Rather than hitting the snooze button in the morning, spend those extra few minutes stretching and reap the health benefits. Whether you stretch quickly in bed or you jump out of bed for a stretching and exercise session, you will be doing your body a favour.
Stretching While Still in Bed
Rather than hitting the snooze button in the morning, spend those extra few minutes stretching and reap the health benefits.
Flexing Muscles
After a night’s sleep, your body may have tight muscles and joints. Stretching in bed can allow you to release the kinks in your neck, back and legs.
Circulation
Your heart rate is at its slowest just before waking. By stretching you start the blood circulating faster and to the extremities, making getting out of bed a little bit easier.
Stress
From the moment you wake, stress can begin. Thinking of the stressful day ahead of you can cause the release of cortisol. By stretching, you can relieve some of the tension.
Joint Flexibility
With a lack of exercise, weight and ageing your joints become less flexible than they once were. Decreased joint flexibility increases your chance of developing arthritis. Stretching in the morning will improve joint motion and stiffness.
Once you’re Out of Bed
A stretching session when you are out of bed and on your feet sets you up for a good morning and successful day.
Blood Flow
We all want more energy in our day, particularly early in the morning. One of the best ways of improving your energy levels is to increase blood flow to your muscles. Good blood flow also increases blood flow to the brain, so you have better concentration levels in the morning and ready to take on brain taxing tasks.
Aches and Pains
If you have joint stiffness from lying horizontally for eight hours, an exercise session can help. While lying down joints can become stiff and sore from an increase of fluid in joints and discs. Stretching will warm up the body and get the fluid moving.
Endorphins
Light exercise in the morning will cause the feel good endorphins to be released in the brain. These endorphins improve your outlook and produce a positive feeling in the body. You feel less stressed and better able to cope with the stress of the day.
Body Fat
Stretching and exercising in the morning on an empty stomach can burn more body fat than exercising later in the day. There’s also the added benefit of wanting to eat a nutritious breakfast and jump-starting your metabolism.
Make stretching the first thing you do in your day. You will set up your body and mind for its best possible start to the long day ahead.