hand to keep yourself stable). The stretches can be done anytime. Do this for 3 minutes, eventually increasing time to 5 minutes, maximum. Slide your arms back down to the starting position, keeping your arms and hands in contact with the floor throughout the movement. Randi Ragan, a yoga teacher, says that “this stretch will release the tightness in your body that usually occurs after sleeping.”. After waking up, allow at least an hour to eat and get your body warmed up and ready for exercise. All products featured on SELF are independently selected by our editors. Login to cast your vote on your favorite deals. Getting up early can help you fit in your daily morning exercise. Inhale slowly, and then, on the exhale, round your spine and drop your head toward the floor (this is the cat posture). If you wake up feeling stiff and sluggish, doing a short and simple stretch routine (like the one below) can help improve your circulation, release tension, and increase your flexibility. To fix this, we can do spinal twist movement. Keep your hands on either side of you with your palms flat on the floor. https://www.bupa.co.uk/newsroom/ourviews/waking-up-stretching It feels so good to stretch. Also, your muscles protect themselves from over-extension by inhibiting the nerve impulses as they approach their limit. Stretching in the morning can also help improve your body awareness and reinforce healthy movement patterns, such as firing up your core and retracting your shoulder blades before completing overhead strength moves, Matthews adds, leading to effective, pain-free movement both in and out of the gym. Disclaimer: It is recommended that you speak to a physician before starting any new exercise routines! You should also check out my favorite cleanse! A Quick, 10-Minute Cardio Workout You Can Do Every Morning. Repeat this movement pattern for 30 seconds. When performing this movement, you should extend both hands to the side. Check here for more details. 5. Supine Side Stretch Emilie Bers. Runner's Stretch Hamstring stretch. Inhale and lift your head, chest, and tailbone toward the ceiling as you arch your back for cow. Once you get that first feeling of all your sleep tension being released, you’ll never want to go back. It will also help you feel more focused. This is probably one that you already do (or that you do unknowingly), and it’s one of the best stretches to do right after waking up. Complete the move using your left arm and right leg for 15 seconds. Lie faceup with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor, arms on the floor with elbows bent at 90 degrees and palms facing up toward the ceiling. Well, that’s a good question. How I Make Time in the Kitchen Easy and Efficient! “Stretching in the morning—particularly performing dynamic stretches—can serve as a perfect way to gradually warm and awaken the mind and body after a restful night’s sleep, preparing you for whatever the day might have in store,” Jessica Matthews, doctor of behavioral health, assistant professor of kinesiology at Point Loma Nazarene University in San Diego, registered yoga teacher, and author of Stretching to Stay Young, tells SELF. Try to slowly release all the oxygen in your lungs on the exhale and fill them back up completely on the inhale. ← Use Arrow Keys → Instead of hitting the snooze button in the morning, take the extra 10 minutes to stretch. Copy the code above and then redeem here: amzn.to/2g3Fv6A. She holds a B.A. Wrap your hands behind your left knee and gently pull your knee toward your chest. Total peace. people to improve their health in my fitness challenge! At Fabulessly Frugal, our goal is to help you live HEALTHY, WEALTHY, and WISE! Take 3... Knee to chest stretch. Sometimes the back area, especially the lower back can feel sore after waking up. Morning exercisers claim that getting their blood pumping first thing energizes them for the rest of the day. To deepen the stretch, press your hips forward and down and your collarbones up. To revisit this article, visit My Profile, then View saved stories. more about me and the rest of my team. Get your custom avatar by registering for free at, 10 Best Morning Stretches to Wake Up Your Body. Keep your left foot flexed throughout the exercise. GIF 2: Model Caitlyn Seitz is wearing No Ka Oi Ola Bra (similar styles at shopnokaoi.com); Alala Captain Ankle Tight in Tropic (similar styles at alalastyle.com); and Adidas by Stella McCartney Ultraboost X Shoes, $220, adidas.com. Your email address will not be published. Basically, these stretches will help jump start your body into action with a burst of energy. Required fields are marked *. Don't worry, we hate spam too! Do each movement for about 30 seconds, and then repeat the entire sequence a second time for a four-minute routine. It also feels pretty good on your back! Here’s how to do it: This is another stretch that you’ve most likely done before so it shouldn’t be hard to execute. Amazon: 3-Pack Old Spice Swagger – Confidence & Cedarwood $7.47 (Reg. Is it really worth it to get up a bit earlier just to get some morning stretches in?