The Best Morning Stretches

The Best Morning Stretches Can Get You Ready for the Day

If you want the best start to your day, you should start out with the best morning stretches. Stretching in the morning is a great way to help you shake off the last vestiges of sleep and start your day with energy.

Why Should You Stretch in the Morning?

People who are getting ready for the day should start out with some morning stretches. This will enable them to emerge from their sleep inertia. Furthermore, this will boost their circulation while helping them limber up. Some morning stretches are more effective than others, so make sure to look them up.

What Are the Best Morning Stretches?

While there are no wrong answers, here are our favourite stretches to perform in the morning:

• The Child's Pose is a yoga position. You perform it by kneeling with your knees at hip-width, leaning forward until your torso is resting on your knees, and then stretching forward with your arms while your palms are down. The Child's Pose is good for extending the spine while stretching both the back and the shoulders.
• The Forward Fold stretch starts with a standing position in which your feet are positioned at hip-width while your knees are a bit bent. Once you are ready, you bend forward from your hips until your hands are resting on the ground in a comfortable manner. You can then move your upper body about while using your waist as a hinge, whether by nodding your head, swaying back-and-forth, or performing some other motion.
• The Knees-to-Chest stretch is a supine stretch. You start by lying down. After which, you raise your knees to your chest, hold them there for a few moments, and then return to a resting position. Supposedly, this stretch can help out with digestion, lower back pain, and even boost circulation to the vital organs.
• The Neck Stretch is a classic that can be performed anytime and anywhere. You perform it by bringing your head down so that your ear approaches your shoulder. If necessary, you can use the corresponding hand to pull your head in the right direction, though you need to be gentle because you don't want to strain yourself. Finish the stretch by holding your head in that position for a few seconds. Then, perform it in the opposite direction for balance.
• The Seated Oblique stretch is meant to help out the spine, the chest, and the sides. You start by sitting down. Then, you lace your fingers together over your head with the palms facing upwards before proceeding to lean from side to side. You can make the same motion while standing up to perform the standing version of this morning stretch.
• The Side Quad stretch is a variation on the standard movement for stretching your quadriceps muscles. It is named thus because you are supposed to lie on your side with your knees aligned with one another. Then, you bring the top leg back, use your arm to bring your foot towards your butt, and hold it there for a few seconds. Once completed, you roll onto your other side before repeating the series of motions with your other leg. This is much the same as the standing stretch for the quadriceps muscles. However, lying down makes this a safer choice if you don't want to test your balance in the morning.
• The Supine Twist stretch starts with you lying on your back. After which, you raise one leg, turn until that leg rests upon the other, and then hold the position for a few seconds. Then, you perform the same series of motions in the other direction using the other leg. The Supine Twist is supposed to be beneficial for the back, the hips, and the gluteal muscles.

Tips for Performing the Best Morning Stretches

No one likes a pulled muscle! Here are some suggestions for performing morning stretches:

• Stretches aren't warm-ups. Due to this, it is possible for you to hurt yourself if you stretch too hard while your muscles are still too cold. Spent some time moving at a low intensity until you are ready for your morning stretches. Similarly, don't do a hard stop once you have finished stretching. Instead, spend some time cooling down by moving at a lower intensity.
• You might not have enough time to stretch every single part of your body. If you are short on time, you should focus on the parts of your body that you expect to use the most over the course of your day.
• Bouncing is undesirable while performing morning stretches. One, it can be counterproductive by tightening up the muscles. Two, it can increase the chances of injury. As such, you always want to make smooth motions while you are stretching.
• Pain means that something is wrong. You should experience tension while you are stretching. However, if you are experiencing pain, you are definitely overdoing it. Stop because you don't want to hurt yourself.
• When you perform your morning stretches, you should do so in both directions so that you can maintain symmetrical flexibility. This is particularly important because being more flexible in one direction than the other can increase your chances of hurting yourself when you are moving about.
• Doing morning stretches on a regular basis is the best way to see results. This means stretching two or three times a week at a minimum. If you stop doing your morning stretches, you can expect to see your flexibility decline over time.

How Else Can You Prepare Yourself for the Coming Day?

Morning stretches are very useful. However, they aren't the only way that you can prepare yourself for the coming day. 

Getting a good night's sleep should give you the energy that you need to do your best. While easier said than done, getting a good night’s sleep usually means sleeping for about eight hours a night, though some people might need to sleep a bit more while other people might need to sleep a bit less. If you have problems falling asleep, one culprit could be too much light. A great tip is to try to minimize your light exposure during the night. Furthermore, you should try to go to bed at around the same time every single night for habit-building purposes. 

Similarly, another way to start your day with energy is to ensure you to remember to eat in the morning before you head out. If you’re going to be doing a lot of things during the day, you need to provide yourself with the proper nutrients. The core components of a nutritious breakfast would be whole grains, lean protein, low-fat dairy, and some fruits and vegetables. 

Combined with the best morning stretches, these simple steps should provide you with the best start for your day.