May 1, 2023. Let’s start the week loose. Comfortable. Flexible. Because flexible muscles make everything easier and less tiring. Today’s Way’ll relax and stretch your lower back and hips. Make them feel and function better.

After I do the Knees-To-Chest stretch, I stay on the floor and go right to Spinal Twist. Together, these two exercises provide almost instant improvement for tight lower back and hip muscles.

Do this the Way I do in the video. Slowly. Gradually. Don’t inflict pain. This is supposed to feel good. If you’ve never done this, you’ll probably find you have a limited range of motion. That limits how far you can twist at the waist. So do three of these on each side – hold each for 30 seconds. Go only as far as you can without discomfort. In a few days, you’ll find it’s easier to go a little farther than today. And it’ll keep getting easier. And feeling better. All day. Every day.

It’ll improve your flexibility – and help you avoid just sitting there.

Treadmill Trails – The App
While you’re loose, get on a treadmill, elliptical, bike or stairs. And really enjoy it.

Every Thing Is Everything
“Stretching is too often neglected by exercisers pressed to fit workouts into their busy schedules. This common mistake can reduce the effectiveness of exercise because better flexibility results in better fitness.

By increasing your flexibility you can improve your ability to move around. You will have less muscle tension and your posture will likely improve. Most importantly, stretching after each workout reduces your risk for injury.”(American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons)

Get Down. I do this on a soft rug. If your exercise spot has a hard floor surface, you’re probably not going to exercise much – unless you use a padded mat. Here’s one with excellent cushioning and traction; it’s biodegradable and recyclable.

It’s Always Something
Don’t Just Sit There! Even if you exercise for an hour a day, you’re still awake for another 15 hours.

If you spend too many of them sitting, you’ll have significantly higher risk of “cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome risk factors, and obesity … because any type of brief, yet frequent, muscular contraction throughout the day may be necessary to short-circuit unhealthy molecular signals [from prolonged sitting] causing metabolic diseases.” American Diabetes Association, “Role of Low Energy Expenditure and Sitting in Obesity”.

So get up, or down, and stretch whenever you have a minute – just for the muscle flexing.