How many times have you been sitting for hours and when you finally get up, you feel stiff? It turns out a lot of pain comes from muscle tension. The cure is simple! Research shows that regular, short rounds of stretching reduces pain, stress, depression, and anxiety, all while increasing blood flow, and improving mood, memory, creativity and focus.
Try setting an alarm for an hourly reminder, or attach a brief stretching routine to other daily habits like brushing your teeth. The best benefits come when you make this like a daily vitamin rather than a one-time fix.
Here’s a stretch to try. Sit tall. On a long inhale extend your arms back into a wide wingspan. On an even longer exhale, sweep your arms forward, tucking your chin and rounding through your upper back. Return to center.
Well, there you have it, adding stretches to your day feels great, costs nothing, and you don’t even have to break a sweat!
