You don’t need to be an Olympian to know that stretching should be a vital part of not just your workout routine but also your daily life. Is your back hurting from sitting at work all day? Stretch. Just got back from your run feeling a bit sore? Stretch.
Not all of us have the time or patience to build a regular stretching habit. If you’re part of this group, here are four tips from fitness expert Shauna Harrison that will help you trick yourself into doing so.
Think Of All The Benefits!
Pexels/Jonathan Borba: According to Mayo Clinic, stretching can help you decrease the risk of injury as it helps develop your flexibility and range of motion
Stretching has many benefits, from improving your flexibility to relieving muscle aches. Harrison advises lazy stretchers to remind themselves of these perks to get their bodies moving. Who doesn’t want to feel good and less lethargic doing just a couple of moves?
Keep Your Stretching Stuff Where You Can See Them
Pexels/Tim Samuel: As the saying goes, “out of sight, out of mind,” which is something you don’t want to happen
If you get most of your daily dose of stretching from practicing yoga, you should definitely keep your mats, rollers, and foams somewhere you can see them throughout the day. It can be easy to simply forget to stretch before the day is over with work, chores, and other things to distract you for hours on end.
Harrison admits that this tip doesn’t have a 100% guaranteed effectiveness. It’s still worth a try, even if it only works the first couple of times! You just need to figure out what works for you.
Two Stretches Is Better Than None
If your biggest obstacle to stretching regularly is that you know one or two stretches, you’re already off to a good start. Continue performing those moves at least once a day and then increase it to a few times a day once you get used to it.
It’s all about building habits steadily while overcoming a seemingly daunting task. Before you know it, you’ll be automatically doing your stretches because your body will be craving it!
Strapped For Time? Multitask!
Pexels/Andrea Piacquadio: You can do a variety of simple standing stretches even when you’re preoccupied with your dental care routine
If you’re a busy bee who doesn’t have a lot of time to spare for stretching, Harrison has one sage advice for you: multitask. This means sneaking in a couple of stretches at each opportunity that presents itself whether you’re just waiting for your coffee to brew or in the bathroom brushing your teeth.
You can even incorporate your stretch routine into your relaxing session. You know, those times when you’re just lounging around listening to a podcast or streaming a show! Harrison believes in using a habit that you already have to develop another through a sort of “buddy system.”
