WAITING FOR THE ALARM? MAKE SURE THE DAY FEELS GOOD

Do you set your bedside alarm clock 5-10 minutes before you must get going in the morning? If you don’t, you should. That time can be used to reduce stiffness, waken your circulation, and put you in touch with your body. What a great idea!

Institute a simple program to heal yourself and prevent some of the problems of aging. Exercise while relaxing in bed.

First, since you’re lying comfortably on your back, pull one knee over your chest. Hold the lower leg between the knee and the ankle, with both hands next to each other, for 30 seconds. Pull the leg up only as far as comfortable. It should not hurt during or after the stretch. Even if you cannot bend the knee very far, regularly doing this stretch will help an arthritic knee to feel better all the time. Then repeat with the other side. Not too hard. Do what is easy. You may find it feels best if you repeat stretching each knee.

Next, lift your left foot up as high as you can, keeping the knee only slightly bent. Grasp the back of the thigh, close to the knee, with your hands and pull towards yourself. (If you can’t reach your thigh, then forget it.) You should feel a stretch of the hamstring muscles. Do it gently. Hold 20-30 seconds. Same with the right foot.

(An alternative hamstring stretch requires that the foot or head of your bed is against a wall. Lie on your back with your knees bent, feet flat, and toes a few inches from the wall. Slide the left foot up the wall until that knee is straight. Keep the right foot on the bed, and the right knee bent. Hold for 3 minutes. Slowly slide the left foot down and place it on the bed with the left knee bent. This is a passive stretch. Now do the same stretch with the right knee moving up the wall.)

Again, lying on your back with your legs extended straight, loop a towel around the ball (the metatarsal ridge just proximal to the first toe joints) of one foot. Holding the ends of the fabric, pull the foot towards yourself, stretching your calf muscles for 20-30 seconds. Repeat with the other foot.

The active stretching exercises also strengthen your hand and arm muscles. A little collateral benefit. 

Now, sit up with your legs over the side of the bed. Pull your shoulders a little back and tighten up your belly muscles a little bit. Extend both arms high into the air for 15 seconds. Lower them and relax. Do it again.

Move your right hand over your left shoulder so the arm crosses over your face. Bring your left hand under the upper right arm and grab the triceps above the elbow and pull gently. Feel it in your right shoulder. Repeat with the other arm in the other direction.

Extend your arms above your head again.

Next, gently stretch your neck. Slowly turn your head to the left 5 times, holding at your personal extreme for 2 seconds. You should be feeling a little pull in the neck muscles. Repeat, going to the right side. Then do the same by lifting your chin up 5 times. Finally, bend your head forward 5 repetitions. At each extreme, hold for about 2 seconds.

Now a final extension of your arms above your head for 15 seconds.

None of this should hurt. Move into a position gently and under control. If you feel pain, you are being too aggressive. Achiness later in the day also means you are stretching too vigorously.  

Better set the alarm 10 minutes early so you can perform this regimen without feeling rushed.

Do the same routine in the evening, too. It’s a wonderful healthy practice that brackets your sleep. As your joints loosen, sleep quality will also improve. 

Aging tightens ligaments, tendons, and joints. The aging process never takes a day off. Stretching twice a day will delay and minimize some of the discomforts which affect most people. Less achiness means more energy. The sooner you get started with this program, the greater the benefit. Good luck.