This month’s wellness tip theme is stretching. Many of us know that stretching is something extremely important to our body’s health and wellness but are unsure how to stretch correctly. Some of us cannot do a lot of the stretches that are advertised in videos or online due to mobility issues. I don’t know about you, but if I got down on the ground to do some of them it would take me another hour to get back up! Here are a couple of stretches that you can do without sitting down or bending over.
Calf Stretches. There are a few ways to stretch out your calves without sitting down. The first of these is to stand with your feet shoulder width apart and hold onto something in front of you for balance. Put one foot a couple of feet in front of the other and gently lean forward into the stretch. Make sure to keep your hips straight and your feet flat on the floor. Hold your back straight as well, you don’t want to end up hurting your lower back or reducing the effectiveness of the stretch. Hold it for ten to thirty seconds and then gently stand straight up before leaning forward with the other leg.
Quadriceps Stretch. This one may be a bit more difficult, but with a little bit of work I’m sure you’ll be able to do it. Stand again with your feet shoulder width apart and hold onto something in front of you for balance. This is extremely important for this stretch. Now lift your foot gently behind you while keeping the knee bent until you can hold your ankle. Pull your foot up and back until you can feel a stretch in the front of your thigh and hold it for ten to thirty seconds. You may want to tighten your stomach muscles as well. Release and try with the other foot, remembering to hold onto something for balance.
These stretches can help your legs, hips, and even your spinal alignment. It helps to warm up your muscles and can increase circulation which will generally help to reduce pain levels. If you are interested in more exercise ideas, come on into DiBella Chiropractic and we can come up with a plan for you together.
