To be honest, going to the gym has never been my thing. But when I got older, I realized
the need for at least some sort of physical activity to benefit my health. That’s why
I decided to try stretching for 10 minutes every day for a month. I was shocked by the
changes that happened to me!
Just like most of us, I have to spend a lot of time sitting at my desk at work. It’s
no wonder I experience back pain quite often. But I didn’t have the time (or the desire,
eh) for a full workout. Before starting my experiment, I did some research online and
found out that stretching makes the muscles stronger, prevents muscle strain, and minimizes
back spasms. That turned out to be spot on! After a month of doing some simple stretching
exercises, my back feels less stiff and my muscles have become more flexible. Now even
after a long workday, I don’t feel any pain and the knots in my shoulder have disappeared.
But that’s just the beginning!
Back pain wasn’t the only problem I got rid of. You see, I have a rather jam-packed,
hectic schedule trying to balance my work and personal life. As you already know, it’s
not easy. It caused a lot of tension to build up inside throughout the day, and when it
was time to sleep, I was tossing and turning, not able to shut off my busy mind. When I
woke up, I already felt tired. I used to try different things to get better sleep, like
drinking chamomile tea before bed, but it didn’t help much. Shortly after I started
following my stretching routine, I noticed that it took me less time to fall asleep and
I felt much more refreshed in the morning. It was because stretching promotes relaxation
and prevents sleep-disrupting cramps. Who knew that stretching would help me catch some
much-needed snooze time!
Because the quality of my sleep was better, I also started to feel more energized throughout
the day. Before, it was really difficult for me to stay awake during my long workday and
after lunch. I felt so heavy-eyed that all I could think of was where to find a place
to take a nap and not to be caught by my boss. But stretching helped me fight that midafternoon
drowsiness by increasing my energy and productivity. I became more focused and it took me less
time to finish tasks. On top of that, after work, I no longer felt dead tired like I used
to. My evenings even became more interesting as I replaced watching TV on the couch with
spending more time with my family and friends or taking nice walks, enjoying the night city.
Not feeling sluggish is so great, let me tell ya!
As I’ve already mentioned, I did some research online to find out what the benefits of stretching
are. I found two interesting studies. One of them was done back in 2011, and it showed
how stretching can lower glucose levels. And according to Japanese scientists, poor flexibility
is connected with arterial stiffening that leads to high blood pressure. That means that
stretching naturally lowers high blood pressure, reducing your level of bad cholesterol. High
blood pressure causes arteries to stretch too far and form minor tears. Cholesterol
usually builds up in those small tears. Frankly speaking, I didn’t care much about my health
before. My sedentary lifestyle and bad eating habits lead to my high cholesterol and sugar
levels. So imagine how surprised I was when I got my bloodwork back a few days ago, and
my doctor told me that my numbers were starting to go down! He knew that I had started a stretching
routine and told me to keep doing it.
You’ve probably heard that stretching can also improve your coordination. Well, I never
noticed any problems with that considering a perfect sense of balance isn’t something
you really need if you sit in a chair all day. But, to be honest, I’ve always been
a bit clumsy. I often bumped into furniture and tripped over my own feet. Small objects
like a coffee mug seemed to just slip out of my hands for no reason. Can any of you
relate to that? If yes, then you know how annoying it is! Anyways, after a month of
stretching, I’ve noticed that I have become way less clumsy. I don’t know, maybe it’s
in my head, but I swear I have no more random bruises on my legs. And I feel like I’m
not dropping stuff nearly as much. Hey, ya know what? Maybe I’ll start taking some
dance classes now that I don’t feel like a bull in a china shop anymore!
When you slouch at your desk all day like me, you probably know what a tension headache
is. It feels like a tight band around your forehead. I used to get them all the time
– I even kept a bottle of Ibuprofen in my desk, that’s how often! My doctor explained
to me that tension headaches are caused by muscle contractions in the head and neck.
Some people get them after staring at a computer screen or driving for long periods of time.
In my case, it was both. It usually takes me about an hour to get to work, depending
on traffic. But stretching has improved my posture, which takes extra stress away from
my head, neck, and shoulder muscles. So whenever I feel a headache creeping up on me, I just
start doing some exercises at my desk and it saves me from the pain. No need for any
medicine!
As I already mentioned, my diet is far from perfect. And to be honest, I often overeat,
which equals constant bloating and discomfort in my stomach. Even though I now try to choose
more healthy foods, it takes time to change your eating habits. But it turns out that
doing regular stretches can even improve your digestive health! Yeah, it helps the muscles
in your stomach and intestines that push food through your system. Not to mention, bending
my body in different positions increases blood flow to the bowels, reducing inflammation
and gastritis. After incorporating stretching into my daily routine, my bloating is gone
and I just feel lighter. And as a bonus, I lost a few extra pounds by being more active
than usual. Win-win!
Remember that my life is pretty hectic? I have to juggle a lot of commitments, and my
job is pretty stressful because it involves different deadlines, urgent meetings and so
on. And when you’re stressed, your body reacts by building up tension in the muscles.
Obviously, if you get rid of that tension, you’ll feel calmer. This is exactly what
happened to me thanks to stretching. I have clarity of mind and I don’t waste time or
energy anymore on annoying thoughts that make me feel anxious. I feel more present in the
moment without dwelling on the past or worrying about the future. Yeah, it’s pretty nice!
If you’re as impressed as I am with the changes my body went through during the last
month, then I’ll share with you what my stretching routine looks like. At first, I
didn’t know where to start, but I was able to narrow it down to 5 simple exercises. I
usually do them in the morning because it really helps me wake up.
So, the first one is a hurdle stretch. To perform this one, I sit on the floor and extend
my right leg fully to the side. Then I bend my left leg so that my left foot is on my
right inner thigh. I bend to my right side while grabbing my right foot with both hands.
After staying in this position for 60 seconds, I switch sides.
The next one has a funny name - frog pose. I sit on the floor with my feet below my buttocks
and my knees wide apart. Then I raise my bum and put my hands on the floor as far out as
possible while keeping my knees on the ground. I try to make the space between my knees wider,
feeling the stretch of my inner thighs. I stay in this position for 2 minutes.
Next, I usually switch to cobra pose by lying down on my stomach and stretching my legs
back. Then I lift my upper body off the floor using my arms. I hold this pose for 2 minutes,
making sure my elbows are straightened to the max.
Then goes downward-facing dog pose. I put my body in the position of an inverted letter
“V” by putting my hands and feet on the floor. I keep them shoulder-width apart and
straight and stay like that for 2 minutes.
And the last one is a seated spinal twist. I sit down on the floor extending both legs
in front of me. Next, I bend my left knee and put my right elbow on it. My left hand
goes on the floor behind my back. Then I twist my midsection as if I’m trying to look over
my left shoulder. I hold it for 1 minute, then switch sides and repeat it.
As you can see, all those stretches are really simple and don’t take up much of your time!
So, give them a try, and let me know how it goes!
And if you have any other ways of staying physically active, leave them down in the
comments too! Remember to give this video a “like,” share it with your friends,
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