Yoga | Tone and Tighten

10 of the Best Stretches to Improve Your Flexibility

March 23, 2019

Improve your flexibility to decrease tension, decrease pain, and increase your quality of movement. Here’s 10 of the best stretches to increase flexibility – just 10 minutes of stretching per day will bring great results.

10 of the Best Stretches to Improve Your Flexibility

Neck:
- Ear-to-Shoulder Stretch
- “Smell Your Armpit” Stretch
Shoulder:
- Cross-Body Stretch
- Doorway Stretch
Lower Back:
- Cat – Camel
- Lumbar Rotations
Hips:
- Piriformis Stretch
- Hip Flexor Stretch
Legs:
- Hamstring Stretch
- Calf Stretch

Keep reading for a step-by-step guide with pictures of each of these stretches.

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As a physical therapist, I see a lot of different people for a lot of different reasons. Whether it’s back pain, neck pain, hip pain, shoulder pain, etc – one of my primary interventions that I recommend for people on a daily basis is stretching.

Improving your flexibility can decrease tension in tight muscles, improve mobility in your joints, and ultimately decrease pain in tense/tight body areas.

Today I wanted to share with you 10 of my most-recommended stretches to help improve your flexibility.

Let’s try them out….

Post-Workout Cool Down – Cool Down Stretching Routine

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The recovery phase is a crucial part of your workout routine. Don’t skip it!

You’ve done it! You’ve just ran your last step or grinded out your last rep. Workout done, right? WRONG!

Way too many of us often skip one of the most important parts of the workout routine – the cool-down.

“Cooling down” after a workout means performing lighter activity to bring your heart rate and body temperature back down to a “normal” level. This is crucial to preventing dizziness/fainting, removing waste products (i.e. lactic acid) that accumulate in your muscles during a workout, and reducing muscle soreness/stiffness.

Today I wanted to run you through my go-to 5 minute cool down stretching routine that I use to keep my muscles healthy and bring my heart rate down. Try it out after your next workout and experience the difference it makes in your own body! Here we go… …

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With regards to my own personal health and fitness, I am typically all about strength training. Circuits, HIIT, weights, and every other higher-intensity workout is where I typically invest most of my personal fitness time. However, every now and then I’m reminded of the importance to slow down, stretch, and simply breathe deeply. This week, a patient of mine once again reminded me of this fact when he pointed out to me a lot of the things I was recommending for him were actually yoga poses. That’s why today for your “Weekly Workout Plan” I’m switching things up a little bit. Today I wanted to share with you 10 of the best yoga flows that I have found on YouTube! Grab your mat, find somewhere comfortable, and let’s slow things down a bit. Here we go……

10 Yoga Poses For Beginners

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Yoga – not just for Yogi’s!

I gotta admit, the first time I was ever invited to a yoga class I was a little bit skeptical. As one who would MUCH rather lift something heavy, I went along with it for the sake of health and fitness and wanting to try something new. I must admit – I was completely and pleasantly surprised! Afterwards I felt looser, more relaxed, and it was a surprisingly good workout (hello shoulder stabilizers during downward-facing dog, high plank, and upward-facing dog sequence!). Since that time long ago I’ve actually come to include many yoga poses in my exercise prescription for my physical therapy patients. It’s a phenomenal way to stretch, strengthen, and relax all at the same time! I feel that everyone could benefit from doing a few classic yoga poses everyday; so today I wanted to share with you my top 10 yoga poses you should be doing (or at least try them out!). Here we go!…

Hard Core Pilates Workout – 6 of the best Pilates exercises for a strong core and flat stomach

October 3, 2014

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Pilates, anyone?

As a physical therapist, I have always been a big fan of Pilates. Many of the exercises that I recommend to my patients on a daily basis are Pilates-oriented. There are fewer better ways to build a ton of static strength in a hurry! Today I’m sharing a killer core burner composed of my six favorite core Pilates moves. Here we go!

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