Stiffness in the morning time causes us to start the day off on the wrong foot

But who among us in the adult population of Dunedin can truly say they never feel stiffness in the morning time? This stiffness is most often a byproduct of both aging and lifestyle, but that doesn’t mean there is nothing to be done about it. In fact, you can defeat morning time stiffness before even getting out of bed, and it won’t take more than 5 minutes. Here’s how:

A morning-stretch routine that doesn’t require you to get out of bed

This assumes you have a reasonably supportive mattress that doesn’t let you sink in too much. So tomorrow morning, try these stretches before getting up:

• Knee to chest: with one leg bent, slowly bring the other leg toward your chest, clasping your hands over the knee and keeping it aloft. Hold 30 seconds then repeat with the other leg.
• Knees to chest: now bring both knees at the same time up toward your chest and hold for 30 seconds. 
• Hamstring: with one leg bent, pull the other knee toward your chest but this time point your foot upward. Hold 30 seconds then repeat with the other leg. 
• Overhead stretch: finish by simply extending your body; reach your arms out over your head and point your toes the opposite direction. Rest and breathe deeply in this pose, feeling your body at full extension. 

Morning sretching is your ticket to daily wellness

The point of all this stretching is to release tension from the lower back and hamstrings that creates a problematic pulling throughout the day. If you are interested in banishing stiffness and soreness from your back and from your life, this is a great place to start. For more ideas on how to feel less stiff, give our office in Dunedin a call to schedule an appointment today.