Stretching, with proper breathing, is one of the most important things we can do for our body and our health. If you observe your pets as they get up from sleep, the first thing they do is stretch. We can learn much from our animal friends just ask Cesar Millan, The Dog Whisperer. They do things instinctively unlike humans who can be manipulated by outside influences.
As humans, we tend to push the snooze button until we absolutely have to get going, but taking that ten minutes of “snooze time” to stretch can actually put you in a better place to start your day. Your body has been horizontal for, hopefully eight hours, and our breathing has been very shallow for all that time. So to properly oxygenate the cells in our extremities, we need to breath a bit deeper and more consciously than our resting breadth.
Belly breathing, where you actually force the diaphragm to move down and press on the organs in your lower abdomen, is a more healthy way to breath. If you watch a baby sleeping, you will see that they belly breath. Somewhere between infancy and adulthood we change our way of breathing and we move toward chest breathing.
I have put together a routine that stretches the hips, spine, neck and arms and assists in oxygenation of your blood to the extremities so you feel ready to get up when you leave your bed.
In the past, I regularly had a stiff neck, but since I have incorporated stretching into my morning routine, the neck stiffness is no longer an issue and I get up more awake and ready to go. Please see the link for the stretches. As always, consult your physician before starting any exercise plan. Stay tuned as I will be putting the stretches on video and will post them.
