Stretch of the Week: Downward Dog
October is my favorite month. I might be biased because it’s my birthday month;) But all the leaves changing beautiful colors and fall festivities really lifts my heart! We have to be mindful though as the colder months approach because we end up being inside many more hours. This means that if you sit for your job, you may end up sitting even more when you get home! So this month will be all stretches you can do with a chair while you’re at work (or wherever you like). We have to take a break every now and then to stretch those muscles that are in a fixed position for hours. This month we will focus on the muscles that get shortened while we sit, mainly the hamstrings and the pectoral(chest) muscles. We will also target the muscles through the side body to counteract the slouching and poor posture that happens from sitting too long. Let’s get started!
Should I Stretch Before or After My Run?
We all have seen, or have been, runners bending over to touch their toes or pull their foot back to stretch before a race. Therefore, it may surprise you that some research does not support static stretching prior to running, but at the same time others indicate it has no detrimental effects on performance.
Stretch of the Week: Self Massage for the Lats
Happy Fall and welcome to the final week of September! This week I am providing a self massage technique for the lats.
You will need a foam roller for this stretch. You can purchase one for relatively cheap on Amazon! You have to be able to lay on the floor for this one as well, so the only contraindication would be if you are unable to get down and up from the floor. You could always try to use a wall instead.
Stretch of the Week: Lateral Lat Stretch
This weeks lat stretch is called a lateral Lat stretch. Say that three times fast! It also involves a quadriceps stretch if you like 🙂
Contraindications for this stretch are if you have knee problems please just sit in a chair. You will need a yoga block if you would like the quad stretch added.
Stretch of the Week: Chair Lat Stretch
This week marks the half way point through the month. How are you feeling? Are you keeping up with your stretching? I hope so!
This week’s stretch is chair lat stretch. It’s a great one to do at work if you sit at a desk all day, so take a break! I sometimes will even do this stretch at my kitchen counter 🙂 The only contraindication for this stretch is if you have a shoulder injury where you can not raise the arm overhead without pain. In which case, please refrain from performing this weeks stretch.
Stretch of the Week: Teres/Lat Stretch
Week 2 of September is another lat stretch. But it can also get into the teres major and triceps a bit, so it’s a three for one! I just call this a Teres/Lat stretch.You will not need anything for this stretch. The only contraindication for this one is if you have frozen shoulder or can not lift the arm overhead, please refrain from doing it.
Stretch of the Week: Self Massage Technique for the Forearm
Summer is coming to an end as we approach the last week of August. I’m a fall person myself but I will miss these hot days where my body is warm, making stretching a little more enjoyable! Did you know warming up the body makes you a little more flexible? I always do my stretching after some kind of exercise, even if it’s just taking a walk around the block! I highly recommend it, so this week I will be giving you a self massage technique that will help warm up those forearm muscles before you stretch:)
Stretch of the Week: Forearm Twist
It’s the third week of August, how are your wrists and forearms feeling!? Looser I hope! This week we will be doing a forearm twist. We have two bones in our forearms, the ulna and the radius, that help us to make that twisting, or supination/pronation, of the forearm. In between these bones are little muscles and when they are tight it’s difficult to make those movements with the arm. This stretch will assist in helping to loosen these muscles as well as the muscles connected to the radius.
