Warmer weather means more opportunities for outdoor activities: Flag football games, frisbee, hiking, biking … But if your body is not prepared for these seasonal activities —you need to stretch
By increasing your flexibility, you can, increase your range of motion, and reduce the chance of future injury. Stretching can be tricky, especially if you’re a beginner or a little out of practice. That’s why we put a list of three easy to follow stretches to follow before you get moving.
- Child Pose: This simple yet useful stretch is a nice way to start your routine because it centers the body and calms the brain. Begin on your hands and knees and spread your knees a bit more than shoulder width apart. Sit up straight. On an exhalation, bow forward, bending your torso so that it rests between your thighs. Finish with your arms extended outwards and palms facing down. Relax your lower back and hold for a minute.
- Cat-Cow: This simple pose allows for a strong front-body stretch, from chin to pubic bone. Lift your tailbone to arch your back, letting your stomach hang toward the floor, drawing your shoulders away from your ears, and lifting your head.
- Hamstring Stretch: Lie on the back, wrap a towel around the back of one thigh and support the thigh by holding each end of the towel. If a towel is not available, the hands can be used to hold the thigh. Keep the other leg flat on the floor. Slowly straighten the knee until a stretch is felt in the back of the thigh, trying to get the bottom of the foot parallel with the ceiling. Always extend the leg and straighten the knee only until the stretch is comfortable.