Friday, May 7, 2010

updated morning stretches plus more

As I read back over some of my posts I notices that I failed to let you in on how I do those stretches I mentioned.

I DO THEM WHILE STILL IN BED!

There! now that should make more sense to those of you who were trying to follow my example and my faulty instructions.




..............And then I get up and do different ones while standing.


  • Standing Stretches are as follows: (I copied these directions from the book, 8 weeks to vibrant health, but I added my own humor in italics)



  • Stand with your feet shoulder width apart.



  • Inhale and slowly begin to raise your arms in front of you and straight up over your head. Except for mom, we will be holding up the ceiling



  • Sssstrrrreeeeetchhhh as tall as you can.



  • Breathe deeply and move your arms as if you are climbing a ladder, hand over hand.



  • Keeping your arms over your head, exhale and press your pelvis forward, arching your back and bending backward as far as you comfortably can. Keep your eyes open for this part.



  • Take a breathe or two and inhale back to vertical.



  • On the exhalation, slowly begin to lower your arms, and , with your back straight, bend forward and reach your toes. Or your knees in my case. Truly, can any of you actually touch your toes?



  • When you are reaching down as far as you can, round your back and relax it in this forward-bending posture. Breathe deeply. Do not bounce. Hold for about thirty seconds.



  • With your back rounded, inhale and slowly curl back up to a standing position.
Aaaahh, this feels so good. Give it a try and let me know whether or not it makes a difference in how you spend the next few minutes and what kind of food choices you make. Personally, I find that I am more cheerful when I get the kids up and I choose a healthier breakfast then I otherwise would.

If I get a positive response I will post two more morning stretches to round this one out. So be sure to do it tomorrow morning and let me know. Seriously girls, you all need to be doing this. Lets get healthy together.

2 comments:

  1. Honestly it is a strech to just get dressed every morning for me! But I will admit, your posts have been intriging and one morning I tried a few little streches and it felt great. Also I have been doing the deep breathing now and then and I really like it. I am so enjoying your blog Tracy!

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  2. Racheal, I encourage you to start by taking baby steps to form a routine. Begin with doing one thing every morning for a week and then add another one. So lets say you feel overwhelmed with making a whole bunch of changes...hey, I think I will just make a post on how to begin making these positive changes in your life step by step. So keep posted.

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