New Stretching Routine

Ever since I initially discussed my effort to stretch more often, I’ve been thinking about when to stretch, which stretches to perform and how often to do so.

After doing some research on stretching in general, I’ve decided that for my purposes, static stretching is the way to go.

Static stretching involves stretching a muscle slowly and continuously for about 15 to 30 seconds. As you hold the stretch, the muscle relaxes and you can usually increase the stretch a little further the second time around.

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As I mentioned before, I attribute most of my tension and stiffness to sitting behind a computer for most of the day. As a result, I feel especially tight in my hips, hip flexors, neck and shoulders.

My daily stretching routine focuses on stretching my body as whole, while paying special attention to those extra tight areas mentioned above.  My routine involves about 5-8 minutes of stretching as soon as I wake up, and right before I go to bed.

I created this routine according to what I believe will work for me. Ultimately I hope that adding a daily stretching routine to my life will increase my flexibility and help relieve some of the unwanted tension that I’m currently experiencing.

I plan to engage in a variety of the stretches pictured below, as well as foam rolling when necessary.

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I also hope to try yoga at some point (I’ve been saying this for a long time!!) as well as continue the stretching that I always do before and after exercising.

Who knows, maybe one say I’ll be able to do this? Haha!

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Do you stretch on a regular basis?

What is your stretching routine like?