What’s the first thing you do when you wake up? Do you scroll on your phone? Make yourself a coffee? Or do you down a glass of water?
Well, before doing any of the above, professional sports physical therapist and strength coach Jeff Cavaliere advises setting five minutes aside to stretch.
"Depending on how you sleep, you could easily be feeling tight or stiff when you wake up," he says. "In order to combat this, I came up with a stretching routine, one that I do myself every day, that takes very little time out of your morning but will make you feel 10 years younger."
You can watch the five-move mobility routine below. You might want to grab a yoga mat to do the moves (we like this cheap one on Amazon) but other than that, you don't need any equipment.
The five morning stretches you should do, according to Jeff Cavaliere
The five moves Cavaliere recommends are:
- Bridge and reach over
- QL slide
- Squat and reach
- Lunge and twist
- Hip hinge
Watch the video above and read his descriptions on Youtube to make sure you're performing the moves correctly.
Why is it important to stretch?
"Stretching promotes both flexibility and mobility, supporting your body's full potential in expressing movement," physical therapist, Christian Jolley, at Make Movements says.
"Our internal systems—like the nervous system, circulatory system, respiratory system and musculoskeletal system—are all optimized through movement. So to put it simply: we stretch to move, and moving freely helps us live a better quality of life."
Stretching might feel particularly satisfying in the morning because it helps to optimize the transition from sleep to wakefulness.
"It nudges your body into a conscious wakeful state, stimulating both a mechanical, chemical and nervous system response," Jolley adds.
Want more routines like this one? Try these hip stretches to combat the effects of sitting or practice these beginner yoga stretches to boost flexibility.
