If you're short on time, low on energy, or just didn't feel like working out today, you can still treat your body to some gentle, rejuvenating movement right before you go to sleep with these two simple stretches you can do while lying on your belly.
Mobility and fitness coach Anthony Green posts a lot of stretches for the spine and hips on Instagram, but this quick routine struck me as something I'd love to try as a low-energy girly and a stomach sleeper.
I've found my tendency to sleep on my stomach has led to back problems as I get older, and because I spend a lot of my waking hours sitting at a desk, my hip flexors often feel tight and uncomfortable.
"Try these two movements before bed to help reduce stiffness in your hips and improve hip mobility," writes Green in the caption. He suggests doing these movements for a minute and then checking in with yourself and seeing how you feel.
My results
1. My lower back felt better, all the way until morning
The second exercise in particular gave my lower back the stretch it so desperately needed and meant that I went to sleep without the tight, sore feeling I usually have in that area. Because I sleep on my stomach, my lower back usually seizes up a bit overnight and I wake up feeling stiff and have to try and loosen it up again with some stretches before I can get on with my day. The first stretch laterally twisted the muscles of my lower back in a gentle way, helping them to feel more relaxed and comfortable, even when I woke up.
2. My hips got a good stretch
The first exercise stretched my hips and made them feel far less sore. Sitting puts a lot of pressure on the hip flexor muscles and can shorten them, so it's a good idea to mobilize them when you can. I frequently neglect my hip flexors and then wonder why my hips feel bad when I walk up hills. This first stretch felt as though it was pulling and loosening my hips, particularly up the sides. During the second stretch, I felt a sense of release down the front of my pelvis.
3. I liked that I could do them from bed
I'm a fan of any wellness activity that doesn't require me to put on my fitness gear, lay out a yoga mat or dig out fitness equipment. Green performs the stretches on the floor in his Reel, but I did them on my bed, before getting under the covers to go to sleep.
Generally, I try to get into bed an hour or two before I want to go to sleep, so I can read or put on an audiobook and relax my mind before trying to doze off. However, with my stiff back and sore hips, I've recently struggled to relax my body as well as my mind and end up waking up feeling even worse. These moves gave me a great way to target that pain and help my body to feel better and looser before sleep.
4. They will become part of my wind-down routine
These simple stretches made my hips and lower back feel so much better that I will incorporate them into my wind-down routine. I think it's important to check in with my body each evening before bed to see what hurts, and where I may be feeling tension or carrying stress. These exercises gave me a great way to do that, while also targeting two problem areas.
