Daily Stretching Challenge- 7 moves for flexibility

One of the best kept anti-aging secrets is everyday stretching! What’s hard is making the time to do it, but like brushing your teeth, just do it! This week I want to challenge us to an Daily Stretching Challenge, my adding a move each day to add mobility. Tag me in your story so I can see it 🙂 and use hashtag #dancingmamastyle! I will gift my favorite foam roller to whoever shares the most. Even if you don’t share, I encourage you to revisit these classic stretches. Here is a how to! To make the most of your daily stretching challenge, I encourage you to build on each day!

The Daily Stretching Challenge

Day 1: Spinal Twist

• 

• 

Why you want to this: It keeps your spine supple and mobile. Ever notice when you switch car lanes that sometimes it’s hard to look back? That’s when I know I HAVE to get back to stretching. This stretch is really easy. There’s virtually no excuse not do it, even in bed! However, I would recommend a harder surface.

The key points here are:

1. Lie down. Swing one knee over your midline, leaving your toe back close to your supporting leg.
2. Gaze back opposite the leg you crossed over and reach with your hand, anchoring on the ground.
3. Hold your knee down with your other hand. Breathe and slowly twist a bit more after each exhale. Hold for 60 seconds each side.

Day 2: Quad Stretch

• 

Why you want to do this: Chances are you sit. 🙂 Like most of the day. When you keep sitting and not walking enough, your hip flexors keep getting shorter and shorter. Eventually, it starts pulling on your lower back and causes other issues including knee issues. It’s all connected. Many people do this stretch standing up, but I love doing it on my tummy because I can relax and breathe into it.

The key points here are:

1. Keep your head down and supported.
2. With your knees together try reaching for your ankle. If you can’t reach then use a band or sweater to loop your foot into until you gain flexibility.
3. Flex and point your foot while you hold for 60 seconds each side.

Day 3: Cobra with Variations

• 

• 

Why you want to do this: If you’ve been to yoga, you know cobra. This is a great multi-tasker. You can lengthen your hip flexors, quads and provide a back extension to keep your spine mobile. The first stretch is great for keeping the “torque” in your spine, this one is great for keeping the extension. If you want to head into middle age and beyond without being hunched over, this is it!

Things to keep in mind:

1. Try to keep your feet together for a true stretch.
2. Start my going on your elbows and graduate to your knees.
3. Breathe and picture length in your spine so that you’re not compressing your spine.
4. For knee bend variation, you will feel a huge stretch in your quads and hip flexors. I used to be able to put my feet on my head but that’s no longer an option for me. Although, I could work towards it.

Day 4: Armpit stretch

Why you want to do this: You’re probably thinking what the heck is an armpit stretch? If you sit at a computer and drive, nurse babies, love your pushups, chances are your armpits and chest are super, duper tight. Keeping the muscles across your chest and armpits will help prevent injuries such as muscle strains and tears.

Things to keep in mind:

1. Find a wall and place your hand over it. Pretend that you’re gonna give it a hug and roll up to it to your armpit.
2. Look away, feel silly. hold for 60 seconds.
3. Corners work well also.

Day 5: Chest Opener

• 

• 

Why you want to do this: Just as the above, this stretch opens up your chest and strengthens your back muscles to hold you up and not hunch over. One of the first things to go as we age is holding ourselves upright, this really combats the natural aging process. This is one of my favorite stretches and taught to me by Dr. Pontarelli from Windy City Wellness. It looks easy but freaking HARD.

Things to keep in mind:

1. Feet together, abs tight, shoulders down, breath.
2. Touch your wrists and elbows to the wall. Press the wall with both points,
3. Go up and down for 3-4 sets of 8 as show in pictures. Resist as you go up and pull as you down.
4. Breathe, this is silly hard.

Day 6: Inner Thigh & Waist Stretch

Why you should do this: Maintaining your range of motion in these areas is key for injury prevention and to access them for toning work. Sometimes when you do strength exercises you can’t see results as quickly because you can’t access the range of motion that is needed. These 2 points: inner thigh and waist are part of almost all movement.

Things to keep in mind:

1. Stretch both legs or work with one bent as a starting point.
2. Flex or point your foot, it doesn’t matter but play around with both sensations.
3. You might only get as far as raising one arm up in the air and not being able to lean over. What’s important is keeping your spine straight and chest open, the stretches before help with that. If you’re hunched over you aren’t truly stretching the right spots.

Day 7: Calf stretch variations

• 

• 

Why you should do this: These are key to keeping you bouncing, running or dancing. When our calves and feet stay really tight we put ourselves at risk for calf tears or plantar fascitis. These stretches are great for keeping our mucles in our feet and calves long so that they can contract and release properly during all our activities.

Things to keep in mind:

1. Keep hips and shoulders squared forward.
2. First variation is to keep back leg straight. You’ll feel this in your arch and top of your calf muscles as well as hip flexor.
3. Second variation is to bend your back leg shifting the focus to your achilles tendon and deeper in the foot muscles.
4. Hold both for 90 seconds on each side. I like to bend side to side while I’m doing it for a multi-tasking effect.

So there you have the daily stretching challenge! Are we ready?! Say yes, you’ll feel so much more in tune with your body and ready for more challenges. How often should you do all of these? Ahem. Ideal situation would be daily! But if you can’t do that, aim for every week day. Make it part of your routine like brushing your teeth. All of the exercises from the daily stretching challenge take about 10 minutes! In a few months, you’ll be suprised at how your mobility has changed and perhaps even your strength. For a workout you can do at home to try this, and for more of my favorite fitness tips try this! XO, Z