“I was reaching over for something and I could feel a twinge in my back. Now, I can barely move it. Help!”
I don’t know how many times I have heard someone say those words to me, but I know it’s been a lot.
Something that could have prevented the back injury, or other similar injuries, would have been to easily implement a few stretches in the morning. Now, you don’t need to be an athlete to be stretching everyday. In fact, if you are moderately moving through the day (and I certainly hope you are!), it’s a good idea to stretch in the mornings and warm your muscles up for the day. When we stop stretching our muscles, they contract so more injuries are invited to these tight areas. There are different factors that can cause back stiffness which leads into injuries. Aging, sitting on long flights or while working, and even cold weather conditions can have an effect on your muscles that you’re not aware of.
Tell me this stretch doesn’t look good!
Have you ever studied the way a cat moves throughout the day? I’m guessing if you don’t own a cat, you never have. The feline creatures can be perceived as some of the laziest animals on earth as they lay around sleeping all day. But if you have noticed, they are very active animals too. They spend their day jumping around in trees trying to catch insects and birds. They use their muscles a lot but why is it that we hardly ever see a cat with a muscle injury?
If you examine a cat getting out of a slumber, they stretch a lot. And I do mean a lot! They stretch from the moment they wake up all the way to their food bowl. They also have no stretching routine. They just listen to their bodies and stretch the most vital muscles that they use throughout the day. There is even a yoga pose called cat pose, which is a great back stretch. (Quicker movements are considered to be better for pre workout warmups)
Next time you wake up to your alarm clock, hang out in bed for a bit and roll around, stretch, flex, and contract any tight areas you have, then stretch again . Try not to follow a certain form and just intuitively follow your body. Your body will thank you the day.
Speak Your Mind