Stretches to Do in the Morning

Everyone's morning routine Is different, some wake up at the crack of dawn and brew a nice pot of coffee while others wait till the last minute to get up. Whether you're either of these people, we all need to stretch to get the most out of our bodies. Some of the best stretches to do for your body will be, full-body stretches. These stretches will help your body be more productive by loosening you up and giving you energy.

While doing these stretches, you will want to be doing them for 30 seconds at a time. It's best to do the two different types of stretches together, which are static and active. Static stretches will help you limber up while the active stretches will get your blood flowing and start providing you with energy to help get started for the day. To help prevent pulling a muscle or hurting yourself, it’s best to do static stretches.

A good static stretch to start with would be the straight down toe touch, this position helps stretch the lower and upper back as well as your calf, and hamstrings. Stay in this position for about 30 seconds to get the best use out of it. Then, transition into the right toe touch, by spreading your legs and leaning towards your right side. This further stretches the left side of your lower back, while tightening the right hamstring. After 30 seconds switch sides and repeat for another 30 seconds. Next is your arms, it's best to just pull one arm across the body and pull with the other arm, hold for15 seconds and switch to the opposite arm. If you feel the need to further stretch your arms, you can take one and place it behind the head and proceed to push the elbow down with the other arm. After 15 seconds switch to the opposite arm and repeat.

Now that you’ve limbered up, it's time to get in some active stretches. A nice one to start with would be lunges. You can stay in place and keep switching back and forth from one leg to another. Make sure you feel the tightening within your hamstrings and thighs. Do these for 40 seconds each alternating between legs for 10 seconds. Next, to get some blood flowing, do high knees or simply running in place to try and get some oxygen to other parts of the body. You can run in place for 30-60 seconds, which will be plenty. For the last exercise, jumping jacks are a great finisher. Jumping jacks make you use your arms, legs, core, and shoulders. Do jumping jacks for 60 seconds and a walking cool down for 10 or 15 seconds. Once finished, its best to take a breather and proceed onto your normal routine.

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