We all know how good it feels to stretch after waking up in the morning, or just after a long period of sitting at a desk, but most of us rarely take the time to do a dedicated mobility session.
As I get older and I feel the effects of hard workouts or long days on my feet or sitting at a desk more and more, I find that doing even just 10 minutes of stretching works wonders on my tight muscles.
I tend to focus on my hips and legs because running is my main sport, but a full-body stretch brings holistic benefits — tightness in one area of the body can lead to problems elsewhere, so it’s always wise to stretch the whole body when you can.
This 10-minute routine from fitness trainer Maddie Lymburner, who goes by MadFit on YouTube, is my new go-to for when I do find the time to stretch. All you need is one of the best yoga mats, and it’s suitable for all fitness levels.
Watch MadFit’s 10-minute stretching routine
Lymburner leads you through the stretching routine, doing all the moves herself and explaining how to get into the right position for each stretch.
It’s a gentle routine designed to wake up any sleepy muscles you might have been neglecting lately, and it’s perfect for doing first thing in the morning or to break up a long stretch of sitting at your desk.
I did the routine myself mid-morning after I realized I hadn’t moved for over an hour; here are my main takeaways.
Focus on your breathing
The session starts with some deep breaths, and it’s amazing that something so simple can have such a big effect on your body, helping you to relax and loosen up your shoulders and upper body.
Maintaining deep breathing throughout the session helps you to get further into the stretches, and starting a mobility routine you do with five deep breaths is something I’ll be doing with other sessions going forward.
It targets the hip flexors
I have very tight hips, and it’s an area of the body I always like to work on with my stretching. In this session, you get deep into your hips with a lunge stretch.
If you sit for long spells each day, this kind of stretch is a must to help counteract the negative effects of all that sitting.
It helps you make time time for small movements
One thing I always notice when I do instructor-led stretching sessions is that it helps me commit to doing small movements for extended periods, like neck and back stretches.
If I’m doing the move by myself, I tend to rush through it, but following a session means I’ll commit to holding the stretch for longer, increasing the benefits.
It almost permits you to take the time to stretch, and you know it’ll only take 10 minutes in total, so even if you often do your own stretching routine, I think it’s worth following a trainer-led session like this regularly too.
It helps understand where to feel the stretch
As someone with very tight muscles, it’s actually sometimes difficult to even get into the right position with a stretch to work the right area of the body, so having an instructor on hand to explain is helpful.
Lymburner says where you should be feeling the stretch with the moves, which meant I could adjust my position accordingly until I stretched the right muscles, even if it actually meant standing rather than sitting sometimes, to allow myself to do the exercise.
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