Making tiny changes to your daily routine can improve your health, and it’s worthwhile to include them on your bucket list.
An easy one to incorporate into your life is to stretch for five minutes every morning. Even if you actually have to set your alarm for earlier than usual, your body will thank you in the long run. Stretching each of your major muscle groups will kick-start your day in a positive way.
Getting Started with Stretching
If you do not have a particularly active lifestyle, you may wake up with aching joints and a reluctance to get out of bed. Having a morning stretching routine will help you start the day with enthusiasm and renewed energy. In fact, you can do the first few stretches while still in bed to gently ease you into getting up. Hold each individual stretch for around 20 seconds and repeat if your muscles are particularly tight.
Start with a simple cobra stretch, where you lay on your stomach and gently raise your head and chest. A useful lower back stretch is the knees to chest movement, performed by lying on your back and bringing one knee at a time up to your chest and holding it there.
The final in-bed stretch is the spinal twist, which requires that you lie on your back, raise your knee, and roll it to the opposite side.
Health checkup
It can be beneficial to actually seek out videos that feature any stretching routines to ensure you are doing them correctly and to avoid injury. Always consult your doctor if you have any concerns.
Take the time to cross off the easy, health-related tasks on your bucket list and start to feel the improvement in all areas of your life. A five-minute stretch every morning can make all the difference.
