Wake up Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UEEsdXn8oG8

Bedtime Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PF3BrOUU5lQ

Stretching can be easily overlooked and seem almost a hassle to work into your daily routine. Especially if you work in a physically intensive job or if you sit at your desk most of the day. There are easy ways to work it into your routine, and even don’t have to get out of bed to do them.

When you wake up in the morning and begin with a light 10-12min stretch, you are allowing your muscles to relax. I know I already begin to tense up when I hear my alarm in the morning and let all those thoughts of what I need to be doing flood into my brain. By working this morning stretch into your wake-up routine you can not only help your muscles relax and start fresh but you can lengthen and keep a better overall body posture, increase blood flow, and relieve tension or pain you may have. And this is doubly improved by stretching the night before.

Stretching before bed can help with a nighttime routine that can help you fall asleep faster and can be done in your pajamas in your own bed. 10-12 minutes and you can feel pretty relaxed and ready to get some z’s. This can improve your quality of sleep and overall feeling for the next day’s activities. Some people have the benefit of already attending yoga classes or been in sports or some sort of physical exercise and know what kind of stretches to do- but if you are not quite sure what stretches to do or where to start looking, we have two video links to help you get started. Youtube has a phenomenal resource of daily stretches and short yoga sessions from a large variety of instructors to make it easy to pick someone you enjoy best.

You can also stretch during the day if you have the time or moment to. There are some basic stretches you can do with your arms and hands/wrists when you are on a short break from the desk. As with many things, please stretch with moderation. And listen to your body’s limits. Your stretches do not need to be very elaborate or forced- overdoing them could lead to more harm than good.