Start your day right with stretching in the morning

Stretching in the morning is essential for keeping the body limber and ready to face the day.

It’s also an important part of preparing the body for physical activity later in the day. If you don’t stretch in the morning, it can be difficult to regain flexibility later in the day. If you stretch too soon after waking up, it can make you feel sluggish and tense.

However, stretching immediately before bed isn’t ideal either, as it makes it difficult to fall asleep afterwards. Fortunately, there are ways you can incorporate stretching into your daily routine that help keep your body primed for the rest of the day while also helping you relax at night.

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Best Morning Stretching Routine

Warm up first

Warm up your muscles before you do any high intensity activities by doing some light cardio, like walking or jogging.

Doing some light cardio can also help lengthen the muscles and increase flexibility. After you’ve done some cardio, you can move into specific stretches that are best for loosening up the muscles before you begin your day.

If you have flexibility issues in the shoulders, arms, or back, you can loosen those areas up with a few specific stretches that are best for increasing flexibility. These stretches should be done right before or right after any other activity that causes you to get sweaty or to be in a high-intensity state.

If you do these stretches while you’re in a high intensity state, they should be done at a slower pace and not held for too long.

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Do some yoga

Yoga is a great way to start the day. (Image via Unsplash/Glenna Haug)

One great way to incorporate stretching into your daily routine is to do yoga. Yoga is a type of physical activity that focuses on improving flexibility and is great for people looking to improve their overall well-being.

Yoga can be a great way to relax after a long day. It can also reduce stress, strengthen your muscles, and help you relax better at night. There are many types of yoga you can do, depending on your interests and your fitness level.

There are also many types of yoga you can start with. The best way to get into yoga is to try a few different ones, and choose one that you like best. That way, you can keep practising yoga in the long term.

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Hold each stretch for a few breaths

After doing some light cardio or stretching, hold each stretch for a few breaths. That will help you to increase the blood flow to your muscles. It will also help relax the muscle you’re stretching and reduce chances of injury.

If you’re new to yoga, it’s best to take it slow and hold each stretch for a few breaths. That will give your muscles time to get used to the stretch. You don’t want to stretch too quickly that your muscles tense up. Instead, you want to relax each muscle as you hold it for a few breaths.

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Cool down with some light cardio

After you're done with your yoga session or a few light cardio exercises, it’s a good idea to cool down with some light cardio.

That will help reduce your heart rate and to relax the muscles. Light cardio can be as simple as walking, jogging, or doing some light jumping exercises. It can also be as simple as doing some yoga poses that are easy to do without causing you to get too out of breath.

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Don’t forget your feet too

Yoga is great for improving flexibility and is a great addition to any stretching routine, but it’s also important to include stretching in your daily routine for other reasons.

Stretching your feet every day can help reduce risk of foot problems and can also prevent pain and injury by keeping the feet strong and flexible. You can stretch your feet first thing in the morning by standing with your feet out and slowly bringing them back in towards your shin.

You can also stretch your feet before bed to help keep them limber and prevent cramps while you’re sleeping.

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Don't forget your feet. (image via Unsplash/Barbara Rezende)

Stretching is absolutely essential and should be an indispensable part of your morning routine. Try incorporating different types of stretches, and keep it fun. Do yoga, pilates, HIIT (if you want a quick calorie-burner), or whatever your heart (and body) desires.