16 Stretch Exercises That Can Improve Your Flexibility
Most of the issues many people have with body pain can be resolved with Mobility Stretches With all of these stretches it is important to ease into each one, if you over stretch while trying a stretch you could injure yourself setting yourself back your fitness goals. While you recover flexibility comes with time and practice. If you do not know the correct methods, ask your local Physio for advice. Soon you will become more flexible. Becoming more flexible means that you will have an easier life with much less chance of injury and your fitness journey will result is. Remember that increasing your flexibility makes life that much easier you can expect fewer injuries and be able to do more work with less stress so it is a winning combination. These sixteen stretches are designed to help: 1. Downward Facing Dog To work your hamstrings, keep your heels on the ground for full effect. 2. Head to Knee Forward Bend Do it for both legs eventually you will be able to stretch your head much closer to your toes. 3. Seated Forward Bend Same as the knee forward bend, but you do it seated with legs straight if you bend the knees you will miss the stretch. 4. Wide Angle Seated Forward Bend Now spread your legs as wide as possible towards a sitting split and bend your head forward for a stretch in your groin and hamstrings. 5. Standing Half-Forward Bend This bend helps the hamstrings without straining your back. 6. Standing Wide-Angle Forward Bend Bend to the side, middle, then your other side.
7. Bound Angle Pose Try to touch your knees the ground while sitting with feet together and knees bent, lean into the stretch to get a much deeper set of mobility stretches. 8. Lunge Hold this stretch of your hips and leg for the count of 8, to get the stretch you need. 9. Pigeon Pose To stretch the outside of your hips use your hands if needed to hold yourself up, then ease into the stretch holding for a few moments. 10. Goddess Pose Like a Sumo squat with legs spread wide that you hold for a few moments, this stretches the hamstrings and quads. 11. Child’s Pose This stretches your lower back and glutes while opening your hips. 12. Cobra Pose Keep your hips on the floor while being on your back. 13. Upward Facing Dog Keep your arms straight, hips on the ground, lift heels and shoulders. 14. Bow Pose This stretch resembles a bow, as in bow and arrow and is difficult at first, but soon you will master it. 15. Camel Pose Requiring a flexible back this is similar to the bow stretch, but easier, except you are doing it from your knees.
16. King Cobra Pose Very similar to the accept you bend your legs at the knees giving your back an extra stretch, just do it gently.
Mobility is so important, especially as you age and while exercising, when you do mobility stretches you become suppler, flexible and are much less likely to have serious injuries from sports or accidents in life. Most body pain starts to disappear when you regularly practice mobility exercises.