Should I stretch every day? Routine to do in the morning

He exercise in the morning is highly recommended to anyone, both to start a change of healthy habits in the daily routine and for other benefits physical as well as mental. For those who don’t have the ability to incorporate it daily, stretching is a great alternative.

Don’t be confused. Stretching is not the same as stretching in bed when you get up. To perform them correctly you will have to get up, prepare yourself and do it with the correct positioning of the body achieve results and avoid injuries.

Among its main benefits, morning stretching helps reduce Risk of injury during or after effort it improves flexibility, increases blood flow, muscle recovery is faster and prevents stiffness.

“Incorporate movement into your stretching exercises. Gentle movements, such as Tai chi or yoga, it can help you be more flexible in certain movements. These types of exercises can also help reduce falls in older adults,” recommends the Mayo Clinic health site.

“Focus on major muscle groups such as calves, thighs, hips, lower back, neck and shoulders. It also stretches the muscles muscles and joints that you use frequently,” he adds.

It is important to highlight that the stretching routine They shouldn’t hurt, like some strength exercises do. Pain is the first warning that the exercise is not being performed correctly. The ideal is to feel the tension. Jumping is also not recommended. This could cause injury to a muscle, in addition to the fact that it also contributes to the muscle stiffness.

In this sense, stretching is not recommended in some particular situations, even when it seems necessary. For example, stretching before strenuous activity can impair performance, as several studies have shown perform exercises Stretching immediately before an event weakens your hamstrings.

Stretching exercises to do in the morning

The specialized sports site “Runner’s World” has published a series of stretching exercises ideal for performing in the morning, especially if integrated with a bit of physical activity. In detail, each of them:

• Circles with your arms: Relax your shoulders and arms to make the movements as wide as possible.
• Alternate flexion: Spread your legs and keep them straight. With your left hand, touch your right foot. He returns to the starting position and touches his left foot with his right hand.
• Stretch your buttocks: Stand behind a chair, with your hands on the back. Step back and extend your arms and buttocks and bend your torso until it is parallel to the floor.
• Child’s posture: Kneel with your knees at least hip-width apart. The more you can open them, the better the stretch will be. Extend your arms forward with palms facing down
• Plyometric lunges: Take a stride with your left foot and place your right arm pointing upwards. Jumping, changing position of arms and legs.
• High kick: Standing, swing your right leg to lift it up to your hip. Keep it stretched. Then, extend your left arm in front of you, as if you want to touch your right foot.