Simple Stretching Routine You Can Do At Home

We all know that a stretching routine, when done correctly, has many benefits. From the time you wake up in the morning and yawn until you go to bed at night, we use our muscles constantly.  By forming a habit of stretching into your daily activities you can increase your flexibility and enjoy a greater range of motion.  You will also notice that your movement will have a more fluid and graceful motion.

At Home Stretches

There are several ways to get at least some stretching worked into your day just by doing everyday chores in a slightly modified way. For example, you can stretch while you are standing at the sink, stove, or even at the grill (this is for men also!).  Stand with your legs and back straight, stand on your tip-toes for 10 seconds, then stand flat footed for 10 seconds. Repeat this for the entire time you are standing there. It will stretch and firm up your calf muscles, thighs, and bottom. It will get easier once you make a habit of this. If at first you only do this little stretch for 10 minutes, try 15 minutes the next time. Try to think of all the times throughout your day when you can get a quick leg stretch in. Some examples are waiting in line about anywhere, at the copy machine at work, and pumping gas.

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Some stretching routines can even make housework seem more fulfilling. Simple things like removing the clothes from the washer and putting them into the dryer can be turned into a stretch. Think of the videos we’ve all seen on television, the “bend and reach”. Bend sideways with one hand on your hip, reach with your other hand to get clothes out of the washer, turn and squat at the knees keeping your back straight, and with both hands put what you grabbed into the dryer. Then you can trade arms. It’s very simple and just this one little change in doing the laundry can stretch most every muscle in your body. It even helps to count along the way.

This is something you can do as you put the groceries away, cleaning off the table and loading the dishwasher, and even cleaning the kids’ room. Just remember to do these stretches correctly. Try to always keep your back as straight as possible and use slow, steady motions to increase flexibility.

The foot lift is another easy stretch that you can do while at home or in the office. This can be done sitting at the dining room table, at your desk, or anywhere you have a solid, straight chair. Sit with your back straight and feet flat on the floor, shoulders back and relaxed. Lift your feet with your toes pointed up and keep them lifted for as long as you can. Slowly put your feet back flat on the floor and repeat. This stretches the backs of your legs very well. Again, using slow steady motions instead of fast or jerking motions will keep you from actually pulling a muscle or causing any injuries. 

End-of-Day Relaxing Stretches

At the end of your day there is another stretch you can do while relaxing. You can do this stretch while lying on the couch, watching television, or lying in bed. You can even still hold the remote and watch your favorite show or read a book. While lying on your left side, with your body straight, slowly lift your right leg straight up as high as you can. The longer you can hold your leg in the air the better. Then slowly lower it down and relax. Do this a few times then roll over and lift your other leg. You can even add another stretch to this if you’d like. Roll over onto your back and lift both legs together. When doing this stretching routine you can hold the backs of your legs for more support if needed. 

Once you start making these small changes you will begin to see many places and ways that a stretching routine can be added into your daily activities. Trying new and different ways to add a beneficial stretching routine into your day can be a wonderful way to improve your overall wellness and flexibility.

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Finding Inspiration for your Stretching Routine

You can find inspiration anywhere for keeping your stretching routine fun. Recently, I had a much needed massage for some muscle knots in my lower back. These knots had started some pain in my hip and I was told that I needed to start stretching my hips to prevent the muscle knots from reforming. Why can’t I stay motivated when it comes to stretching? The reason that came to mind for me immediately, was how this is the most boring part of my workout and usually I just skip it. Now I HAD to start a stretching routine and I needed a way to make it fun.

I need fun and flexibility…immediately I think of cheerleaders, but without the actual cheerleader present, boredom would set in very quickly. So my next thought was of Mixed Martial Arts fighter BJ Penn hopping around on one foot while some guy was lifting the other foot over his head and Joe Rogan saying BJ could put his leg behind his head without using his hands. Now I don’t know if you have ever tried to put your foot behind your head, but I found that to be an impossible feat. Try it now. Can you do it? I had to check out the video on YouTube in order to wrap my mind around how you could even attempt it without using your hands.
When looking for a way to implement my passion for MMA into my stretching routine, I found this video of Eddie Bravo on: Flexibility and Work Ethic. He is demonstrating what he requires of someone to earn a black belt from him at 10th Planet Jiu-Jitsu. He shows how to stretch the groin and hips in different ways, including the lotus position. He talks about how your knees, hips, and groin all need to be stretched and to continue stretching in order to maintain that level of flexibility. I won’t be earning a black belt from Eddie Bravo any time soon, but it does give me a goal to reach for my flexibility.

Motivation

When I need some motivation or inspiration for a new workout I always look to mixed martial artists that train at the highest level of competition. They have tremendous cardio endurance and core strength, which is exactly what I want from my workouts. The flexibility these guys have is definitely something that I will be trying to emulate in the future.

I don’t think that I will need to kick someone in the head or do the Jean-Claude Van Damme side splits to punch an attacker in the groin, but you never know, right? All kidding aside, these things will never happen, but increasing your flexibility will increase your speed and balance while decreasing your risks for many types of sports injuries.

What are you interested in that can be translated into your everyday stretching routine? Do you sit and watch TV in the evenings? As Eddie Bravo talks about in his video, this is a perfect time to work on your flexibility and you will start seeing the benefits in your normal workouts in no time! Sticking to your stretching routine will be much easier and more fun if it incorporates something you find interesting or something you enjoy doing.

Here is Eddie Bravo’s DVD.  In his best-selling jiu-jitsu book, Mastering the Rubber Guard, Eddie Bravo lays out his entire half guard game, his entire butterfly guard game, and the secrets of the infamous Rubber Guard. Now, for the first time, Bravo unveils his entire guard system on DVD. The box set includes three DVDs that contain hours upon hours of easy-to-understand instructional training and live rolling. The collectors set covers the half guard, the butterfly guard, the entire Rubber Guard, escapes back to guard, and Spider Web. Unlike the majority of martial arts instructional DVDs that can bore a viewer to tears, Mastering the Rubber Guard (DVD) contains hours of bonus footage, including comedy sketches, Eddie Bravo music videos, and never-before seen footage where the Victory Belt Staff punks Bravo at the 10th Planet Academy with a pretty girl and an angry 300-pound meathead.