Hey there, viewers! Got joint pain and stiffness, even after going to gym and exercising?
You’re missing a very important step in your workout routine… stretching.
In today’s video, we’re going to talk about stretching exercises that will help you become
more flexible. You’ll also find relief from stiff joints and pain. What is toe fanning?
How do you do a foot dome? What about hurdler stretching? We’ll be talking about all of
these AND more... 1. Toe Fanning
This particular stretch targets your foot muscles. To do this, you will need
to be either sitting or lying down. Once in position, spread your toes as wide as you can.
While doing this, you can also try to flex your foot if you want to increase
the flexibility of your ankle. You will need to do this about 10 to 15 times for each foot.
How wide are you able to spread your toes while sitting down? Sound off in the comment section,
and start a conversation with our Bestie community...
2. Pigeon Pose The pigeon pose is another stretch
that can help with your hip flexors. To begin, you need to get into the downward-facing dog position.
Once in position, lift your left leg in the air to put it behind you. While bringing it down,
bend your knee and put the leg in the forward position and towards your chest.
Now rest the leg on the floor in a way that it’s parallel to the front of your mat. Don’t worry if
it’s not completely parallel. Just try as much as possible without hurting yourself. Now rest
your right leg behind you and lean over your left leg to bring your forearms to the ground.
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3. Hurdler The hurdler stretch
will target your hamstrings, hips, and lower back. To begin, sit on a mat and stretch your
right leg straight while keeping your left foot in contact with your inner right thigh.
You start by sitting up and reaching down to your right leg, as far as you can go.
You’ll need to keep your back straight through all this. If needed, you can bend your right
knee slightly. Hold on to that position for as long as you want before switching sides.
4. Cat-Cow The cat-cow helps stretch your abdominal muscles,
as well as your back and spine. For this, you will need to get down on your knees and hands,
with your wrists placed beneath your shoulders. The knees will be placed directly under your hips.
For the cat part of the stretch, you inhale and arch your back while at the same time squeezing
your belly button towards your spine. For the cow part of the stretch, you exhale and lower
your stomach towards the floor. Then lift your chest and look at the ceiling while doing so.
5. Double Leg Glute Bridge
This stretch can help deal with your hip flexors. You will need to start by lying
down while keeping your feet flat and knees upwards. Once in position, squeeze your butt
while also pushing your hips in the air. You will need to be in this position for
about three seconds, and then bring your hips back to the floor. Not only does this work well
on your hips, it can also act as a great warm up before you start your workout. Do 10 to 15 reps.
6. Single Leg Glute Bridge The single leg version of the glute bridge
also works on your hip flexors, but is slightly tougher compared to the double leg version.
Go back to the starting position you had in the double leg version.
Instead of both feet on the ground you will need to lift the left leg straight and upwards.
Once in position, move the left leg up off the floor slightly. Then squeeze your butt,
and push your hips upwards. Bring the leg back to the ground after about three seconds.
You can do 10 to 15 reps. 7. Kneeling Hip Stretch
This stretch works on your quads, the front side of your hip flexors and your groin.
The starting position is kneeling on the floor, but with your left leg up
while your right shin remains on the floor. Once in position, move your hips forward as
if you were pressing your pelvis to the floor. But be careful to not move your knee past your toes,
or else it will cause damage. If you want to include your chest in this stretch,
you can lift your arms up by your ears, and move the chest in the forward direction.
Before we move ahead, here’s a video you might like. Do you love exercise? You may
as well learn about these 6 exercises that can transform your body in as little as 4 weeks...
8. Foot Dome For this stretch, you will need
the help of a lacrosse or golf ball. It targets your plantar fascia, which is essentially the
thick tissue present at the bottom of the foot. With the ball you’ve chosen, place the middle of
your foot on it. You can also use that ball to massage any tension you may be feeling.
You can also take out any soreness by moving your foot forward and back along the painful areas.
9. Spinal Decompression For this stretch, you will
need a pillow to protect your lower back. As the name suggests spinal decompression
can help free your lower back from pain. Lie down and put the pillow under your lower back.
Once in position, bend your knees in a way that your legs are off the ground. Grab your shins
and pull them towards your chest slowly, and hold them in that position as long as you can.
10. Baby Cobra The baby cobra stretch
can help with your abdominals and spine. With this, you start by lying on your stomach and
putting your hands in front of your shoulders, or as close as you can get them to the shoulders.
Once in position, press your forearms downward and push your chest in the upward direction.
Make sure you keep your elbows bent throughout, and hold the position for however long you
want. 11. Kneeling Wrist Stretches
As the name suggests, this stretch primarily works on your wrists and forearms. You can start
by getting down on your hands and knees. Make sure your fingers are pointing towards your mat.
Once in position, you need to lean forward until you can feel yourself stretching.
Hold that position once you feel the stretch. After a certain amount of time,
get back to the starting position. This time, put your hands in the opposite direction.
Your fingers will be facing your body. Now push your butt down to your heels, and hold in that
position for the desired amount of time. 12. Standing Wrist Stretches
Similar to the kneeling wrist stretches, this also works on your wrists and forearms.
This stretch is particularly helpful for people who don’t want to put a lot of pressure on their
wrists for any reason. You won’t have to lie down for this, and can remain standing up.
Extend your right arm upward, parallel to the floor with your fingers pointing downward.
Pull the fingers to your side with the help of your other hand. While doing so,
the wrist should be pressed away from you. Hold it as long as you want.
For stretching the other side of your wrist, you can point the fingers to the ceiling,
and once again pull them towards you using the other hand. The heel of your palm should
be pushed away from you. You can do the same exercise with the other wrist as well.
13. Banded Calf Stretch
This stretching exercise targets your calf muscles and Achilles tendon. You will need
an exercise band to do this stretch. Grab one and lie down on the floor. Bend your right leg while
making sure it’s rooted into the floor. Place the exercise band around the ball of your left foot.
Raise the leg in the air. Make sure you maintain a slight bend in the left leg towards the knee.
Extend the leg as far as you can until you reach a stretch. Repeat
on the other side. Do 12 reps of this exercise.
14. Sitting Hamstring Stretch
Feeling stiffness in your hamstrings and lower back? Try the sitting hamstring stretch to relieve
the tension. To do this stretch, you need to first sit with your legs straight out in front of you.
Make sure you’re sitting straight and not slouching. Reach for your
toes without letting your back round. Finding it hard? No worries. Reach as far as you can.
Slowly with time, you’ll become flexible and be able to touch your toes.
Hold the position for a few seconds. Repeat this stretch any time during
the day to relieve the tension in your lower back.
Exercise is tricky, especially as you get older. One mistake can affect you
for the rest of your life. Let’s keep the conversation going with a couple
more exercise-related videos, shall we? Here’s what you should know...
Here’s 6 Resistance Band Exercises That Change Your Body In 4 Weeks.
Or Get Rid Of Love Handles Quickly With These 7 Exercises...
Go ahead, click one. Or better yet, watch both, and learn more about fitness workouts.
Do you perform stretching exercises daily? Are you planning on including any of these
stretches in your daily routine? Let us know in the comments below!